Stikeman Elliott’s new chair, Montreal managing partner talk plans for firm’s future

As longtime Stikeman Elliott partners step into leadership roles, they say equipping the firm for the future and adapting to new trends rank among their priorities.

Stikeman announced a host of leadership changes in early October, including the election of Peter Castiel as the firm’s chair and the appointment of Sophie Lamonde as managing partner of its Montreal office. Jamie Koumanakos will serve as managing principal of Stikeman’s New York office.  

Castiel, who is based in Montreal and whose tenure at Stikeman spans more than three decades, will serve a three-year term as chair. He succeeds former firm chair Jeffrey Singer and will continue to maintain his mergers and acquisitions practice.

Castiel told Canadian Lawyer that his plans for Stikeman entail preparing the firm for the future and “making sure that we're continuously not only maintaining our privileged position in the market but also continuing to grow in that respect.”  

He says that involves continuing to support the firm’s partners, train associates, and recruit top talent to provide clients with top-tier legal services. Regarding new hires, Castiel emphasizes “not only investing in expertise but also investing in talent that's diverse and representative of the clients and communities that we serve.”  

Lamonde, who joined Stikeman more than 25 years ago and will also continue managing an M&A practice, says she sees her role as “fostering an environment here in our office… that is geared towards collaboration and creativity.” Concretely, she adds, that means “making sure that we are well-equipped with talent, that we’re training our people [and] setting people up for success.”

Both lawyers say exploring how new technologies can support the firm’s work is another top priority. “AI is bringing new opportunities that we want to embrace carefully to make sure that we do so in a responsible way and in a way that's valued by our clients,” Lamonde says, adding that she sees opportunities to use new tools to meet translation needs and enhance the delivery of information to clients.  

Castiel says he anticipates navigating challenges as the firm adopts new tools like “buy-in from lawyers but also confidentiality, which is obviously a top priority for law firms and certainly ours.”