HOSPITAL GC OPENS SOLO PRACTICEAlan Belaiche has left his role as general counsel at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto to open a new law practice after working in-house for seven years.
Belaiche’s practice will operate under the name Belaiche Law and will focus on health, corporate and commercial, privacy, access-to-information, and employment law, as well as conflict management and dispute resolution in the health-care environment.
In his place, Michelle Moldofsky will take over as interim general counsel at the hospital. Moldofsky is a policy and legal adviser there.
Besides the hospital, Belaiche has also worked at the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.
For more, see "
Former St. Mike's GC sets up niche practice."
BLG LANDS 3 BLANEY MCMURTRY LAWYERSBorden Ladner Gervais LLP has appointed three lawyers to its national insurance corporate and regulatory group in Toronto after snagging them from Blaney McMurtry LLP.
Crawford Spratt, national head of the group, has more than 30 years of experience in insurance matters.
Jill McCutcheon, meanwhile, becomes regional head of the group.
In addition, Kelly Morris becomes a partner at BLG. Morris specializes in regulatory, compliance, governance, distribution, and market conduct matters, as well as privacy law and issues related to money laundering.
“The insurance industry is evolving with new market entrants and a trend towards consolidation,” said Bob Hutchison, a partner and national business department leader at BLG.
“Combined with the firm’s existing financial services group and extensive insurance litigation and coverage practice, our insurance corporate/regulatory group makes BLG a full-service firm for insurers, reinsurers, intermediaries, and other sector participants.”
In addition, BLG announced the hiring of associate Jim Hinton at its office in Waterloo, Ont. Hinton had previously articled at Bereskin & Parr LLP.
NEW PARTNER AT BLANEY MCMURTRYDennis Tobin is a new partner with Blaney McMurtry LLP’s corporate/commercial, corporate finance and securities, and real estate and leasing practice groups.
Tobin focuses on corporate/commercial law as well as commercial and retail leasing and will continue his work at the firm’s Toronto office.
He’s also involved in mergers and acquisitions, venture capital transactions, and shareholder agreements and startups. Through his work, he has represented landlords and tenants as well as major retail centres.
“The addition of Dennis Tobin further strengthens the capabilities of our corporate/commercial practice, reflecting the firm’s continuing commitment to respond to our clients’ needs for sophisticated legal advice across a broad spectrum of business law,” said Michael Bennett, managing partner at Blaneys.
FEDS APPOINT NEW ONTARIO JUDGELawyer Dale Fitzpatrick is the newest Ontario Superior Court judge.
Fitzpatrick, formerly a partner with Furlong Collins Fitzpatrick, becomes a judge in Milton, Ont. He replaces Justice A.J. Goodman, who has moved to London, Ont., to fill the open spot following the death of justice T.D. Little.
Fitpatrick had been a partner with Furlong Collins Fitzpatrick since 1999. His activities include participation in the Law Society of Upper Canada’s lawyer mentoring program. His main areas of practice were family law and civil and criminal litigation.
