BORDEN LADNER GERVAIS
Loni da Costa in the Calgary office of Borden Ladner Gervais attends to a multifaceted practice that is largely focused on oil and gas. She also has a niche intellectual property, with a number of patent-related matters to her credit. Also in the Calgary office, Erin Cutts focuses primarily on construction and surety cases. Cutts is addressed by a peer as "a young partner who is fully engaged, very detail-oriented, and has very deep relationships with clients. To the point that my phone doesn’t get used as much as it could." Andrew Punzo is based in the Toronto office and maintains a practice that is largely dedicated to the construction industry. A peer confirms, "Andrew is very good with bonding cases and is getting a lot of work in the surety space." Also in Toronto, Graham Splawski manages a diverse basket of commercial litigation. Splawski's practice encompasses securities, competition, fraud actions and banking disputes. Toronto's
Isaac Tang is the leader of the firm's EMER (Environmental, Municipalities and Expropriation) group. Tang is known for acting for private sector authorities.
CRAWLEY MACKEWN BRUSH
One of several "next-generation" stars at Toronto securities-focused boutique Crawley MacKewn Brush,
Michael Byers maintains an active mandate portfolio. He is part of the team acting as counsel for the plaintiff in a certified class action seeking damages relating to the collapse of a high-risk exchange-traded fund that attempted to earn income from the purchase and sale of volatility futures. The plaintiff seeks damages for negligent design and management of this fund, alleging it was “doomed to fail”.
Dana Carson is regularly involved in files of a sensitive nature and often confidential. One public mandate she attended to concerned the former President and CEO of PACE Savings & Credit Union, who was one of several executives ordered removed by the Deposit Insurance Corporation of Ontario in 2018 based on whistleblower complaints and an investigation into alleged self-dealing, off-market transactions and breach of the regulations concerning investment limits.
IMK
One of the youngest stars at Montreal boutique IMK, David Ethier attends to a broad commercial practice that encompasses several niches such as real estate and trust and estates. "David was just in an arbitration, which are usually confidential, but it went through so many motions in the courts that it no longer is," states a peer. "This was his biggest case, dealing with the forced sale of title, which is basically when a seller gets cold feet about selling a property but they’re now in too deep."
HARPER GREY
One of the youngest stars at esteemed Vancouver firm Harper Grey,
Joel Morris is lauded by peers and clients for his broad litigation practice that encompasses insurance, commercial and medical malpractice cases, most of which are confidential in nature.
DMG ADVOCATES
Although one of the youngest stars and a relatively new partner at Toronto boutique DMG Advocates,
John Mather has quickly earned himself a reputation as one of the firm's busiest stars. His practice is also one of the most diverse at the firm; it includes appearances on a product liability class action for a major auto maker as well as acting as duty counsel to individuals involved in a high-profile inquiry concerning COVID-related deaths at long-term care homes. Mather is also developing niches in cryptocurrency and especially inquiries. A new partner,
Corey Groper has been actively building out a fraud component at the firm. Groper comes equipped with a background in white-collar work as well as civil fraud cases involving Mareva injunctions, freezing orders and Norwich orders.
FARRIS
Yun-Li Reilly, a young star at esteemed Vancouver institution Farris, is seeing her profile rising. A client extols Reilly as “an excellent lawyer with great legal analysis; hardworking, strategic, and always thinking about the case.” Li-Reilly's practice includes matters relating to corporate, commercial, civil, family, estate, strata and tenancy disputes. She has represented clients before the BC Securities Commission and various professional disciplinary bodies, and has appeared at all levels of court in BC, the Supreme Court of Canada. Kevin Smith is one of the youngest stars at the firm but has quickly developed a peer fan base. Smith's practice is said to be emblematic of Farris' "sweet spot," the intersection of shareholder oppression and family law.
LAWSON LUNDELL
Camille Chisholm is one of the youngest stars in the Vancouver office of Western Canada powerhouse Lawson Lundell. Chisholm attends to a practice that straddles commercial and real estate litigation.
LANGLOIS
Renée-Maude Vachon operates from the Quebec City office of regional powerhouse Langlois. Vachon is focused on civil and professional liability, primarily in the fields of real estate and construction.
Gabriel Querry is one of the youngest stars in the Montreal office. Querry attends to a practice that is largely dedicated to a white-collar criminal, internal investigations and corporate regulatory risk management.
JSS BARRISTERS
Ryan Phillips is one of the youngest stars at Calgary boutique JSS Barristers. Phillips attends to an active commercial practice that includes acting on a team representing the owners of a 37-floor Calgary office complex. This action involves an agreement to sell the complex for $65 million. The purchasers failed to close. Phillips is also part of a team representing Inter Pipeline in a C$30 million action to enforce property and earth movement insurance coverage for a deformation or “buckle” on a pipeline owned and operated by the clients. Cassandra Sutter is one of the youngest stars at Calgary boutique JSS Barristers. Sutter's practice includes involvement in large-scale, complex commercial litigation and arbitrations. Such work has included an arbitral dispute wherein a $80 million arbitration award was granted in favor of the client, and an oil-and-gas arbitration involving complex issues of contract interpretation.
