NEW ROLE AT SHIBLEY RIGHTON
Shibley Righton LLP has appointed Jacqueline King as its first chairwoman of business development.
King joined the firm, which has offices in Toronto and Windsor, Ont., last fall from Miller Thomson LLP.
“It is unusual for a full-time practice lawyer to have such a role in a law firm,” said Sandra Dawe, managing partner of Shibley Righton. “But it makes sense.
Business development integrates our current practice groups with emerging areas of law. In addition to being a top lawyer, Jacquie brings vibrant energy and keen marketing acumen that will be of great benefit to us.”
FIRMS TO BOOST PAY, SURVEY SAYS
Law firms are planning a pay boost to keep top talent as the economy continues to improve, according to a Robert Half Legal survey.
Seventy-nine per cent of lawyers polled said their firms or corporate legal departments are planning pay raises and bonuses for their associates. Fifteen per cent of respondents don’t expect a compensation increase, while seven per cent didn’t know or didn’t answer.
The poll took in the views of 150 lawyers at big law firms and corporations in Canada. “Although many law firms and legal departments were forced to reduce staff and freeze salaries in the past few years, retention of top performers definitely remains a priority, especially as the economy recovers,” said Anne Edmonds, Canadian regional manager of Robert Half Legal.
“Employers in the legal field are increasingly strengthening their retention programs, including offering raises and bonuses, before employees consider other opportunities.”
NEW PARTNER AT CASSELS BROCK
Laurie Jessome has been made a partner with Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP’s employment group.
She provides advice to clients locally, nationally, and globally and helps them solve a variety of employment law issues including wrongful dismissals, human rights claims, negotiation of executive employment agreements, and corporate reorganizations.
MARC LALONDE HONOURED FOR ADR
Former federal justice minister Marc Lalonde has won the American Arbitration Association’s President’s Award for Outstanding Contributions and Leadership in the Field of Conflict Management.
Lalonde, who served during the former prime minister Pierre Trudeau’s administration, is also a prominent commercial arbitrator and mediator.
“Marc Lalonde is a paragon of achievement in the alternative dispute resolution community. He knows how arbitration and mediation fit into the overall international legal system and has a deep understanding of how ADR contributes to the global economy, the foundation of rule-of-law societies, and the dispensation of justice at all levels,” said association president and CEO William Slate.
Lalonde has participated as an arbitrator, mediator or counsel in a large number of international commercial arbitration cases under the International Chamber of Commerce, the London Court of International Arbitration, and the North American Free Trade Agreement.
“It is obviously an honour to receive such an exceptional award from an organization as prestigious as the AAA. To be recognized by so many of my peers, who have, through their innovation, dedication, and knowledge of the law, made alternative dispute resolution a respected legal discipline throughout the world, is without question humbling and incredibly gratifying.
I am grateful to Bill and the AAA for that,” Lalonde said.
8 NEW JUSTICES OF THE PEACE
The province has appointed eight new justices of the peace to the Ontario Court of Justice.
Sylvie-Emanuelle Bourbonnais and Julie Lauzon will both sit in Timmins, Ont. Bourbonnais has worked as a lawyer at Ottawa’s Potvin Law Office and as a senior trademark examiner at the Canadian Intellectual Property Office.
Lauzon, meanwhile, received her law degree from the University of Ottawa four years ago before serving as acting counsel to the Tax Court of Canada, where she provided legal advice on tax law and judicial matters.
Carol Anne Chernish will serve in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., after 20 years as a superintendent at the Canada Border Services Agency.
She also worked for the Canada Revenue Agency as a taxpayer services agent.
Karen Marie Murphy, a former court liaison officer with Peel Regional Police, will sit in Brampton, Ont.
Linda Elizabeth Christine Pearson and Claire Thérèse Robinson Winchester will both work in Ottawa. Pearson has worked for the Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health, which provides holistic and culturally relevant health services to Inuit, Métis, and First Nations communities in Ottawa.
Winchester taught for the Upper Canada District School Board before becoming a vice principal and has also been a board director of the Children’s Aid Society of the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry.
Nancy Elizabeth Rogers-Bain will sit in St. Catharines, Ont., after 26 years with the Bank of Montreal, most recently as a branch manager in nearby Thorold.
She’s also a former deputy mayor of the City of Thorold.
The appointments also included Lauren Mary Scully, a former criminal defence lawyer and assistant solicitor for the City of North Bay.
