Congratulations Jennifer Freund
The Law Society is pleased to congratulate Jennifer Freund as the recipient of the 2025 Women in Law Leadership (WILL) Award for Leadership in the Profession (Government or In-House).
The WILL Awards are presented annually to female members of the Alberta legal profession in recognition of their outstanding dedication, initiative, achievement, and contribution to the community, profession, legal scholarship, and pro bono activities.
This award recognizes and applauds a lawyer working as in-house counsel or in government who has shown extraordinary leadership in their legal skills and capabilities, contribution to legal education, mentoring of law students and junior lawyers, demonstrated leadership in equity and diversity initiatives and a commitment to being a positive role model for other lawyers.
Jennifer was called to the bar in 2008 and spent years working in policy and governance roles with the Calgary Police Commission and other policing organizations before joining the Law Society as Policy Counsel in 2015.
Since then, she has continued to develop subject matter expertise related to governance and has been providing increased levels of advice and support to the Law Society on governance and policy options, adding Governance Counsel to her role in 2021.
In addition to being a Certified Association Executive (CAE) and Accredited Director (Acc.Dir), Jennifer completed the Business Leadership Program for In-House Counsel and received her Certified In-House Counsel – Canada (CIC.C) designation in 2022 and her Professional Registered Parliamentarian (PRP) designation in 2021.
Jennifer is also a published author of Halsbury’s Laws of Canada legal encyclopedia title Police, Security and Emergencies, which provides a narrative of the law that applies to police and private security services in Canada, as well as CSIS and its partners in National Security, and how the Emergency Acts function across the country.
While Jennifer’s expertise and knowledge make her a tremendous asset to the Law Society, it is her advocacy on behalf of in-house and government counsel that has garnered her WILL Award – the first time a Law Society staff member has won in this category. Jennifer is the current Canadian Bar Association – In-House Lawyers (CBA-IL) National Section President for the 2025–26 term, where she has worked to improve supports for in-house lawyers across Canada and mentored a number of junior lawyers.
“One of the things that matters to me is diversity in the profession, not just in terms of workplaces and industries, but in personal characteristics” says Jennifer. “Part of the work I have done with CBA-IL is focused on being a welcoming place for all in-house counsel, so that every lawyer regardless of their circumstances has a home where they feel they belong and can contribute.”
When asked about winning the WILL award, Jennifer said, “Being identified as a role model in the profession by one of my nominators was really touching for me. I am truly honoured to win this award and be recognized by my peers as someone who makes a difference for others.”
“Jennifer’s contributions to the profession both inside and outside the Law Society have been so valuable to the profession,” says Elizabeth J. Osler, KC, the Law Society’s CEO and Executive Director. “The combination of her remarkable mind, advocacy and mentorship is one-of-a-kind and has made the lives of her colleagues and members of the profession better every day.”
The Law Society would like to extend our most sincere congratulations to Jennifer and the other WILL award winners for 2025:
- Leadership in the Profession (Private Practice) – Alexandra Seaman
- Leadership in the Community – Wilma Shim, LLM, JD
- Leadership in Diverse Legal Roles – Sarah Eadie
- Tomorrow’s Leader – Kay Johnson
- Lifetime Achievement Award – The Honourable Justice Sheila Greckol