a member of the World Council of Churches Commission on Faith and Order has received the Lambeth Cross for Ecumenism.  Old Catholic priest and ecumenical theologian She was recognized for her outstanding contribution to Anglican-Old Catholic relations and to the ecumenical movement more widely an Old Catholic priest and ecumenical theologian was one of the first women ordained in the Old Catholic Churches of the Union of Utrecht and has been central to Old Catholic ecumenism over the last 30 years and especially to Anglican-Old Catholic relations After study at Bonn and Utrecht universities Berlis worked as a scientific assistant at Bonn until 2000 and then as lecturer in Practical Theology at Utrecht holding this position jointly for some years with a postdoctoral fellowship in modern Church History at the Roman Catholic Faculty of Theology at Tilburg University From 2006-2009 she was endowed professor for ancient Catholic Church Structures including the History and Doctrine of the Old Catholic Churches at Utrecht University.  In 2009 she was appointed to the chair in the History of Old Catholicism and General Church History at Bern University also acting as vice dean and head of the Department for Old Catholic Theology until 2017 From 2018-2020 she was dean of the Faculty of Theology at Bern Berlis was president of the European Society of Women in Theological Research in 2007-11 and of the Swiss Society for Theology in 2014-17 She is editor-in-chief of the Old Catholic academic journal Internationale Kirchliche Zeitschrift Her research and publications focus particularly on reform movements in the Western church The Lambeth Cross is awarded to those who have made an outstanding contribution to ecumenical work in support of the Church of England or to those who have made exceptional contributions to relations between the faiths Learn more about the WCC's Commission on Faith and Order Please fill in this form if you would like to receive news and updates from the WCC by email Ecumenical CentreKyoto BuildingChemin du Pommier 42CH-1218 Le Grand-Saconnex daughter of the late Robert McIntosh and Sarah (Sizemore) McIntosh with the Bible being her favorite go to book She really loved spending time with her family and friends Robert and Sarah McIntosh; her loving husband Private graveside services will be held at River View Cemetery poses for a photograph at the new Aird & Berlis LLP office in Vancouver on March 6,.Tijana Martin/The Globe and Mail Legal Moves is a monthly roundup of job changes at Canada’s law firms Toronto’s Aird & Berlis LLP has opened an office in Vancouver after spending much of the past year building an Indigenous practice group in the province Managing Partner Jill Fraser said the firm has had a handful of lawyers in British Columbia since 2017 working in the areas of infrastructure when they brought over a number of lawyers who specialize in Indigenous law became co-leads of the newly created practice group Aird & Berlis poached a group from Gowling WLG “At that point we decided to really establish a physical preference,” Ms The Vancouver team has now grown to 11 and will soon add an articling student but they also have plans to hire a couple more lawyers The firm has established a Vancouver strategy task force to map out the best ways for the new office to grow In addition to the Indigenous law group and real estate practices Fraser said they’re also looking at what’s possible in the area of financial services is finding ways to integrate Vancouver with the Toronto office we can offer expanded services to some of our existing clients These are clients in Ontario who maybe also do business in British Columbia Fraser got her start at Aird & Berlis in the mid 1990s as an articling student The first quarter of 2025 has seen a wave of movement across Canada’s legal sector In January, Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP welcomed commercial lawyer Junior Sirivar who joined the firm as a partner in the litigation and dispute resolution group Sirivar left McCarthy Tétrault LLP after more than 20 years Cassels & Graydon LLP – joined the real estate and development group in Calgary At Miller Thomson, Daniel Mahler joined as a partner and the co-lead of the national real estate transactions and leasing group out of Toronto Meanwhile, Dentons brought on Sanjay Joshi as a partner in the corporate group in Toronto. Mr. Joshi, who works in the area of multi-jurisdictional mergers and acquisitions, securities and corporate finance, had been with DLA Piper. The firm also added Rick Pawluk as a partner in the Calgary office’s corporate group At Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, Noelle Engle-Hardy joined as partner in the intellectual property group. She comes from Cozen O’Connor. BLG also announced that David Di Paolo had been appointed national managing partner and CEO In Toronto, Bennett Jones added Gatlin Smeijers as a partner His practice focuses on environmental