CCIL Award for Public Sector Lawyer
In recognition of significant contribution or service in the field of public international law by a public sector lawyer.
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This non-monetary award recognizes significant contribution or service in the field of public international law by a public sector lawyer. The recipient will have significantly enhanced the understanding of and respect for public international law in the public sector.
Call for Nominations for the 2025 Public Sector Award - CLOSED
Eligibility Criteria
Current or former public sector lawyers (i.e. lawyers working for the federal or a provincial or territorial government, crown corporations, legal aid offices or other government entities). There are no posthumous awards.
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Nomination Process
Nominations or self-nominations may be sought by the Awards Committee appointed by the Board of Directors of the CCIL based on a call letter. Nominations submitted in previous years may be reconsidered.
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Members of the CCIL Board of Directors may submit nominations. All nominations will be reviewed by the Awards Committee, which will present its recommendation to the CCIL Board of Directors for decision by the Committee.
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Nominations can be submitted by an e-mail or letter which sets out the significant contribution or service in the field of international law by a current or former public sector lawyer.
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The nomination should include three letters of support for the candidate of not more than three pages each. In the alternative, one letter of no longer than 3 pages may be provided in support of a candidate if it is signed by a minimum of 3 nominators.
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All materials must be addressed to: CCIL Public Sector Awards Committee, c/o CCIL Secretariat, 275 Bay Street, Ottawa, Ontario, K1R 5Z5 and submitted via mail or by email (PDF format) to: ccil-ccdi@intertaskconferences.com.​
2025 Public Sector Award Recipient
Sylvie Scherrer
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Sylvie Scherrer worked in the legal affairs branch (Sous-ministériat des affaires juridiques) of Québec’s Ministère de la Justice from 1987 to 2024. She dedicated her career to the practice, promotion and implementation of international law for the Government of Québec.
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She has spent her career practicing public and private international law in the context of a federated state. She served as legal counsel for various government departments, helped defend Québec measures before international and domestic bodies and acted as a jurist on cases involving issues of international law, in addition to a range of domestic law mandates.
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From the beginning of her career, she has been interested in international trade agreements, and she advised government authorities in this new sector of activity for Québec’s Ministère de la Justice for many years. She also handled a wide variety of mandates in public international law (human rights, treaty rights, the law of international organizations, environmental law, investment law, and the recognition of professional qualifications, etc.) as well as in private international law, particularly for international adoptions. She has served on interministerial and federal-provincial-territorial committees and taken part in negotiations and the legislative and regulatory implementation of international conventions and agreements.
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Ms. Scherrer is a pioneer in the practice of international law within the Government of Québec. For over 30 years, she played a key role in developing Québec’s international legal practice and promoting an understanding of the applicable law and its implementation within the Ministère des Relations internationales et de la Francophonie (MRIF) and the Ministère de la Justice, as well as among the MRIF’s partners, including by training a new generation of professionals within the Québec public service. ​
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