New General Counsel Order Of Canada BLG Annual Report Law Times Poll
Randall Hofley has been named general counsel and senior enforcement adviser at the Competition Bureau Legal Services.
Hofley, a partner at Blake Cassels & Graydon LLP’s Competition, Antitrust & Foreign Investment group, will join CBLS for a two-year term. He will remain a partner at Blakes, but he will be on leave under the government of Canada’s Interchange Program.
“This is an outstanding achievement for Randall and a great opportunity for all involved,” said Brock Gibson, chairman of Blakes.
“Business regulation is increasingly important in Canada and around the world. Randall’s appointment will allow him to benefit from the Bureau’s expertise in this regard, while bringing his years of experience and judgment to the post.”
In 2005-06, Randall served as special counsel to the Commissioner of Competition.
Two former Supreme Court of Canada justices have received the Companion of the Order of Canada.
Thomas Cromwell and Louis LeBel were named Dec. 29 by Governor General of Canada Julie Payette, along with 123 other new appointments to the Order of Canada, including three other lawyers.
Cromwell joined the Ottawa office of Borden Ladner Gervais LLP as counsel in February 2017 following his retirement from the SCC, where he served as a justice from December 2008 to September 2016.
LeBel retired from the SCC in 2014 after 14 years. Following his retirement, he joined Langlois lawyers LLP in May 2015 as legal counsel in the firm’s Quebec and Montreal offices. He has also been resident judge at the Faculty of Law at Laval University.
Dale H. Lastman, chairman of Goodmans LLP, was also named a member of the Order of Canada for his contributions to the growth of the Canadian sports industry and for his volunteer work in support of health initiatives and LGBTQ communities. Lastman practises corporate, commercial and securities law. He is a director of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. and serves as an alternate governor for the National Hockey League and National Basketball Association and as a governor of the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League.
Borden Ladner Gervais LLP recently released its annual report, predicting the biggest legal issues businesses will face in 2018. The report, Top 10 Legal Risks for Business in 2018, offers Canadian businesses “deeper insight into the key trends and regulatory changes that will have legal implications in the year ahead.”
A ruling in the Ontario Superior Court has reaffirmed that a lawyer does not hold a duty of care to non-client parties who have their own lawyer in a commercial transaction. Readers were asked if they agreed with this finding. About 88 per cent said yes, lawyers should not have to hold a duty of care in this type of transaction. Another 12 per cent said no, this finding is problematic.