and regulatory law Smeijers had been the associate vice-president was largely driven by the opportunity to join a team of highly recognized environmental and regulatory lawyers some of whom I have known for almost 15 years,” he said in an e-mail At Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP, Anne-Frédérique Bourret joined the Montreal office as a partner in the environmental group and Christine Perry whose practice includes domestic and cross-border matters such as trust taxation Finally, JFK Law LLP has made a major new hire by bringing on Nadir André as a partner who is a member of the Matimekush-Lac John First Nation has more than 25 years of experience acting for Indigenous governments he had been a partner in BLG’s Montreal office “Although working in a big firm has been a rich experience for me and my clients I believe that joining an Aboriginal law boutique is more aligned with my values and the type of law that I want to practice moving forward,” he told The Globe in an e-mail JFK Law has big plans to become the first ‘Coast to Coast to Coast’ Aboriginal Law Firm by expanding in Quebec and the Atlantic Report an editorial error Report a technical issue Editorial code of conduct Authors and topics you follow will be added to your personal news feed in Following which exposed the ways that Canadian police services mishandle sexual assault cases training and practices around sexual violence Doolittle’s other notable projects include the “Power Gap”, an investigation of gender inequities in the workforce, and “Secret Canada,” which examines Canada’s broken freedom of information system She is the author of two books, “Had It Coming – What’s Fair In The Age of #MeToo?,” which was shortlisted for the RBC Taylor Prize for non-fiction, and “Crazy Town: The Rob Ford Story,” both of which were national bestsellers Welcome to The Globe and Mail’s comment community. 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For more information on our commenting policies and how our community-based moderation works, please read our Community Guidelines and our Terms and Conditions Last spring, Jill Fraser was appointed the managing partner of Aird & Berlis, a full-service law firm based in Toronto. She spoke to the CL Talk podcast about finalizing the firm's strategic plan transitioning her practice and the firm’s plan to expand in Vancouver Jill Fraser has spent nearly three decades at Aird & Berlis building a career in financial services law she’s stepping into a leadership role that she describes as exciting and demanding but her priorities have shifted dramatically since taking over from Steve Zakem last spring and Fraser says because the firm does not have term limits She is still balancing her practice with her new responsibilities but plans to transition fully into leadership "It is really a full-time role," she explains "The previous managing partner also gave up his practice." While the decision wasn’t easy "I've been practising law for almost 30 years so I'm excited to take on the challenge of running a business now as opposed to the legal… side." A significant focus for Fraser is finalizing the firm’s three-year strategic plan a project that has been in the works for two years "The partnership just endorsed our strategic plan at our partnership meeting last month," she says we're now just in the process of creating a roadmap for the next three years." The plan addresses both external and internal priorities including how the firm should position itself in evolving practice areas and how it can better integrate technology to improve client service "Investing in our people… [is] an ongoing thing," Fraser says This includes revamping associate training and updating mentorship programs One of her first moves as managing partner was to appoint younger partners as practice group leaders – something she sees as essential for keeping the firm dynamic "I think it's important to have some young ideas The firm has also been proactive about fostering professional relationships among its lawyers "We just had an… associates retreat in Kelowna in the fall," Fraser says explaining that these events help lawyers from different practice groups connect in ways that might not happen in their day-to-day work Geographic expansion is another part of the strategy While Aird & Berlis is firmly rooted in Toronto the firm is making a significant push into Vancouver … a few lawyers in Vancouver who have been using the Regus shared office space working mainly remotely," Fraser says they’re making a more permanent move and we will be opening our own office this month." With 12 lawyers already in place – spanning corporate and Indigenous law – she sees significant opportunities for growth "It’s pretty exciting to be able to service clients in Vancouver and BC as well as Ontario." Attracting and retaining talent is another challenge Fraser is tackling head-on "We have competitive compensation with all the big Toronto firms," she