‘Kindness Over Everything’: Celebrating Angela Swan’s Extraordinary Career

Aird & Berlis is proud to celebrate Angela Swan, a cherished colleague whose remarkable legal career and commitment to human rights have shaped the profession for nearly six decades. Today, Angela was honoured with a commemorative booklet titled Kindness Over Everything to mark her retirement and to recognize her contributions to law, legal education and the LGBTQ2S+ community.

Angela has been teaching and practising law in Ontario since 1965 and is widely regarded as one of Canada’s leading authorities on contract law. Her acclaimed text Canadian Contract Law received the Walter Owen Book Prize in 2007, is used in law schools across the country and has been cited many times by the Supreme Court of Canada. Her academic career includes long-standing teaching roles at the University of Toronto, Osgoode Hall Law School and McGill University.

Over the years, Angela's work as a lawyer and professor has resulted in numerous awards, including the Order of Canada, the Ontario Bar Association’s Award for Distinguished Service and three honorary degrees. At Aird & Berlis, she has provided expert counsel on some of the country’s most complex cases, offering guidance that influenced decisions at the Supreme Court of Canada. Her legacy is one of kindness, courage and excellence in her field.

Angela has also been a strong advocate for transgender inclusion and human rights. After publicly sharing in 2006 that she is a transgender woman, she used her voice and platform to foster acceptance and understanding. She and her daughter, Ellen Swan, produced the video Expect Acceptance in 2021, which remains an important educational resource on transgender identities and inclusion.

Angela is a trailblazer, a mentor and an inspiration to all who know her. Please join us in celebrating her extraordinary legacy.