Canada—Eric Foster and Chris Zelyas, partners based in Toronto and Edmonton respectively, have been named winners of the Lexpert Rising Stars Awards: Leading Lawyers Under 40 for 2020.

The annual awards honour leading lawyers from law firms, in-house departments, government and academia across Canada. They are highly competitive, bestowed to lawyers who are recognized leaders in their fields and team players with superior interpersonal skills, a strong business acumen, and a responsive attitude to change.

As a partner and leader of Dentons’ Cannabis practice in Canada, Eric Foster is one of Canada’s leading practitioners in the cannabis space. Having acted as primary counsel for some of the largest cannabis producers and distributors in North America, he is one of only three lawyers to achieve both a Band 1 ranking in Chambers Canada and a top-tier ranking in The Legal 500 Canada for Cannabis Law. Heavily involved in driving the emerging industry, Eric is a founding member of the Ontario Cannabis Policy Council, is in the process of developing a new cannabis law certificate course for Osgoode Hall Law School for which he will also be a lecturer, and is currently leading the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s National Cannabis Working Group’s industry-led review into the Cannabis Act.

Chris Zelyas is an IP partner and leads Dentons’ trademark team in Edmonton, while also helping to build the New Media, Technology and IP Litigation group. Chris regularly advises on high-stakes files, and his approach to all client matters is hands-on and team-oriented. Dedicated to driving the future of the legal profession, he has served as Executive Member at Large for CBA’s Technology and Intellectual Property – North Alberta Branch and a member of CBA’s Legislative Review Committee (North). Chris has also had notable speaking engagements, including with the Government of Alberta and the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada, and is involved in pro bono activities, such as through the Edmonton Community Legal Centre and through providing trademark prosecution advice to Canadian Polar Bear Habitat and Psychology Foundation of Canada.

Dentons is also proud to congratulate three Rising Stars finalists, Nicole Bacsalmasi (Calgary), Chase Irwin (Ottawa), and Scott Rozansky (Montréal), for also demonstrating an incredible commitment to their Firm, profession, colleagues, clients and communities.

Beth Wilson, Canada CEO at Dentons, said, “Eric and Chris embody the exceptional talent we are proud to foster at Dentons. Not only are they deeply admired for their ability to lead motivated and high-performing teams, but they are dedicated to delivering best-in-class commercially-minded legal advice to our clients as they grow, protect, operate and finance their businesses. Their contribution to the wider legal profession and the industries they serve is also remarkable, and they reflect our Firm’s commitment to giving back to our communities on a local, national and global scale. This recognition is well-deserved and I congratulate Eric, Chris and our finalists for this significant professional achievement.”

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