says is its five-year partnership track – significantly shorter than many competitors and our young lawyers are very excited to… have that opportunity." Along with fast-tracking career development the firm ensures associates take on substantive file responsibilities early on "Our young lawyers are doing a little more sophisticated work than maybe lawyers at other firms." Fraser also emphasizes the firm’s diversity and inclusion initiatives which she acknowledges have become politically charged "Our program is not about politics; it’s about people," she says The firm hosts speakers on topics such as breaking down barriers for minority groups and truth and reconciliation It has also created firm member resource groups to provide safe spaces for lawyers to share lived experiences "We do firm surveys… just to make sure that everyone is feeling included and [to try] to address the specific needs of our… people." "We’re taking a really deliberate and measured approach to AI," Fraser says The goal is to improve client service and efficiency but with caution "We have a pilot group that is using some external products and trying those out." The group includes partners and students across different practice areas "We're trying to… look at the efficiencies how we can use it to automate routine… [tasks] streamline workflows," she says while ensuring client confidentiality and data security While AI is often associated with automation Fraser sees its most significant impact in document-heavy work such as litigation discovery and corporate due diligence "What an articling student might have done [for] hours and hours… now the AI can do it and pick out keywords and get you the summary in minutes," she says She acknowledges the challenge AI presents to the traditional lawyer training model is AI… [taking] over all the jobs that… articling students and young lawyers do… but then how do we get a senior lawyer providing strategic advice if [they] don’t have the opportunity to be an articling student and associate?" Fraser says client expectations have also shifted post-COVID There are fewer in-person and more online meetings with an increased expectation for quicker response times technology is going to help us with that." Cost control is another priority for clients who increasingly seek predictability in legal fees "We’re also seeing a greater focus on deep industry expertise… getting more and more specialized in certain areas." Fraser is monitoring two significant trends in the legal industry: cross-border expansion and the rise of US firms in Canada "We've seen a lot of US firms… come into Canada either as a branch office of a bigger… [firm] or setting up a separate office," she says Canadian firms must offer seamless cross-border legal services to stay competitive Fraser is a strong advocate for lawyer wellness "We regularly have health and wellness workshops… [to] really try and help educate lawyers Social engagement is also key to the firm’s approach with associate and student social gatherings and firm-wide events The firm also provides expanded maternity and paternity benefits Fraser's advice is straightforward for young lawyers looking to thrive in the profession "You spend a long time in school… [and] you come out but I'd say you really don’t know much about working," she says "Rely on your common sense and good judgment – those are… very important maybe sometimes undervalued skills." She also stresses the importance of mentorship "It’s really important as a young lawyer to try and find some great mentors… [Mentorship] just really helps you develop your career." Finally she offers a simple but essential reminder: "Treat everyone with respect… This is not a time to be rude [or] aggressive… It’s very important to be respectful and deal [with people] properly." The episode can also be found on our CL Talk podcast homepage which includes links to follow CL Talk on all the major podcast providers Aird & Berlis LLP has welcomed Jennifer Shayko as a co-leader of its franchising group and a partner in its corporate group as of this April Shayko served almost a decade as associate general counsel at Recipe Unlimited Corporation she gained experience leading franchise operations within a complex corporate structure and oversaw more than 20 brands “I am in charge of the legal responsibilities for franchising, which is a very large portfolio at Recipe,” Shayko told Lexpert in February “Each brand is governed independently and has its own personnel.” A press release from Aird & Berlis said that Shayko is a prominent member of Canada’s franchise bar and a lawyer known for her business-focused approach and deep industry insight “She brings a rare combination of corporate litigation and in-house experience,” the firm’s press release added she strove to modernize the legal department and the business in general including through AI and online ordering platforms “Technology is making things better for our system,” Shayko said to