Eight law firms made new announcements
Welcome to this week’s roundup of movements among major law firms, in which we sum up significant hires, promotions, departures, and other announcements.
Aird & Berlis LLP
Tim Lowman was elected president and board chair of the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada (IPIC) for the 2022-2023 term. IPIC is Canada’s professional association of patent agents, trademark agents, and lawyers practising intellectual property law.
Lowman is the head of the firm’s intellectual property group and a litigation and dispute resolution group member. He has more than 40 years of experience handling commercial and intellectual property litigation matters, including patent, trademark, copyright, professional errors and omissions, trade secrets, invention ownership, product liability, and employment law claims.
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He has appeared before the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, the Alberta Court of King’s Bench, the Federal Court of Canada, the Ontario Court of Appeal, the Federal Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court of Canada.
Clyde & Co LLP
The firm opened an office in Calgary through the hire of four partners:
- Don Dear
Dear specializes in commercial litigation, insurance and professional liability defence, class actions, and construction law. He has appeared at all levels of Alberta courts and represented clients in several Canadian jurisdictions, including Ontario, Saskatchewan, Yukon, and British Columbia.
- Alexis Moulton
Moulton primarily practises in insurance, general and commercial litigation, and health and medical defence law. She has appeared before all levels of courts in Alberta and the Northwest Territories.
- Jeff Weidman
Weidman focuses his practice on defending personal lines and commercial insurance disputes. He has represented developers, engineers, contractors, and other stakeholders from various construction sub-trades in cases involving structural and building envelope deficiencies.
- Cynthia Aoki
Aoki handles complex legal matters relating to commercial liability, personal injury, construction litigation, errors and omissions, property damage, and professional malpractice. She has represented domestic and international clients across Canada and the US and appeared before all levels of court in Alberta and Ontario.
According to the firm, the opening of the Calgary office consolidates its presence in western Canada and across the country’s major commercial and legal centres following its opening in Vancouver in 2021, when it merged with local insurance and construction firm SHK Law Corporation.
Farris LLP
The firm welcomed Juliana Ho as an associate in the litigation group.
Ho has extensive expertise in commercial and civil litigation matters. She practised at a large regional firm in Edmonton and a national firm in Vancouver. She was admitted to the Alberta and British Columbia bars in 2018 and 2022.
Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP
Claire Gowdy joined the firm as a partner in the Toronto office’s corporate commercial group.
Gowdy specializes in private M&A, strategic investments, complex commercial transactions, and general corporate matters. She advises domestic and foreign private equity investors and companies on their transactions in various industries, including mining and natural resources, technology, industrials, and healthcare.
The firm also welcomed Rahul Sharma as a partner in the Toronto office’s private client, estate planning, and tax services groups.
Sharma advises international and Canadian clients on tax, trust, and estate planning matters across various mandates. He also assists high and ultra-high-net-worth individuals, corporations, trusts, and estates with Canadian income tax matters.
Lawson Lundell LLP
Meg Gaily was appointed registrar of the Supreme Court of British Columbia.
Gaily previously served as an associate counsel in the firm’s research and opinions group. She provided legal research, opinions, and submissions on various legal topics during her tenure. Moreover, she advised clients and organizations on different practice areas, including administrative law, labour and employment, civil procedure and appellate practice, professional conduct, and Aboriginal law.
Ogletree Deakins
Gloria Ilunga joined the firm as an associate in the Toronto office after completing her articling term.
Ilunga supports employers by providing advice on a diverse range of workplace issues. Since joining the firm, she has prepared workplace policies, handbooks, employment contracts, written submissions, and presentations to assist employers with workplace training.
Smart & Biggar
The firm promoted six lawyers from across its multiple offices to the role of principal:
- Andrea Berenbaum (Vancouver) − patents and life sciences
- Ryan Evans (Toronto) − litigation
- Lionel Fishman (Ottawa) − patents and industrial designs
- Jamie-Lynn Kraft (Ottawa) − trademarks
- Guillaume Lavoie Ste-Marie (Montreal) − litigation
- Kwan Loh (Vancouver) – trademarks
“We are very excited to welcome Andrea, Ryan, Lionel, Jamie-Lynn, Guillaume, and Kwan into their new roles as principals, in recognition of their extensive expertise and their outstanding service and commitment to our clients throughout their careers,” managing principal Matthew Zischka said. “On behalf of the firm, I extend our congratulations to each of them on realizing this significant professional milestone,” said Zischka.
Thompson Dorfman Sweatman LLP
Robley Goff is now an associate in the firm’s banking and finance group.
Goff practices corporate commercial and finance law. She represents lending institutions and borrowers in commercial finance transactions. She previously clerked for Federal Court judges Glennys McVeigh and Shirzad Ahmed.
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