ANNE KENNEDY TO HEAD PALLETT VALO
Mississauga, Ont., law firm Pallett Valo LLP has appointed Anne Kennedy as its managing partner.
Kennedy takes the role for a second time following an earlier stint between 1997 and 2000. She succeeds Anna Esposito, who held the position for the last five years. Esposito will now head up Pallett Valo’s construction law group.
“I am looking forward to helping Pallett Valo become the pre-eminent business law firm in Peel Region,” said Kennedy. “We have been gaining momentum toward achieving this goal since 2005.”
HEENAN BLAIKIE GETS 4 NORTON ROSE PARTNERS
Heenan Blaikie LLP has added 16 lawyers to its Paris office a year after establishing a presence in the French capital.
Jean-François Mercadier, T. Alexander Brabant, Pascale Gallien, Anne-Sylvie Vassenaix-Paxton, Ali Boroumand, and Karen Leclerc have all joined as partners along with 10 new associates. Four of the new partners came from the Norton Rose Group.
Heenan Blaikie’s Paris office will focus on areas such as commercial law, mergers and acquisitions, private equity, financing and restructurings, litigation, and international arbitration.
Firm chairman Roy Heenan said Heenan Blaikie’s increased focus on Europe and Africa demanded a stronger presence in Paris. “This expansion represents an important step of our international growth strategy.
It will enable our clients to benefit from the services of 16 experienced lawyers who will assist them in their operations and development in Europe and Africa. In addition, French clients will now be in direct contact with one of the largest law firms in Canada.”
Mercadier, meanwhile, becomes managing partner of the Paris office. “Heenan Blaikie has a lot going for it,” he said. “The firm’s entrepreneurial spirit gives it the ability to relentlessly explore new markets.
The French and English cultures, as well as civil law and common law traditions exist in harmony at Heenan Blaikie; our integration to the firm will help reinforce these qualities.”
EDWARD KERWIN APPOINTED TO OSC
The Ontario Securities Commission has appointed Edward Kerwin to a two-year term as commissioner.
Kerwin spent 30 years as a partner at McCarthy Tétrault LLP until he retired in 2009.
“Edward Kerwin’s tremendous legal expertise, knowledge of the capital markets, and experience as a director will serve the commission well in carrying out its regulatory, adjudicative, and operational responsibilities,” said OSC chairman Howard Wetston.
CASSELS BROCK BOOSTS TAX GROUP
Paul Carenza has joined Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP’s tax and trusts group as a partner.
Carenza provides income and commodity tax advice in domestic and cross-border corporate acquisitions, reorganizations and financings, and the taxation aspects of e-commerce transactions.
Brandon Hodge has also joined the group as an associate. The firm says it has doubled the group’s size since 2007 by adding three new partners and eight new associates during that period.
“There’s an increasing need for sophisticated and timely tax expertise, especially with respect to cross-border transactions, transfer pricing, tax dispute resolution, and commodity tax,” said group chairman Ken Snider.
TORONTO LAWYER DISBARRED
Toronto lawyer Michael Harold Kimberley has been disbarred by the Law Society of Upper Canada.
A panel found the 1999 call guilty of misconduct for misapplying or misappropriating more than $400,000 in trust funds. It also found he had failed to co-operate with several law society investigations and disobeyed two panel orders, including a previous costs award.
In addition, Kimberley failed to inform clients he was suspended as a result of previous disciplinary proceedings and continued to act for them while suspended.
The panel ordered Kimberley to pay $17,500 in costs, plus another payment of $390,000 to the compensation fund.