Lexpert Shayko’s bio on the website of Aird & Berlis provided more information on her professional experience She has worked closely with established and emerging franchisors alike on all franchising aspects She has also worked with franchisee associations and system stakeholders in implementing effective business strategies Shayko has structured area development agreements and master franchising arrangements in Canada and beyond She has supported franchisors in their cross-border expansion into markets such as the US She has negotiated complex franchise transactions across different industries Shaykos’ litigation work has included appearances before the Ontario Court of Appeal and the latter court’s Commercial List in Toronto Her other languages include Mandarin Chinese « Back Reed Smith celebrates David Cohen’s Lifetime Achievement and Madeline Boyer’s Monica Bay awards Reed Smith has been named to the elite GAR 30 list for 7th consecutive year recognizing its excellence in international arbitration In connection with the launch of the More Life™ brand Canopy Growth has issued shares of its newly-created subsidiary to certain entities that are controlled by Drake Drake holds a 60 percent ownership interest in the More Life Growth Company with Canopy Growth retaining 40 percent ownership The subsidiary owns an entity licensed by Health Canada for the cultivation processing and sale of cannabis at a production facility in Scarborough Canopy Growth and Drake entered into a shareholders agreement investor rights agreements and other ancillary agreements to govern the operations of the More Life Growth Company Canopy Growth has the right to nominate two members to the Board of Directors of More Life Growth Company Canopy will manage all day-to-day operations and maintenance of the More Life facility and will retain the rights to distribute the product cultivated there Reed Smith’s team on the cross-border transaction was led by New York-based Partner Aron Izower and included James Tandler The Aird & Berlis team acting on behalf of Drake was led by senior tax Partner Jack Bernstein and included Martin Kovnats Reed Smith is a dynamic international law firm dedicated to helping clients move their businesses forward Our belief is that by delivering smarter and more creative legal services we will not only enrich our clients’ experiences with us but also support them in achieving their business goals and collaborative structure make us the go-to partner for the speedy resolution of complex disputes For further information, please visit reedsmith.com © Mondaq® Ltd 1994 - 2025. All Rights Reserved By using our website you agree to our use of cookies as set out in our Privacy Policy Support local journalism. Unlock unlimited digital access to floridatoday.com Click here and subscribe today. Police arrested a Daytona Beach man in connection with Thursday morning's shooting that occurred at a Melbourne gas station near and killed a 26-year-old Melbourne man of Daytona Beach was arrested at about 7 p.m Thursday in Cocoa with assistance from Brevard County Sheriff's Office had been arguing in front of the UMart at 653 University Boulevard in Melbourne prior to the shooting Brooks began to threaten Berlis with a gun Brooks entered Berlis' open truck and took an unspecified item from it Shooting at convenience store: Melbourne police searching for person who fatally shot someone at gas station Shooting in Downtown Melbourne: Suspected gunman in deadly downtown Melbourne shooting arrested; two others charged in connection When Berlis moved toward Brooks to take the item back Police found Berlis at the UMart just after 11:42 a.m. and he was transported to Holmes Regional Medical Center Brooks faces charges of first degree murder possession of a firearm by a delinquent and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon Finch Walker is a Breaking News Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Walker at 321-290-4744 or fwalker@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @_finchwalker Support local journalism. Subscribe today. and Minden Gross represented parties in multibillion-dollar and multimillion-dollar commercial list matters before the Ontario Superior Court of Justice this week The week’s most notable commercial suit was the $4.445-billion case Sakab Saudi Holding Company et al v Saad Khalid S Al Jabri et al Bennett Jones LLP partner Amanda McLachlan advised Sakab Saudi Holding Company and eight other plaintiffs Adair Goldblatt Bieber LLP founding partner John Adair acted for defendant K He litigates matters involving commercial law Addario Law Group LLP partner Andrew Max advised defendant M His practice includes commercial and shareholder disputes The other defendants appeared to be unrepresented The next most notable commercial suit was the $173,197,700 case Coxswain Row Capital Corporation v Nigig Power Corporation et al Lax O'Sullivan Lisus Gottlieb LLP partner Andrew Winton acted for