Interview with 2022 Catzman Award Recipient Neha Chugh

Friends Who Argue

In this episode, Webnesh Haile speaks with Neha Chugh, the 2022 recipient of The Advocates’ Society’s Catzman Award for Professionalism and Civility. Neha and Web discuss non-linear career paths, the line between zealous representation and incivility, practical tips for remaining civil, and the role of professionalism in fostering the administration of justice.
The Catzman Award recognizes the qualities exemplified by Justice Catzman throughout his distinguished career, including:

• An exemplary knowledge of the law;
• Integrity, fairness and civility;
• Generosity of time and expertise, with a commitment to mentorship and/or legal education; and
• Dedication to the highest ideals of the legal profession.

Neha Chugh is a partner at Chugh Law, a firm based in Cornwall, Ontario which provides services in criminal law (including victim/witness representation), family law and child protection law. A graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School, Neha’s practice focuses on conducting effective trials and managing fair resolutions, with a specific focus on youth and adult mental health, litigation, and research. She has conducted a wide range of judge-alone and jury trials including break and enters, sexual assaults, assaults, mischiefs, drinking and driving, and cases in front of various tribunals in Ontario.
Webnesh Haile is a construction and infrastructure lawyer and the principal lawyer at Traction Legal, specializing in providing fractional in-house counsel and project shadowing services. Ranked since 2021 in Best Lawyers in Canada for Construction Law, Web previously practiced construction law with two of Canada's top national construction law firms. Web drafts and advises on the negotiation of standard form and bespoke construction contracts and provides legal support and represents clients engaged in dispute resolution, including negotiation, mediation, adjudication, litigation and arbitration.
Land Acknowledgement
The Advocates’ Society acknowledges that our offices, located in Toronto, are on the customary and traditional lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Haudenosaunee, the Anishinabek, the Huron-Wendat and now home to many First Nations, Inuit, and Metis peoples. We acknowledge current treaty holders, the Mississaugas of the Credit and honour their long history of welcoming many nations to this territory.
While The Advocates’ Society is based in Toronto, we are a national organization with Directors and members located across Canada in the treaty and traditional territories of many Indigenous Peoples. We encourage our members to reflect upon their relationships with the Indigenous Peoples in these territories, and the history of the land on which they live and work.
We acknowledge the devastating impacts of colonization, including the history of residential schools, for many Indigenous peoples, families, and communities and commit to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusiveness in an informed legal profession in Canada and within The Advocates’ Society.