2 CROWNS APPOINTED TO BENCH
The province has appointed two new judges to the Ontario Court of Justice, effective Aug. 24.
Jonathan Brunet, an assistant Crown attorney in Ottawa since 1993, will preside in Cornwall. He was called to the bar in 1990 and also served as counsel to the federal Department of Foreign Affairs in 1992.
He has taught criminal law at Carleton University, as well as criminal law and procedure in both French and English at the University of Ottawa.
David Michael Paciocco, a 1983 call, is another former Ottawa Crown. He joined the Faculty of Law at the University of Ottawa in 1982, becoming a full professor in 1990, and from 1994 to 1998, he was counsel for Addelman Edelson & Meagher. He will preside in Ottawa.
The province also appointed two new regional senior judges for the Ontario Court. Justice Faith Maureen Finnestad takes over in the Toronto region, effective Sept. 21 after 16 years on the bench, while Justice Lise Maisonneuve assumes the role in the East region as of Aug. 26.
NEW VP AT LAWPRO
Simon Bernstein will take over as vice president, specialty claims department at LawPRO on Sept. 1 after the retirement of Jerzy Adamowicz.
Bernstein will be responsible for a team handling TitlePLUS and Excess Insurance claims, among others. Bernstein was in private practice before switching to the financial services sector.
He was assistant vice president at St. Paul Travelers Insurance before joining LawPRO, where he was most recently assistant vice president, underwriting.
HUGHES JOINS BENNETT JONES
Randal Hughes has left McCarthy Tétrault LLP to join Bennett Jones LLP’s Toronto office as a partner.
Hughes becomes co-leader of the Bennett Jones competition and antitrust practice group, having handled the competition law and Investment Canada aspects of numerous domestic and international mergers and acquisitions.
He has also represented clients before the courts in criminal proceedings under the Competition Act and before the Competition Tribunal in reviewable matters.
In addition, he has acted as counsel for the Commissioner of Competition and for private sector clients in leading merger and abuse of dominance cases before the Competition Tribunal.
OSLER GETS SOME NEW BLOOD
Osler Hoskin & Harcourt LLP performed its own raid on the Toronto office of McCarthy Tétrault, making Wendy Gross and Joel Ramsey the newest partners in its technology business group.
Gross, a leading technology adviser in peer and customer research studies, will also take on the role of co-chair of the group.
Ramsey advises clients on strategic sourcing, technology, software development and licensing matters, and belongs to the bar in New York as well as Ontario.
“Wendy Gross and Joel Ramsey are strategic additions to our firm and we are delighted to have them join us,” said Dale Ponder, Oslers’ managing partner. “In a world where technology is so significant, we believe our clients will benefit from Wendy and Joel’s market-leading expertise in complex transactions for technology and business process products and services.”
“Osler already has an exceptional group of practitioners in this highly specialized area of law. We are looking forward to working with our new colleagues,” Gross said.
SUAREZ HEADS TO BLG
Oslers meanwhile has lost Steve Suarez to fellow Bay Streeters Borden Ladner Gervais LLP. Suarez brings 20 years of experience with him to the BLG Toronto office, where he is now a partner in the firm’s tax group.
“Steve’s detailed knowledge of Canadian tax law, along with his extensive experience on leading-edge transactional work and in-depth understanding of the mining industry, makes him a significant addition to our firm,” said Frank Callaghan, regional managing partner of BLG’s Toronto office.
“He brings a unique skill set to the Tax Group and we are very excited that he will be taking on a leading role in our expanding business and tax practice.”
Suarez’s practice focuses on the natural resources sector, and he has acted in mergers and acquisitions, inbound investments, corporate restructuring, and audit management and tax dispute resolution. Clients have come from the mining, financial services, technology and media industries.
“I hope to build on the group’s solid reputation by providing clients with the knowledge and experience I’ve gained through acting on many significant commercial transactions. I particularly look forward to supporting BLG’s strong natural resources practice, especially on the mining side,” Suarez said.
