The hires include Clark Wilson partners Samantha Ip and Brian Poston
DLA Piper (Canada) LLP has added seven litigators to its Vancouver team, including two partners with expertise in insurance matters. All seven lawyers join the firm from Clark Wilson LLP.
In an announcement on Monday, the firm said the new hires “will substantially bolster the depth and range of our nation-wide litigation group.”
Samantha Ip joins DLA Piper as a partner after nearly 25 years at Clark Wilson, where she served as chair of the firm’s insurance law group and specialized in insurance and construction matters. Ip has represented and advised leading domestic and international insurers on issues like commercial liability policies, errors and omissions, course of construction, commercial property, and directors and officers.
Throughout her career, she has appeared before every level of court in British Columbia and various tribunals. Her victories include a precedent-setting lawsuit that enforced corporate identification principles and established new law in Canada on insurance covenants.
Brian Poston spent nearly four years as a partner at Clark Wilson before joining DLA Piper. He was previously a partner at MacKenzie Fujisawa LLP, where he spent almost 23 years and served as chair of the firm’s aviation and aerospace practice group.
Poston’s clients include manufacturers, airlines, operators, overhaul/repair facilities, insurers, and policyholders. He has extensive experience with the aviation and aerospace industry and advises insurers and policyholders on product liability, negligence, operational and risk management issues, and more.
“I look forward to the opportunities this next chapter will bring for the group,” Ip told Canadian Lawyer on Monday. “Our focus will be on prioritizing what matters most to our clients and on working with our new colleagues to elevate risk management for the insurance, construction, and aviation sectors in Canada.”
Poston said, “The DLA Piper global community brings unparalleled opportunities for growth to our insurance and aviation practice groups while offering our clients continued excellence in service and sound advice for global legal issues.”
Sean Tessarolo, Bo Carter, and Denny Chung, who have been hired as counsel, will join Ip and Poston. Jacob Foster and Imroz Ali will join DLA Piper as associates.
“We are delighted with the arrival of this respected group of litigators to the Canadian firm,” Robert Seidel, DLA Piper’s Canada Managing Partner. “Their varied skill set and notable experience guiding clients in a range of industries through complex litigation matters will immediately amplify our capabilities, allowing for greater opportunities to work with clients across an ever-increasing number of sectors.”
