Lawson Lundell’s Calgary location is newer and smaller than it’s Vancouver flagship, although not by much. The team in this office was recently amplified by a group that decamped from a provincial firm and have acted with aplomb on establishing Lawson as a meaningful market presence on the strength of some key institutional relationships. “That group quickly entrenched itself in this city and came into their own,” observes a peer. Chief among these is
Mike Donaldson, who “has really done well with managing that important TransAlta work.” Among several other mandates, Donaldson represents this client in an administrative law case concerning an agreement with the Province of Alberta in 2016 in which it agreed to shut down its coal plants before their end of life in exchange for $40 million in transition payments. The Province then passed a property tax regulation that prohibits anyone who is a party to such an agreement from claiming certain types of depreciation deductions. TransAlta challenged the regulation as discriminatory and unlawful.
Shannon Wray and Shailaz Dhalla act for TransAlta in another matter concerning the client’s entitlement to its proportionate decommissioning costs on two properties pursuant to the Power Purchase Arrangements Regulation. The client seeks to recover $75million by way of a final order from the Alberta Utilities Commission for forecasted decommissioning costs. Wray is championed by one client as “an absolute pleasure to work with and well informed about the business and the law.” Another asserts, “Shannon provides excellent advice, knowledgeable and timely responses, and advice that takes business considerations into account.”
Shannon Hayes is also a client favorite. “She is extremely knowledgeable about litigation processes in Alberta and always provides practical advice and risk assessments. She always keeps us informed of progress and provides options for steps to take in litigation.” Two younger stars, Alexis Teasdale and
Jonathan Selnes, are also developing a strong local following. One contemporary quips, “If you’ll pardon my language, Alexis and Jon work their asses off and are so good. They
must be recognized more!”