plaintiff Coxswain Row Capital Corporation McCarthy Tétrault LLP partner Darryl Cruz advised defendant Nigig Power Corporation He focuses on commercial litigation and professional liability issues Gowling WLG partner Michael Watson acted for defendant Henvey Inlet First Nation and two other defendants appeared to be unrepresented A third notable commercial suit was the $40-million case Romspen Investment Corporation v Tung Kee Investment Canada Ltd Dickinson Wright LLP partner David Preger advised plaintiff Romspen Investment Corporation and one other defendant appeared to be unrepresented A fourth notable commercial suit was the $9.8-million case The Toronto-Dominion Bank v Canada Forgings Inc Minden Gross LLP partner Catherine Francis acted for plaintiff Toronto-Dominion Bank and four other defendants appeared to be unrepresented as Agent for Ninepoint Canadian Senior Debt Master Fund L.P v Quality Rugs of Canada Limited et al and as a respondent in Quality Rugs of Canada Limited v Waygar Capital Inc. Smith and two other respondents in Chalice Brands Ltd He tackles matters including restructuring acted for applicant Toronto-Dominion Bank in The Toronto-Dominion Bank v Injection Technologies Inc He has over 35 years of experience in insolvency and restructuring law represented applicant Royal Bank of Canada in Royal Bank of Canada v 2531961 Ontario Inc He focuses on bankruptcy and insolvency law advised respondent QAB 18 Investments Ltd in Gesco Industries Inc and two other applicants in Swarmio Media Holdings Inc et al and represented respondent Green Acre Capital LP in Fire & Flower Holdings Corp He leads the firm’s restructuring and insolvency group advised respondent Bank of Montreal in the Injection Technologies case He practises insolvency and restructuring law and two other defendants in Curah Capital Corporation v T.I.T.E He has experience in a wide range of civil litigation matters advised applicant Quality Rugs of Canada Limited in Quality Rugs of Canada Limited v Waygar Capital Inc. He co-leads the firm’s financial services group acted for respondent Paragon Protection Ltd He handles commercial matters involving the appointment of receivers and managers Missaghi and one other defendant in the Curah Capital case and technology and intellectual property groups practises in the areas of corporate and commercial litigation advised applicant Vector Financial Services Limited in Vector Financial Services Limited v 33 Hawarden Crescent Inc acted for applicant Tamstu-Harjon Holdings of Canada Ltd He belongs to the firm’s commercial litigation and arbitration groups and six other respondents in Macquarie Equipment Finance Limited v Validus Power Corp She largely devotes her practice to corporate/commercial advised plaintiff Royal Bank of Canada in Royal Bank of Canada v 1438706 Ontario Limited et al Her practice focuses on banking and commercial litigation and seven other applicants in the Fire & Flower case She exclusively practises in the area of insolvency law represented defendant North American Palladium Ltd in Dundee Corporation et al v North American Palladium Ltd He chairs the firm’s claims and risk management committee and two other applicants in the Gesco Industries case She heads the restructuring and insolvency group in the firm’s Toronto office and securities disputes and investigations Minz and nine other parties in Minz et al v Minz et al He deals with commercial and securities litigation handles court-supervised real estate workouts primarily for court-appointed receivers and senior mortgage-lenders represented applicant Duca Financial Services Credit Union Ltd in Duca Financial Services Credit Union Ltd She focuses on restructuring and insolvency law Minz and one other plaintiff in the Minz case This article was published more than 2 years ago at the law firm's offices in Toronto on March 25 Aird & Berlis first calculated and publicized its gender wage gap figures in 2021 after reporting in The Globe and Mail about large pay inequities in the Canadian legal sector.Galit Rodan/The Globe and Mail Aird & Berlis, the first and still only major law firm in Canada to voluntarily release its gender pay gap numbers, has seen the compensation divide between male and female equity partners narrow dramatically in the past year There is now an 8-per-cent divide between what men and women at that level make a significant improvement from the past analysis “We were pleasantly surprised,” said managing partner Steven Zakem Zakem says the firm hasn’t made any significant changes in the past year that would have led to this improvement He attributed it to some high-performing women partners having record years after reporting in The Globe and Mail about large pay inequities in the Canadian legal sector including stories that revealed the extent of the gap at two prominent Bay Street law firms Toronto law firm’s data show progress on narrowing gender pay equity gap After reviewing confidential pay reports