WeirFoulds LLP congratulates Partner Clare Burns, Co-Chair of the Firm’s Wills, Trusts & Estates Practice Group, for receiving the prestigious 2025 Ontario Bar Association Award of Excellence in Trust and Estates Law on June 10, 2025. The award was officially presented during a ceremony that was hosted by the Ontario Bar Association’s Trusts and Estates Law Section at the iconic One King West in Toronto. WeirFoulds also congratulates all those who were honoured during the ceremony.
This award highlights Clare’s outstanding contributions to the legal profession and her remarkable expertise in the field of trusts and estates law. The event was attended by Clare’s friends, family and colleagues, who came together to celebrate this significant milestone in an illustrious career spanning nearly 35 years.
Widely regarded as one of Canda’s leading litigators in trusts and estates law, Clare has established a strong reputation among her clients and peers for handling complex and highly sensitive matters involving trusts, estates and capacity litigation. She has represented clients at all levels of court, including the Supreme Court of Canada, and previously served as the Children’s Lawyer for the Province of Ontario from 2003 to 2008.
Clare’s excellence in the legal profession has been consistently recognized over the years by third-party publications and organizations. In addition to this most recent accolade from the Ontario Bar Association, this includes being ranked in the top band of the Chambers: High Net Worth Guide in the “Private Wealth Disputes – Canada” category for seven consecutive years. She has also previously received the Lexpert Zenith Award for Excellence in Estate and Tax Planning, been ranked repeatedly by Best Lawyers in Canada and the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory in their annual lists, and was recognized by Best Lawyers in Canada as one of their Toronto “Lawyers of the Years” for her work in Trusts and Estates.
Outside of WeirFoulds, Clare is actively engaged across the legal profession and her broader community. She has been a Director of The Advocates’ Society and Vice President of the National Association of Public Trustees and Guardians. Clare has taught estates law, children’s law and trial advocacy at the University of Toronto Law School, Osgoode Hall Law School and Western University Law School. She is also a Past Director of World Literacy of Canada and About Face Craniofacial Family Society.
“Throughout her career, Clare has epitomized excellence in the legal profession, and served as a source of inspiration for all those who work alongside her or have been mentored by her,” said Co-Managing Partners Denise Baker and Wayne Egan in a joint statement. “Her significant contributions to trusts and estates law in Canada have shaped the landscape of the practice, and she has set an incredibly high standard of dedication, integrity and leadership. To see Clare receive this well-deserved recognition of her trailblazing career is deeply meaningful for all of us at WeirFoulds.”
To learn more about Clare Burns, please visit her profile page.
To learn more about the Wills, Trusts & Estates Practice Group, click here.
