BLAKES BOLSTERS PARTNER RANKS
Blake Cassels & Graydon LLP announced the addition of 12 new partners last week, including six additions in Toronto.
In Toronto, Michelle Laniel becomes a partner, along with Michael McGraw, Paul Singh, Marianne Smith, Micah Wood, and Aimee Yee.
The firm added the six remaining partners at its Montreal, Calgary, Vancouver, and New York offices.
LEGAL PROFESSION HONOURED
The legal profession was well represented when the province unveiled the latest batch of appointees to the Order of Ontario last week.
Clare Lewis, a former Crown attorney and judge who led a task force recommending the formation of the Special Investigations Unit, was honoured for his contributions to the justice system.
He also served as police complaints commissioner and was the first chairman of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission.
Former Ontario associate chief justice Coulter Osborne was recognized for his efforts to make the province’s civil justice system more accessible and affordable.
Civil litigator Chris Paliare was appointed for his influence on administrative and public law in Ontario and his career-long commitment to human rights and pro bono representation.
Dave Shannon, a paraplegic lawyer from Thunder Bay, Ont., received the honour for his commitment to the protection of human rights and inclusion for people with disabilities.
Finally, Martin Teplitsky, who founded the Lawyers Feed the Hungry program as well as several law scholarships, was also recognized.
CROWN APPOINTED TO BENCH
The province has appointed Lisa Marion Cameron as a judge of the Ontario Court of Justice in the central east region.
Cameron will take up her post on Feb. 2. Since 1999, she has been a Crown attorney in Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton, Ont., leading a 10-person office.
Before that, she practised criminal law at Duncan Fava & Grant in Toronto following her call to the bar in 1988. In 1991, she became an assistant Crown attorney in Durham Region.
She also acted as a Crown prosecutor for the Public Prosecution Service of Canada in Nunavut in August 2008 and June 2009.
CROWN APPOINTED TO BENCH
The province has appointed Lisa Marion Cameron as a judge of the Ontario Court of Justice in the central east region.
Cameron will take up her post on Feb. 2. Since 1999, she has been a Crown attorney in Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton, Ont., leading a 10-person office.
Before that, she practised criminal law at Duncan Fava & Grant in Toronto following her call to the bar in 1988. In 1991, she became an assistant Crown attorney in Durham Region.
She also acted as a Crown prosecutor for the Public Prosecution Service of Canada in Nunavut in August 2008 and June 2009.
NEW PARTNERS AT OGILVYS
Ogilvy Renault LLP has added four new partners to its Toronto office.
Andrew Grossman becomes a partner in the firm’s business law group, focusing on mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance. He has acted as strategic counsel to corporations, financial institutions, investment dealers, and private equity firms in Canada and abroad.
Jeremy Grushcow, who also joins the business law group, has a practice dealing with life science, clean-tech, and technology-intensive transactions.
Matthew Marquardt becomes a partner in Ogilvys’ intellectual property group. He has 15 years of experience in legal practice, including 10 years in the United States.
He has represented major financial, telecommunications, data processing, and transportation companies on both sides of the border.
Jordan Winch has joined the firm’s employment and labour group as a partner. He has dealt with labour and employment issues at both the federal and provincial levels.
PROVINCE APPOINTS NEW OLRB HEAD
Labour lawyer Bernard Fishbein is set to take over as chairman of the Ontario Labour Relations Board after the province nominated him for the post.
Fishbein brings with him more than 30 years of experience as a labour lawyer in Ontario. He graduated from the University of Toronto with a law degree, where he would later teach employment and labour and arbitration law. He also holds a master’s degree from Harvard University.
It’s a return to his roots for Fishbein, who articled with the board before joining Koskie Minsky LLP.
Fishbein is also a former member of the Ontario Grievance Settlement Board and once chaired the labour law section of the Canadian Bar Association.
Diane Gee will continue as interim chairwoman, with Brian McLean as the interim alternate chairman, until the standing committee on government agencies confirms Fishbein’s nomination. He is expected to begin his new post in February.
