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Paul Murphy reappointed to nuclear advisory committee and other legal moves and grooves for Dec. 12

Paul Murphy reappointed to nuclear advisory committee and other legal moves and grooves this week

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Paul Murphy reappointed to CINTAC
 
Paul Murphy of Gowling WLG has been re-appointed to the U.S. Civil Nuclear Trade Advisory Committee for the fourth time.
 
Operating under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Commerce, CINTAC is tasked with advising the U.S. Secretary of Commerce on a range of trade issues affecting U.S. nuclear exports.
 
“It’s a tremendous honour to be appointed to CINTAC,” said Murphy. “The committee offers a valuable forum for the exchange of ideas among key nuclear industry participants.”
 
Murphy’s practice embraces multiple aspects of nuclear energy law, including project development and financing, international regulatory and treaty frameworks, and nuclear liability issues. His clients include the International Atomic Energy Agency, Nuclear Energy Agency, the International Framework for Nuclear Energy Cooperation and the U.S. government.
 

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NextLaw Labs invests in Kitchener company
 
Dentons’ legal tech venture development company Nextlaw Labs, has invested in Kitchener-based Beagle, a legal tech startup that is using artificial intelligence to transform the legal contract review process.
 
“We see a prime opportunity to transpose Beagle’s self-service contract review model to fit within a Big Law client environment like Dentons,” said Dan Jansen, chief executive of Nextlaw.
 
Dentons lawyers in selected transactional practice areas will initially pilot Beagle software in Canada and the U.K.

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Don Cranston becomes Law Society of Alberta’s president-elect
 
The Benchers of the Law Society of Alberta have elected Bennett Jones partner Don Cranston of Edmonton as their next president.
 
Cranston,  co-chair of the firm’s commercial litigation team and a former member of the firm’s Board of Directors, will serve on the LSA’s Executive Committee in 2017-18 and begin his one-year term as President starting in February 2018.
 
Cranston’s practice focuses on commercial litigation, medical and legal malpractice and disciplinary hearings, public administration law and alternative dispute resolution. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, a member of the board of directors of the Alberta Law Reform Institute, a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America and a roster member of the Supreme Court Advocacy Institute.
 

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Kevin Coon to chair B&M’s global Policy Committee
 
Kevin Coon, managing partner of Baker & McKenzie’s Toronto office, has been elected to a three-year term as chair of the firm’s global policy committee, which works with the firm’s executive committee on policy matters and the strategic direction of the Firm.
 
Coon’s practice embraces the interpretation and application of local and international labour, ethics, compliance, human rights and employment laws and practices, advising corporate, government and not-for-profit organizations.
 
“I am honoured to be entrusted with the confidence of my colleagues to take on this role,” Coon said.
 

Hansell adds depth to strategic advisory businesses
 
Susan Kushneryk, Milton Chan, Harlan Tufford and Veronica Clayton have joined Hansell LLP and its associated firm Hansell McLaughlin Advisory.
 
“Successful organizations need to fully understand and manage a wide range of risk and reputational issues,” said Carol Hansell, founder of Hansell LLP and a principal with Hansell McLaughlin Advisory. “They must consider the horizon of legal, governance, political, regulatory, and communication challenges, and we were first to provide that kind of integrated advice. Today, we are proud to welcome four new colleagues to our growing team of professionals, each of whom have the skills and experience to provide new perspectives and insights for our clients.”
 
Kushneryk, a litigator, was director of policy with the Attorney General of Ontario and before that, senior enforcement counsel at the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC).
 
Chan was most recently chief of staff to the Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation. Before that, he was director of strategy and operations in the office of the premier. Prior to joining the provincial government, Milton served as enforcement counsel at IIROC.
 
Clayton is a law clerk who was most recently at a major national law firm. She is a fellow of the Law Clerks of Ontario and the International Practice Management Association.
 
Tufford, previously at Institutional Shareholder Services, has joined as governance research analyst focusing on board evaluations.
 
 
Tim Duholke and Howard Kellough honoured by Canadian Tax Foundation
 
The Canadian Tax Foundation has bestowed its most prestigious honour, the Lifetime Contribution Award, on Tim Duholke and Howard Kellough of DLA Piper Canada.
 
Duholke, who also holds the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee medial,  is a senior tax advisor who has been advising public and private companies on taxation and related business transactions issues since 1979. He was chair of the CTF in 2008 and its interim executive director in 2003.
 
Kellough retired from DLA Piper in March of 2016 after practising with the national tax group since 2008. His contributions to the CTF include serving on the editorial board of the Canadian Tax Journal, as a governor, as a member of the executive committee and as chair.
 
 
Theo Ling honoured by Financial Times
 
The Financial Times  has recognized Baker & McKenzie’s Theo Ling of Toronto, who led the development of DataComplianceIQ, the firm’s unique data solution for clients, as among the 10 most innovative lawyers in North America.
 
DataComplianceIQ also earned FT’s top award in the integrated solutions category, part of the publication’s annual nod to innovation in the legal profession in North America.
 
DataComplianceIQ helps clients address issues with “big data” by managing information lifecycles and assisting with global data compliance surrounding data privacy and the retention and governance of corporate records.
 
“The benefit of developing such a platform, shared on a complementary basis with clients, is that it is creating a new business line,” FT noted in its report, which described Ling’s belief “that the future of legal practice will be multidisciplinary and collaborative.”
 
 
DLA Piper, Gowling, Norton Rose top client service survey
 
A Legal Week survey has named three multinational law firms with offices in Canada, DLA Piper, Gowling WLG and Norton Rose Fulbright, as among the top 20 law firms providing the best level of overall service to their clients.
 
Legal Week surveyed more than 750 in-house lawyers and senior executives at large corporations and asked them to score firms against a range of criteria including commercial acumen, fee arrangements, innovation, relationships and teamwork.
 
According to Legal Week’s sister publication, ALM Morning Minute, clients identified “quality of legal advice and quality of service as the two most important factors when selecting external law firms, with communication and responsiveness, value for money, and commercial expertise also valued highly. Surprisingly, direct partner-level contact was only deemed to be important by 74 per cent of clients.”
 

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 Gowling challenges law firms to support food banks
 
Karyn Bradley, managing partner of Gowling WLG’s Toronto office, used an appearance on CBC Radio’s Metro Morning to challenge other law firms to donate to Sounds of the Season, CBC’s annual charity drive in support of food banks across the GTA.
 
Gowlings has donated $2,500 to the drive and has asked other GTA law firms to match the donation.
 
“The principles of Sounds of the Season — giving, taking care of each other, building a strong community — are principles that everyone can get behind,” said Bradley.
 
 
LSUC moves to end systemic racism
 
The Law Society of Upper Canada has approved the final report by the Challenges Faced by Racialized Licensees Working Group.
 
Working Together for Change: Strategies to Address Issues of Systemic Racism in the Legal Professions – November 2016, contains 13 recommendations designed to address issues of systemic racism in the legal professions.
 
Some of the final report’s recommendations include:
·         the development of a demographic data inclusion index for legal workplaces of at least 25 licensees;
·         the adoption of equality, diversity and inclusion principles and practices; and
·         continuing professional development programs on topics of equality and inclusion in the profession.

“This is a major step in the right direction to ensure the professions are diverse, inclusive and free of discrimination and harassment,” said Law Society Treasurer Paul Schabas.

Financial Post

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