at Cassels Brock & Blackwell and Blake The Globe determined that both firms had a gender wage gap of about 25 per cent among equity partners; a divide that amounted to around $200,000 at Cassels and about $370,000 at Blakes annually for the average female equity partner at those firms the extent of the gender wage gap at large private law firms in Canada had been a mystery because firms in this country have never agreed to share the information this type of disclosure is routine in the United States and mandatory in Britain The Globe reached out to the 25 largest law firms in Canada to see if they would be open to releasing wage gap data 20 said they would be open to sharing the information with an independent third party for research purposes similar to what happens in other countries many large firms voluntarily participate in an annual compensation survey from the National Association of Women Lawyers When the Canadian Bar Association’s Women Lawyers Forum tried to do something similar several years ago THIS IS THE POWER GAP: EXPLORE THE INVESTIGATIVE SERIES AND DATA Aird & Berlis chose to proactively release its figures no other major law firm in Canada has followed that lead who has been loudly calling for more aggressive action on the wage gap in the legal sector and who was recently named one of Canadian Lawyer’s Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers says she’s frustrated that firms are waiting for a third party to come asking “They should do the right thing and release it themselves,” said Ms who in 2021 left Borden Ladner Gervais to start her own firm In seeing the numbers for the first time in 2021 Zakem said he was struck by the fact that when only equity partners who had been practising for two decades or less were considered This gave the firm hope that the pay differences would narrow naturally through retirements and the career acceleration of a new more diverse crop of partners – who were being better supported through modern Zakem said the latest gender analysis supports this thinking He attributed the current progress to several high-performing women taking big leaps up the compensation grid two-thirds men [at the equity-partner level] So if you have three or four women who maybe take a big jump and three or four men who take a big jump the impact of a woman getting an increase will be more pronounced.” Aird & Berlis’s efforts to build a more equitable workplace were recognized with the prestigious Chambers award for Outstanding Canadian Firm of the Year in the area of diversity and inclusion Zakem stressed that the firm knows it still has lots of work to do he said he is unable to discuss the pay disparities between white and racialized equity partners because there are so few of the latter that doing so would violate their privacy Hiring more diverse talent – and retaining that talent – is a major priority for the firm “The biggest issue is not our desire or action in hiring diverse candidates it’s keeping them because every firm in the city is trying to diversify their work force,” Mr “We’ve had success in our first few years of practice we’ve got a very diverse associate pool now trained … and that they feel a part of the firm and stay.” who chairs Aird & Berlis’s diversity and inclusion committee said the firm’s work on tracking the gender wage gap is part of a larger diversity and inclusion strategy the firm recently expanded its parental-leave policies to six months of paid leave a birth parent was given five months and a non-birth parent only had one month The previous policy also only applied to lawyers at the firm The new one additionally includes other office staff who had been interim chair of Hockey Canada until she resigned from that position Saturday declined to comment on the organization in this interview the firm conducts a diversity and equity survey she and her team craft a roadmap with key priorities Those priorities are then shared with everyone “Being transparent and accountable are so important: They build confidence in the strategy and allow us to make course corrections as we receive feedback Tracking the gender wage gap and sharing our analysis publicly is part of this commitment,” Ms The gender divide among the most and least lucrative medical specialties The Globe and Mail analyzed the gender wage and representation gaps within Ontario's 36 medical specialties disciplines that were heavily male-dominated were the best paid while specialties with larger numbers of female physicians were among the least well remunerated CHEN WANG AND MURAT YÜKSELIR / THE GLOBE AND MAIL SOURCE: PHYSICIAN ONTARIO HEALTH INSURANCE PLAN (OHIP) BILLINGS FOR THE PERIOD OF APRIL 2020 TO MARCH 2021 WERE OBTAINED THROUGH A FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST TO THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH DOCTORS WHO BILLED LESS THAN $10,000 WERE EXCLUDED FROM THE ANALYSIS A TOTAL OF 37 SPECIALTIES WERE REPRESENTED IN THE DATA BUT THE