Roundup of law firm hires, promotions and departures: Week of Jan. 24

Welcome to the third roundup of movements among major law firms, in which we sum up significant hires, promotions and departures.

Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP

Blakes has announced that Toronto-based partner Randall Hofley has returned to the firm after working for two years at the Competition Bureau Legal Services as general counsel and senior enforcement advisor. Hofley focuses his practice on competition law and the federal regulation of business.

Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP

The firm has 21 new partners in Canada:

• Jesse Bertollo (Toronto) – corporate/commercial
• Dani Bryant (Vancouver) – litigation and dispute resolution
• Emilie Bundock (Montreal) – energy, mining and climate change
• Jean-Raphaël Champagne (Quebec City) – corporate/commercial and intellectual property
• Justine Connors (Toronto) – corporate/commercial
• Reid Crombie (Toronto) – corporate/commercial
• Jacques Eddé (Montreal) – real estate
• Brandon Farber (Montreal) – litigation and dispute resolution
• Andre Garber (Toronto) – corporate/commercial
• Rhonda Grintuch (Montreal) – labour, employment and human rights
• Robert Iaccino (Toronto) – real estate
• Matthew Larsen (Vancouver) – labour, employment and human rights
• Jason Markwell (Toronto) – intellectual property
• Anabel Quessy (Montreal) – corporate/commercial
• Darren J. Reed (Calgary) – litigation and dispute resolution
• Sara Reid (Montreal) – real estate
• Marc Rodrigue (Toronto) – labour, employment and human rights
• Svetlana Samochkine (Montreal) – banking and finance
• Vhari Storwick (Calgary) – litigation and dispute resolution
• Charles Wagner (Montreal) – labour, employment and human rights
• Jack Yu (Toronto) – corporate/commercial

Harper Grey LLP

The firm has announced that Jon Harding is the new chief operating officer.

Harrison Pensa LLP

The Ontario-based firm has two new partners:

• Christine Gmitrowski – insurance services
• Andy Rady – personal injury

McMillan LLP

The firm has announced the appointment of nine new equity partners and seven new partners:

Equity partners

• Darcy Ammerman (Ottawa) – financial services
• Paul Boshyk (Toronto) – advocacy and employment
• Ralph Cuervo-Lorens (Toronto) – regulatory
• Shari Munk-Manel (Montreal) – advocacy and employment
• Jonathan O’Hara (Ottawa) – regulatory
• Robert Shore (Toronto) – commercial real estate
• Patrick A. Thompson (Ottawa) – advocacy and employment
• Jeff Wust (Vancouver) – capital markets
• Sandra Zhao (Toronto) – capital markets

Partners

• Mitchell Allison (Calgary) – commercial real estate
• Michelle D. Boodhoo (Toronto) – financial services
• Stephen Brown-Okruhlik (Toronto) – advocacy and employment
• Joanna Dawson (Vancouver) – business law
• Kyle Lambert (Ottawa) – advocacy and employment
• Caroline Samara (Toronto) – business law
• Pablo Tseng (Vancouver) – regulatory

Smart & Biggar

The firm has one new partner, Evan Nuttall, who will be based in Calgary. He is a member of the firm’s intellectual property litigation practice group.

Nuttall joins Smart & Biggar as an experienced and accomplished litigator sought after for complex intellectual property matters by some of the leading players in the energy, oil and manufacturing sectors. His practice is focused exclusively on complex litigation matters including infringement actions relating to patents, licensing, trademarks, copyright and industrial designs. He represented Weatherford International PLC in Packers Plus Energy Services Inc. v. Essential Energy Services Ltd. which successfully invalidated claims in a patent that claimed a well-known system for fracturing known as the “ball drop system.”