Alberta (October 14, 2026) – Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG) celebrates Senior Counsel, The Honourable Marina Paperny, K.C., recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award and Partner Bianca Kratt, K.C., recipient of the 2026 Leadership in the Community Award at the 2026 Women in Law Leadership (WILL) Awards.
The WILL Awards recognize women lawyers who create practical structures of support, mentorship, visibility and belonging within the legal profession.
A lifetime of judicial and public service
Paperny receives the Lifetime Achievement Award following a distinguished 27-year career as a Justice of both the trial court and the Court of Appeal. Over her tenure on the bench, Paperny authored numerous precedent-setting decisions across Charter rights, family law, administrative law and corporate commercial matters.
Prior to her appointment to the bench, Paperny built an extensive practice in corporate commercial, health and family litigation at a BLG legacy firm, Howard Mackie. Throughout her career, she has consistently advanced access to justice, serving as a founding board member of Pro Bono Law Alberta, a member of the Self-Represented Litigants Advisory Committee and a member of the Family Justice Advisory Committee.
Paperny has also championed the resettlement of Afghan women judges, spearheading fundraising to enable them to integrate into Canadian society and the legal profession. She continues to support this cause through the Displaced Legal Scholars Fund at the University of Calgary. As senior counsel at BLG, Paperny provides counsel in mediation, arbitration, strategy and the mentorship of younger lawyers.
Driving impact through community leadership
Kratt, receives the Award for Leadership in the Community for her concrete, sustained and measurable contributions to the communities she serves.
As a partner in BLG’s Commercial Real Estate Group, Kratt advises clients on acquisitions, dispositions, leasing, project development, banking transactions, mergers and acquisitions and corporate matters. She brings the same judgment, discipline and credibility to her extensive public service roles.
As the 97th National President of the Canadian Bar Association (CBA), Kratt focused her mandate on rebuilding public trust in the justice system, advancing access to justice for all Canadians and strengthening the legal profession.
"What I have observed most closely is her willingness to take principled public positions on issues that matter to Canadians, even when those positions attract controversy," says Jason Kempt, chief financial officer and interim chief executive officer of the CBA. "Her letter [defending judicial appointments] was precise, well-reasoned and grounded in the rule of law. It was also courageous."
At BLG, Kratt founded and chairs the BLG AdvocateHer Legal Group. As a Francophone originally from Québec, Kratt also spent 10 years serving on the board of the Association des juristes d'expression française de l'Alberta (AJEFA), ultimately serving as President. Under her leadership, the organization expanded access to justice, providing 1824 legal consultations in 2025-2026, with 86 per cent of those consultations conducted in French.
“Her leadership was never about seeking recognition,” notes Maria Vigneault, executive director of AJEFA. “It was about ensuring that Francophone Albertans had access to the legal services and support they deserved.”
The awards will be presented at the 2026 Women in Law Leadership Alberta Awards gala on Nov. 26, 2026, at The Westin Calgary.
To learn more about their practices, read the full professional biographies of The Honourable Marina Paperny and Bianca Kratt.