The firm also appointed eight other lawyers to key roles
Borden Ladner Gervais LLP has hired nine lawyers for key roles in its corporate, real estate, disputes, arbitration, and labour practices.
Hélène Deschamps Marquis is set to co-lead the firm’s privacy and cybersecurity practice within the corporate and capital markets group. She joins the firm from Deloitte, where she was Deloitte Legal’s global cyber security leader.
She has worked on issues involving complex legal and business risks related to cyber security, information technology, privacy, and artificial intelligence. She has tackled breach and incident response, regulatory compliance, and global data and privacy frameworks; she has also negotiated complex cross-border technology arrangements and transactions. She has advised clients across the energy, financial services, public sector, health care, and transportation sectors over more than 25 years.
Deschamps Marquis brings with her a Deloitte Legal counsel team consisting of Matt Saunders and Claire Feltrin. Montréal-based Saunders focuses on cyber security and data privacy, advising on internal privacy programs, incident response, crisis communications, and novel issues related to artificial intelligence use in organizational resiliency. Vancouver-based Feltrin has tackled matters related to digital innovation, the use of personal information, information technology, online safety matters, and crisis management.
The team commenced with BLG on December 16. Deschamps Marquis will work from both the Montréal and Toronto offices.
The National Canadian Bar Association’s vice president for 2024-2025, Kratt is the newest addition to BLG’s commercial real estate team in Calgary. She comes from Parlee McLaws LLP, where she was practice group leader for its commercial, real estate and banking group.
She has handled acquisitions and dispositions, banking and secured transactions, leasing, project development and condominium projects; in particular, she has worked on the acquisitions and dispositions of businesses, shares, and real estate, including multi-tenanted complexes, industrial and agricultural properties.
Kratt has advised borrowers and lenders, including private lenders. She has handled secured banking transactions; moreover, she has prepared and reviewed shopping centres and office leases as well as airport hangar subleases.
She has worked on the purchase and sale of strip malls and shopping centers, purchase and sale transactions for retail and industrial lands, commercial retail tenant leasing and commercial office building leasing. She has crafted and negotiated commercial and residential lease agreements, right of first refusal agreements, option agreements, indemnity agreements, lease extensions, amendment or renewal agreements, subleases and surrenders of leases.
Kratt has tackled incorporation, negotiation and completion of the purchase and sale of businesses and business assets, and the negotiation and preparation of various commercial agreements. She has also prepared and negotiated non-competition and non-solicitation agreements, bills of sale, general conveyancing agreements, releases and resignations, escrow agreements, non-disclosure agreements, confidentiality agreements, license agreements and assignment agreements.
After serving as CBA vice president, she is set to take the helm as president of the organization for 2025-2026. She is Indigenous and is a Huron-Wendat First Nation member. Moreover, she is on the Law Commission of Canada – Advisory Council. Last year, she was on the Independent Advisory Board for Supreme Court of Canada Judicial Appointments.
Meanwhile, Campbell joins the corporate and capital markets group as counsel, working with the corporate health team. He has advised hospitals and health services providers on continuous improvement in governance, risk management, health law, privacy and commercial matters (including M&A and hospital facility issues), and general and commercial matters.
He hails from Hamilton Health Sciences, where he was general counsel.
Hoover joins BLG’s disputes group as a partner in Calgary. She is an expert in insurance defence and coverage disputes.
In a career spanning 20 years, she has worked with global and domestic insurers on coverage disputes related to commercial general liability, course of construction builders risk, wrap-up liability, errors and omissions policies, environment impairment liability and commercial property policies. She has defended design professionals, contractors, sub-trades and developers embroiled in major construction disputes; moreover, she has defended health care providers against medical negligence claims.
She has advised professionals and public and private entities on harassment and abuse allegations, as well as employment liability. She has conducted trials in Ontario and Canada; she was the first Canadian lawyer to effectively argue a summary dismissal of a negligence claim on the basis that an “e-waiver” was enforceable.
Oghigian is the newest senior counsel in BLG’s arbitration group. He has over 30 years of experience as a counsel in commercial disputes involving joint venture agreements, distribution agreements, and licencing agreements, as well matters related to construction and engineering, M&A, pharmaceuticals and life sciences.
He has served as an international arbitrator and arbitration counsel; he has sat as an arbitrator on panels and arbitral courts in Europe, Asia and North and South America. He has also held roles as general counsel, special advisor and vice-consul in government and industry.
Suszek commences with the labour and employment group in Toronto as an associate. She has acted for public and private sector employers on wrongful dismissal actions, grievance arbitrations, and human rights applications.
McLachlan practices with BLG’s disputes commercial and construction group. She will be based in the Ottawa office, making regular visits to the Toronto.