GLOBE DID NOT INCLUDE FAMILY DOCTORS IN THE ANALYSIS BECAUSE MANY ARE NOT COMPENSATED THROUGH OHIP'S FEE-FOR-SERVICE MODEL THE \"COMMUNITY SPECIALTY\" WAS ALSO REMOVED BECAUSE ONLY PHYSICIANS IDENTIFIED IT AS A PRIMARY PRACTICE AREA THE GLOBE DETERMINED THE GENDER OF PHYSICIANS USING A DATASET PROVIDED BY STATISTICS CANADA ON THE GENDER PROBABILITY OF FIRST NAMES ONLY NAMES THAT WERE ASSOCIATED WITH A SPECIFIC GENDER AT LEAST 95 PER CENT OF THE TIME WERE INCLUDED THE GLOBE MANUALLY RESEARCHED THE GENDER OF MORE THAN 2,000 PHYSICIANS TO RESOLVE AREAS OF VOLATILITY WITHIN SPECIFIC SALARY BANDS THE GENDER OF ABOUT 1,600 PHYSICIANS WERE NOT RESEARCHED BECAUSE THEIR PRESENCE DID NOT HAVE AN IMPACT ON THE FINDINGS IF THERE WERE 50 PHYSICIANS IN A SALARY BAND THE OUTSTANDING THREE DID NOT IMPACT THE PERCENTAGES THESE PHYSICIANS ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THE ABOVE HEADCOUNT TOTALS Wage gap (how much women make less than men) Randy Williamson, partner at Aird & Berlis LLP, has been honoured with Innovation York’s Partner of the Year Award.  Williamson is the first-ever recipient of the award which recognizes outstanding contributions to York University’s innovation unit and to the growth of innovation at the university.  Back in 1988, Williamson graduated with a JD from Osgoode Hall Law School at York University and since then has dedicated efforts to a number of its initiatives Williamson is a member of the university’s board of governors and has been chairman of the university’s alumni board pension fund board and endowment and treasury funds’ investment committee “York University has been a wonderful partner to work with these last three years and I’m honoured to receive Innovation York’s first Partner of the Year award on behalf of my colleagues at Aird & Berlis LLP,” Williamson said created the Aird & Berlis StartupSource Market Entry Award which distinguishes startups that have gone through the university’s LaunchYU Accelerator program and which exhibit potential for commercial success In the recent awards ceremony received the top award for its bio-technological venture in optimizing and stabilizing enzymes resulting in a longer shelf life of products such as food Biosa Technologies received a cash prize of $12,500 as well as $12,500 worth of legal support from Aird & Berlis StartupSource legal services “Nick and his team at [Biosa] are ready to make a significant mark in their industry and we’re delighted that the cash award and our ongoing legal support will help them do it,” Williamson said Aird & Berlis LLP and Maple Leaf Angels (MLA) have renewed their partnership with the former providing their expertise regarding the legal aspect of startup businesses According to a statement by MLA, the Aird & Berlis startups group, led by Graham Topa and Tony Sabeta, helps early-stage and emerging growth companies to navigate the commercial, regulatory and competitive challenges related to bringing new innovations to market. “We are absolutely delighted to renew our relationship with Aird & Berlis,” said Prathna Ramesh, managing director of Maple Leaf Angels. “They are leaders in providing legal services to the startup community, and the relationships they have fostered will be of high value to MLA members and the entrepreneurs we work with. We look forward to furthering our work in the Canadian innovation ecosystem through this partnership.” With the renewed partnership, Aird & Berlis will provide its strategic legal expertise on key aspects of startup growth, including corporate structure, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), governance, financing, IP strategy and licensing, privacy, and other considerations. Business law firm Aird & Berlis LLP is stepping into the world of artificial intelligence to drive efficiencies in its mergers and acquisitions and real estate group. The firm is working with Toronto-based Diligen, a software company that provides technology in the area of AI-based contract review for law firms and legal teams. In fact, Aird & Berlis will be seconding one of its M&A lawyers, Aaron Baer, to Diligen to work with its developers and designers on developing new use cases, shaping the product roadmap and training Diligen’s system to identify additional legal concepts. Aird & Berlis has been engaged with Diligen for about a year now and Baer will go to work with Diligen at its offices in January. “I had been monitoring what had been going on in the industry and I had conversations with a number of companies including Diligen and we brought them in to present to our lawyers and then went from there,” says Baer. “I think it shows we believe the legal industry is changing and we see certainly there will be some threats but also opportunities, and we see great ways to be involved in that ecosystem and deliver greater value to our clients.” As Baer notes, due diligence in M&A can be an “incredibly important process that can be document-heavy and painstaking.” “You need to be capturing these important clauses because at the end of the day your job is to point out these areas of risk for the client and figure out what to do with them. That work can be high volume and so if we can use AI to deliver better value to our clients without sacrificing quality that’s absolutely something we want to do,” he says. Using machine learning, Diligen cuts contract review time in half by streamlining the process of sorting documents, summarizing contracts and spotting critical provisions. Diligen claims the platform increases the accuracy of contract analysis by 80 per cent compared to a lawyer manually reviewing contracts alone.  