Sandra L. Corbett QC of Edmonton, Alberta is the thirteenth recipient of the prestigious Lee Samis Award of Excellence from Canadian Defence Lawyers (CDL). The announcement was made in Toronto on June 5 at the CDL Annual Meeting. A dinner will be held in her honour in Edmonton later this year.
Sandra has been directly involved in building and serving the organizations representing Canada’s defence bar at all levels. She served as a Board Member of CDL from 2003 to 2013 and its President from 2008 to 2009. During her 10 year service, she chaired many key Board committees whose tasks concerned the fundamental building blocks of CDL. During her presidency, CDL was awarded the “Outstanding Defense Bar Association” by DRI-The Voice of the Defense Bar. After leading CDL, Sandra became the Canadian Regional Director on the DRI Board for a further three years. She brought back from this experience, knowledge, and skills vital to the continued growth and success of Canada’s national defence association. Sandra has built relationships with other international defence associations such as the IADC and the FDCC, all of which have raised both CDL’s profile and those of its members.
Sandra is a member of two vetted American organizations, the Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel (FDCC), and the International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC). She is Vice Chair of the FDCC International Practice & Law Section (2012 and 2013). She was elected to the Fellows of the American Bar Foundation in 2012. She also enjoys membership in the Association of Defense Trial Attorneys (ADTA). She has taught Insurance Law at the Faulty of Law at the University of Alberta, volunteered for the Legal Education Society of Alberta and is a frequent presenter at industry seminars including CICMA/CIAA Joint Conference, RIMS Canada and NARIMS. She is an active volunteer with the Law Society of Alberta and is the Immediate Past President of the Edmonton Bar Association.
Sandra was called to the Bar in 1990 and is a partner with Field Law in Edmonton. Her practice focuses on resolution of complex tort and liability matters in the civil and commercial litigation areas, and in particular, in insurance defence litigation. She has appeared at all levels of the Alberta Courts, and has extensive experience in alternate dispute resolution proceedings, including both judicial and private mediation.
The Lee Samis Award of Excellence was named for the founding President of CDL to recognize exceptional contributions and/or achievements by members of CDL:
- to the legal profession in general; or
- to jurisprudence in Canada on the law of insurance; or
- to law or development of the law of insurance in Canada; or
- a significant law-related benefit to CDL and/or the insurance industry.