Mundell Medal

About the award

The Mundell Medal celebrates excellence in legal writing by Ontario writers who have made notable contributions to law and letters published in the past year or over the course of a career. The award recognizes:

• literary finesse
• clear expression
• expertise

Who is eligible

Eligible candidates include:

• lawyers
• academics
• other legal writers such as journalists or historians

You can nominate someone who was previously nominated. 

Submit a nomination

The nomination period for the Mundell Medal is now closed.

Award winner

John Borrows is the winner of the 2024 Mundell Medal.

Professor Borrows is a member of the Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation in Ontario. He has written extensively on Indigenous legal rights and his writing style reflects the oral traditions of his people. Professor Borrows’ books Recovering Canada: The Resurgence of Indigenous Law and Freedom and Indigenous Constitutionalism have each been recognized with the prestigious Donald Smiley Award. His publication Law’s Indigenous Ethics received the Best Subsequent Book Award from the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association and the W. Wesley Pue Book Prize. His work has been cited by the Supreme Court of Canada.

Learn more about Professor Borrows legal writing and work here.

History of the award

The Mundell Medal was established in 1986 by Ian Scott, former Attorney General, to advance and foster the effective use of language in the legal profession.

The award honours the late David Walter Mundell, a renowned constitutional lawyer and the first director of the Ministry of the Attorney General’s Constitutional Law Branch.

The medal was designed by the late Kenneth Jarvis, a lawyer and former Secretary of the Law Society of Upper Canada.

Past recipients

Learn about past Mundell Medal recipients below.