TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Feb. 28, 2013) -

When:		March 6, 2013
Where:		RBC Royal Bank Plaza
		200 Bay Street, South Tower
		40th floor
Time:		5:30-7:30 pm

Starting a new business is always challenging. For new Canadians, a lack of familiarity with the Canadian legal system and language barriers can make it particularly daunting.

Helping entrepreneurial immigrants to achieve their dreams is the mission behind Connect Legal, a registered charity that provides free legal assistance and workshops for hard-working immigrant business owners. "I launched Connect Legal three years ago," says lawyer Marion Annau, "because Ontario is home to so many talented and hard-working immigrants and their success is Canada's success. We also have a legal community in Canada that is supporting our efforts by providing expert pro-bono advice to this group of entrepreneurs to help them achieve their goals."

Connect Legal Most Promising Immigrant Entrepreneur Award

On March 6, 2013 an awards ceremony will honour five immigrant entrepreneurs who have made great strides in their businesses with the help of Connect Legal. One of them will be awarded the Connect Legal Most Promising Immigrant Entrepreneur Award and will receive a $1,000 cash prize plus a mentoring session with a business professional. The other four will receive a finalist prize as well.

THE FIVE FINALISTS ARE: (background on each finalist is attached: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/CLBACKGROUND.pdf)

Carolina Velez, ColombiaExotic

Importer of exotic fruits & other natural products

Vibhor Chhabra, Grand Travel Planners Ltd

Travel services for independent group tours between Canada and India

Sanjay Pandrala, BUGMAN Pest Control Landscaping Services & Trading Company

Landscaping maintenance and pest control

Igor Chigrin, Win Global Partners

Export and distribution services

Hardik Kumar Dave, Uniglobe Consulting

International student recruitment and educational consulting

The Connect Legal Connection

To date, with the help of some of Canada's leading law firms, Connect Legal has served over 600 aspiring entrepreneurs. "I am especially appreciative of the hard work of our Board of Directors and of the tremendous support of the Maytree Foundation and founding law firms Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP and McCarthy Tétrault LLP," says Marion Annau. "Together, through free legal support, we have helped countless low-resource immigrants to achieve their entrepreneurial dreams."

The Selection Committee for the award includes Marion Annau, Founder and President, Connect Legal; Alan Broadbent, Chairman of the Maytree Foundation; Pradeep Sood, President and CEO, XactScribe Inc.; and Martha Tredgett, Executive Director, LGT Capital Partners.

Speakers at the event include David Allgood, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Royal Bank of Canada; Ratna Omidvar, President, the Maytree Foundation; and Mark D. Wiseman, President & CEO, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board.

About Connect Legal (www.connectlegal.ca)

Connect Legal fosters entrepreneurship in the immigrant community by providing legal educational services and pro bono (free) commercial legal assistance to low-resource immigrant entrepreneurs. In this way, Connect Legal seeks to advance the integration of new immigrants into the economy for the benefit and prosperity of all. Concurrently, Connect Legal provides an opportunity for commercial lawyers to give back to the community by sharing their expertise and providing volunteer legal services.