Founded as a construction boutique firm in 1982, Vancouver-based Singleton Urquhart amended its name and firmly established a second office in Toronto when it attracted Toronto construction luminaries Bruce Reynolds (who manages the Toronto office) and Sharon Vogel to its bench several years ago. The combined unit continues to gain traction and win the acclaim from clients in both markets. “The lawyers at Singleton are particularly good in construction and insurance matters,” testifies one such client. “They are very responsive, timely, provide solid work products, flexible and are able to overlay legal issues with a commercial lens. They are excellent at collaborating with us to develop defenses and strategies. They provide an exceptional level of service across all aspects.” Specifically, a peer notes, “They are familiar with dealing with claims and disputes in the P3 contract setting and are very thorough in their assessments.”
Reynolds and Vogel continue to command respect from the legal community. “Bruce is a subject matter expert in construction law,” emphasizes one client. “He is extremely knowledgeable and thorough. He is candid but extremely diplomatic. He is great at forming relationships and anticipating client needs.” On Vogel’s behalf, one client extols, “Sharon is extremely knowledgeable about the industry and provides excellent legal advice that is customized to her clients’ needs. She is able to provide a solid legal basis for her recommendations but also takes into consideration the interests of different commercial stakeholders to provide practical advice and fair advice. Sharon's vision, leadership and overall service is exemplary.” Speaking to Vogel’s leadership, another client beams, “She quickly grasps complex technical issues that are common on light-rail projects, she develops and recommends strategies to approach dispute resolution, she clearly sets out what is required from both sides, she delivers to aggressive timelines, delivers high quality documentation, identifies strong independent experts, arbitrators and mediators. All in a warm, friendly, and ‘part-of-the-family’-like manner. She ensures the entire organization is an absolute pleasure to work with.” Another client quips, “If Sharon could clone herself so that there were more of her, that would be excellent, but in place of doing that, she is mentoring and training a solid team of junior lawyers that are excelling in their own right.” As a testament to this, two younger members of the team, Jesse Gardner and
James Little, make the leap in this edition from future stars to full-fledged litigation stars. “James is responsive and has great attention to detail. He ensures that all of our needs are met in a timely, transparent manner,” declares one client. A peer speaks on Gardner’s behalf: “He’s as involved and active as anyone else in that group at this point.” A brand-new partner,
Cheryl Labiris, makes her debut as a future star in this edition. “Cheryl is able to assess complex issues and claims,” states a client. “She takes the time to review the documentation to understand all the details. She can meet tight timelines and make herself available for last-minute discussions. Cheryl is highly respected within the team and her input is always considered when determining a strategy.”
The team in Singleton Reynolds’ Vancouver office (now managed by
Mark Stacey) is cheered by a client as “excellent at communicating with the client, understanding our wants/needs and coming up with a good strategy to achieve the best outcomes.”
Stephen Berezowskyj is seeing his reputation gain momentum on an annual basis.
One local peer cheekily confides, “I’m super annoyed he won’t join us! His knowledge of and dedication to that intersection of insurance coverage and construction is really an enviable sweet spot.” A client calls Berezowskyj a “smart, effective, resolution-oriented lawyer.” David Edinger, whose practice encompasses niches such as entertainment law and labor and employment, also receives client accolades. “He is professional, hard-working, dedicated, and incredibly smart. He is well prepared and presents a fulsome approach in general.” Steve Vorbrodt makes his debut in this edition for his insurance-heavy commercial litigation acumen. “He's a sharp legal mind who thinks outside the box when defending our insureds,” testifies a client. “He's very creative from a legal perspective, he's very attentive and responsive, and he writes excellent reports.” Another commercial lawyer whose practice emphasizes insurance,
Dan Barber is building a client fan base offering vibrant review. One raves, “Dan is the epitome of the modern lawyer - approachable, knowledgeable, strategic, diligent, trustworthy. I'd make a joke about cloning himself, but the universe would implode if there were more than one of him!”
