JOLLIFFE TO STEP DOWN AS GOWLINGS CEOAfter 20 years as chairman and chief executive officer of Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP, Scott Jolliffe is stepping down and Peter Lukasiewicz is taking over the helm.
Lukasiewicz, who’s currently the firm’s external managing partner, will take over as chief executive officer effective Jan. 1. He’ll also serve as a representative on the global board of Gowling WLG, the new international legal practice created by the merger of Gowlings and Wragge Lawrence Graham & Co. announced in July.
Lukasiewicz was the managing partner of the Toronto office of Gowlings for 15 years. He took on the external managing partner role two years ago.
Jolliffe told the firm’s partners more than a year ago he wouldn’t be seeking a renewed term.
“I felt it was time to build for the future with a new CEO,” says Jolliffe.
The firm launched an internal nomination process and the nominating committee recommended Lukasiewicz. The firm’s partners voted on that recommendation in July.
Lukasiewicz, a commercial litigator, has been at Gowlings for his entire legal career.
Jolliffe isn’t leaving the firm. He’ll take on a new role as one of Gowlings’ three representatives on the global board of Gowling WLG.
“That board is being launched Jan. 18 and it’s important to me it gets off to a really good start and that we continue to grow our firm in a global, international sense. I will take a very active role in that aspect of the combined firm,” he says.
LOUIS RIEL EVENT TODAYWith 2015 marking the 150th anniversary of the execution of Louis Riel, the Law Society of Upper Canada is hosting an event to commemorate the Métis leader today.
The event will take place at Osgoode Hall with a roundtable set for 4 p.m. followed by a reception at 6 p.m. The roundtable will include experts and leaders from the Métis community, academia, and government speaking about what reconciliation looks like in the future.
Moderating the panel will be Jean Teillet of Pape Salter Teillet LLP. The speakers include Métis Nation of Ontario president Gary Lipinski, political scientist Peter Russell, Ontario Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs counsel Candice Telfer, and Pape Salter Teillet’s Jason Madden.
INPUT SOUGHT ON INQUEST CHANGESThe Ontario government is seeking input on proposed changes to the province’s death investigation system.
The regulatory changes include expanding the role of the Death Investigation Oversight Council to enable it to provide advice and make recommendations to the chief coroner on whether to call a discretionary inquest. The proposal wouldn’t change the chief coroner’s decision-making authority. According to the government, the authority to direct a chief coroner to hold an inquest remains with the chief coroner.
The government is seeking comment on the changes over the next five weeks.
JAMES MOORE JOINS DENTONSJust a few weeks after the federal election, former Conservative cabinet ministers are already making the jump to big law firms.
On Nov. 6, Dentons Canada LLP announced former industry minister James Moore would be joining the firm. Based in Dentons’ Vancouver office, he’ll serve as a senior business adviser.
“We are delighted to welcome James to Dentons. Our clients in Vancouver, across the country, and around the world will greatly benefit from his strategic advice and insights,” said Lori Mathison, managing partner of Dentons’ Vancouver office.
POLL RESULTSThe results of the latest
Law Times online poll are in.
According to the poll, about 58 per cent of respondents don’t have a will.
The poll comes amid the Ontario Bar Association’s Make a Will month aimed at building awareness of end-of-life planning. While surveys have suggested 56 per cent of Canadians don’t have a will, a recent
Law Times story suggested many lawyers lack one as well.