LAX O’SULLIVAN LISUS GOTTLIEB
Brad Vermeersch has been an integral part of several of the firm's key mandates alongside more senior partners. In one example, he was part of a team that was counsel to the plaintiffs in claims against their builders’ risk insurer for breach of contract, breach of duty of good faith and fair dealing, and bad faith. In another, he is a key member of a team that is litigation counsel to the Ottawa Light Rail Transit Constructors, a joint venture builder of a major Light Rail Transit project.
LCM
Julien Archambault in Montreal boutique LCM is a construction-focused litigator. "His name in the construction field is so robust," testifies a peer. "I worked on matters with and I felt like a super junior lawyer. I said 'I’m feeling stupid next to you.' He's got a case dealing with one of the largest builders in Quebec."
Nicolas Roche is one of the youngest stars at the firm. A former peer-turned-client testifies on his behalf: “We dealt exclusively with Nicolas, who is witty, smart and combative. Before being an entrepreneur, I was myself a litigation lawyer specialized in shareholders litigation. Having had to face Nicolas in the past, I knew how good he was, and I had no hesitation to reach out to him when I needed to be represented in what was, for us, a bet-the-farm litigation. He mastered the case quickly, established a trust rapport with the judge, delivered flawless proceedings, conducted successful examinations and provided sounded strategic advice.”
Marie-Noël Rochon is one of the youngest stars at Montreal boutique LCM. Rochon attends to a broad litigation practice. "She has done a lot of work insuring, helping public entities reviewing their tenders," confirms a peer.
NATHANSON SCHACHTER & THOMPSON
One of the youngest stars at celebrated Vancouver boutique Nathanson Schachter,
Julia Lockhart has earned a loyal client and local peer following as an all-purpose commercial litigator. Lockhart plays key roles in many of the cases, working with more senior partners, as well as taking the lead on several of her own.
PALIARE ROLAND ROSENBERG ROTHSTEIN
Lindsay Scott, historically a commercial litigator, has been one of Paliare Roland's most visible employment litigators of late. “There was quite a bit of this during the pandemic, as you can imagine,” voices a peer. “Mandatory vaccinations, accommodations, etc., and Paliare, and Lindsay in particular, is developing quite a niche in the C suite. Lindsay has also done a lot of workplace investigations.”
SINGLETON URQUHART REYNOLDS VOGEL
Jesse Gardner operates from the Toronto office of construction powerhouse Singleton Reynolds. Despite Gardner's young vintage, a peer insists, "He’s as involved and active as anyone else in that group at this point.” Gardner lives up to this claim through his key role in several of the major infrastructure-related matters handled out of the Toronto office.
James Little operates from the Toronto office of construction powerhouse Singleton Reynolds. “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. Little plays a key role in several of the major infrastructure-related matters handled out of the Toronto office.
Catherine Gleason-Mercier is one of the youngest stars in the Toronto office of construction powerhouse Singleton Reynolds. She represents a diverse group of clients, including government entities and Crown corporations, owners and general contractors, as well as multinational public and private corporations. Cheryl Labiris has generated an ardent fan base among clients; one testifies, "Cheryl is able to assess complex issues and claims. 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." A commercial lawyer whose practice emphasizes insurance, Dan Barber works in the Vancouver office of Singleton Reynolds. 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!”
POULUS ENSOM SMITH
Name partner at powerhouse Vancouver boutique Poulus Ensom Smith, Joseph Ensom
is an all-purpose commercial litigator that has generated an enhusiastic following. “He is ambitious and entrepreneurial,” observes a peer. Another testifies, “I worked with Joe in a complex litigation matter, in which I was intervening on behalf of another client and our clients' interests were aligned. Joe had an excellent strategic approach to litigation. His firm is extremely familiar with the BC court system and the preferences of individual BC Judges, and he was able to use this familiarity to craft a tailored defense that addressed the needs of the court and particular judge to the advantage of his client."
Kelly Ann Maw is developing a vocally devoted fan base amongst peers and clients. “Kelly Ann is diligent and very thorough in ensuring she has ‘covered all the bases’ in terms of the legal issues arising in a particular situation,” declares a client. “I have been extremely impressed by her attention to detail and strategic thinking. I have also seen her on her feet in court, and she handles it magnificently.” Maw was part of a team acting for Real Estate Webmasters in litigation brought concerning a customized web platform. One of the youngest stars at the firm, Kyle Thompson is making his mark further bolstering the “next-generation” element of the firm. Thompson played a key role representing a defendant in an action commenced by the BC Securities Commission alleging that the client’s “pump-and-dump” scheme artificially inflated the price of three publicly traded BC companies.
STOCKWOODS
Carlo di Carlo, a quickly risen star at venerated Toronto boutique Stockwoods, attends to a varied practice that touches on all aspects of commercial litigation and regulatory actions. He was part of a team that achieved a milestone December 2022 victory for the former Chairman of the Board for embattled cannabis entity CannTrust, who was facing charges of securities fraud and insider trading.
