Monday, January 9, 2017

JOHN CAMPION JOINS GARDINER ROBERTS LLP
After 44 years at Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, John Campion is moving on.

The senior litigator joined Gardiner Roberts LLP effective Jan. 3 to start the next stage of his career.

Campion says he is looking to lead a new process at Gardiner Roberts to make a change in how dispute resolution is managed.

“The litigation, arbitration, mediation piece is indeed coming together, and I want to have a hand in reshaping that and this is a wonderful platform to give that a go,” he says. Campion says he came up with the idea, which is still being developed, at a program at Harvard on advanced mediation.

He says he is “not your normal candidate for mediation” because people think of him as a tough litigator that never settles unless offered a perfect settlement, but he wanted to be part of something new.

Campion, who is an emeritus bencher at the Law Society of Upper Canada, says he couldn’t be more proud of the work his former firm does but that his new employer has given him free rein to tackle his project.

“It’s actually remarkably healthy to make a change,” he says.

The firm also welcomed lawyer Kevin Fisher, who joined Gardiner Roberts in September, after his former firm Basman Smith LLP dissolved. Fisher says one of the Basman Smith’s practice groups splintered quickly and the remaining members decided it would be best to dissolve the firm.

“Rather than try to hold things together, we determined as a group that we were going to fold,” he says.
He built his practice over 20 years at Basman Smith, practising predominantly in litigation with a subset in intellectual property, acting for broadcasters looking to protect their IP.

HARRY FREEDMAN JOINS SHERRARD KUZZ LLP
The former vice chairman of the Ontario Labour Relations Board has joined Sherrard Kuzz LLP.

Harry Freedman, who has been described as an esteemed labour lawyer, started working as counsel to the firm effective Jan. 3.

He is a certified specialist in labour law and a former partner at Blake Cassels & Graydon LLP.

LAW SOCIETY PUTS OUT CALL FOR AWARD NOMINEES
The Law Society of Upper Canada has put a call out for nominees for its awards that honour excellence in the profession.

The law society is looking for nominations for the Law Society Medal, the Lincoln Alexander Award and the Laura Legge Award by Jan. 27.

Nominations can be sent to [email protected]

LAW TIMES POLL
A recent Law Times story detailed a case where a man argued an officer posing as an underage girl entrapped him in an Internet luring case. Readers were asked if current laws allow for digital entrapment.

Roughly half of respondents said yes, while it is important to ensure criminal behaviour does not occur, the current laws allow police to extend their investigative powers in a way that needs examination. The other half said no, the current laws are appropriate and police should be able to investigate allegations as needed, using different online techniques.