RENOS TO BRAMPTON COURTHOUSE
Lawyers, staff, and litigants at the busy courthouse in Brampton, Ont., are getting some relief.
Last week, the Ministry of the Attorney General announced plans to add space at the courthouse. The goal is to meet projected demand for the next 25 years, according to the ministry. The first two floors of the six-floor addition will contain new courtrooms and support spaces such as judicial chambers with the remaining areas to accommodate future courthouse developments. The aim is to complete the addition by December 2017.
“This courthouse expansion showcases our government’s commitment to enhancing access to justice for Ontario communities,” said Attorney General Madeleine Meilleur.
During construction, additional courtroom space will be available in Milton, Orangeville, and Kitchener, Ont.
TORONTO LAWYER DISBARRED
A Law Society Tribunal hearing panel has disbarred Toronto lawyer Tim Leahy.
Last month, the panel disbarred Leahy and ordered him to pay almost $21,000 in costs after finding, among other things, that he practised law and held himself out as someone entitled to do so despite his suspension in December 2012. It also found he practised law through a business entity, Forefront Migration Ltd., that didn’t have a certificate of authorization from the Law Society of Upper Canada.
In the case of Toronto lawyer George Allan Marron, the hearing panel allowed him to surrender his licence by Jan. 9, failing which the LSUC would revoke it on Jan. 10.
Among several acts of misconduct, the panel found he had failed to serve five clients and acted dishonourably by not complying with two court orders.
NEW PARTNER AT LERNERS
Regulatory lawyer Bonni Ellis has joined Lerners LLP as a partner.
A lawyer with more than a decade of experience in professional regulation, Ellis brings a “unique and specialized skill set,” according to the firm. “Her expertise and regulatory professions practice adds a new level of expertise to our litigation practice in Toronto,” said Brian Grant, managing partner of the firm’s Toronto office.
CHANGES AT PALLETT VALO
There’s new leadership at Pallett Valo LLP as Bobby Sachdeva takes over as managing partner from Anne Kennedy.
Sachdeva, who took over the role on Jan. 1, has been with the firm since 1995 when he filled in for a maternity leave. Since then, he founded the firm’s insolvency group and has also served as deputy managing partner.
Kennedy will continue as deputy managing partner.
“Pallett Valo has established itself as a top regional firm, is poised to build on that reputation and with Bobby’s leadership I know great things are ahead,” she said.
Other changes at Pallett Valo include the appointment of Craig Ross as a partner.
STIKEMAN ELLIOTT NAMES 4 NEW PARTNERS
Stikeman Elliott LLP has started the year with the appointment of four new partners.
The changes include three new partners at the firm’s Toronto office: Maria Konyukhova, Jonah Mann, and Tim McCormick.
Konyukhova is a member of the firm’s litigation group who practises insolvency law. Mann, a member of the corporate group in Toronto, focuses on mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and governance, and securities law compliance. McCormick is also a member of the corporate group who practises business law with an emphasis on corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions.
Besides the Toronto appointments, the firm also named a new partner in Calgary: tax lawyer Julie D’Avignon.
