2016 – John Tzanis

John Tzanis was awarded the 2016 William J. Simpson Distinguished Paralegal Award for his leadership in the paralegal profession on May 25th by the Law Society of Upper Canada.

The Distinguished Paralegal Award was created in 2011 and renamed in 2014 in honour of William J. Simpson, to recognize a paralegal who has demonstrated one or more of the following criteria:

outstanding professional achievement;
contribution to the development of the profession;
devotion to professional duties;
adherence to best practices and mentoring of others in best practices;
a history of community service;
personal character that brings credit to the paralegal profession.

Licensed in 2008, Tzanis led the successful unification of the two provincial paralegal professional associations, leading to the establishment of the Ontario Paralegal Association.

Tzanis is recognized for his extensive contributions on paralegal issues with colleges, the provincial government, and the Law Society. He is the owner and operator of Continental Legal Services Professional Corporation.

In 2014, Tzanis was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Ontario Paralegal Association.