In evaluating the AI product from Diligen, Aird & Berlis managing partner Steven Zakem says Baer made a case for it and the firm adopted it on a pilot basis for several files first and quickly found it would result in “a great deal of efficiency.” “We wanted to ensure it could be adopted easily and was intuitive and we could make it work in very short order and that turned out to be so,” Zakem says. “It going to be an education for both of us — Diligen is getting the benefit of his legal knowledge and we’re getting to know them better and people in the AI industry, too. It’s an investment well worth making.” Critics of AI have expressed concerns about it taking work away from junior lawyers, but Zakem says it will actually allow those younger lawyers to do work that will challenge them earlier in their career and they will learn heavier aspects of the law more quickly. Baer says he sees AI as a way to augment the work being done and is not a replacement for lawyers. In the real estate practice, large national real estate clients purchasing multiple properties or a property with multiple leases that apply to them can involve document-intensive work with which AI can assist. “We’re still doing a full review of the materials in due diligence matters, but what it’s doing is allowing us to get a quicker start and do it more efficiently, which allows for better value to the client and not sacrificing on quality,” he says. Diligen was founded by former corporate lawyer Konrad Pola, who practised securities law, corporate finance and M&A for many years at a large global firm. “We are excited to collaborate with Aird & Berlis, a leading law firm and an early adopter of cutting-edge AI technology. This win represents a fundamental shift in how legal firms can modernize the manual, painstaking contract review process,” said Pola. “We are proud to partner with Aird & Berlis, and we’re confident that, by using Diligen, Aird & Berlis and its clients will realize significant benefits.”  It is a priority for CBC to create products that are accessible to all in Canada including people with visual Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered on CBC Gem. An epilogue has emerged regarding Norfolk County and its fraught relationship with the Toronto law firm Aird & Berlis 1 following Aird & Berlis’s announcement in December that it was terminating its contract with Norfolk as integrity commissioner We apologize, but this video has failed to load.Try refreshing your browser, ortap here to see other videos from our team.Play VideoArticle contentHowever a belated Norfolk connection emerged with the announcement that former county in-house counsel Paula Boutis has joined Aird & Berlis Boutis and Norfolk County parted company in the fall Boutis announced her new assignment in a post on LinkedIn this week saying she was “delighted” to join Aird & Berlis “I will be a member of the Municipal Land-Use Planning Group practising municipal land-use planning and development law,” Boutis said I will be continuing my public-law practice which began during my time as in-house counsel to the Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit.” Norfolk council’s troubled relationship with Aird & Berlis and its integrity lead John Mascarin has been well-documented over the past two years has filed two annual reports since 2019 critical of Norfolk council’s attitude toward ethical and integrity issues Norfolk council did not accept his conclusions complaining that Mascarin did not formally investigate his allegations and did not rely on rules of evidence to support his findings Norfolk County last year asked the Office of the Ontario Ombudsman to investigate the integrity commissioner claiming baseless assertions were shared which defamed council and its members saying integrity commissioners have wide latitude to express their views on ethical and integrity issues Norfolk’s relationship with Aird & Berlis was further complicated last year by the revelation that partner Jane Pepino was a relative of Port Dover Coun The firm and the county acknowledged this as a potential conflict-of-interest – one requiring an independent parallel process for investigating potential complaints against Martin Mayor Kristal Chopp objected to this arrangement saying it raised the possibility of Martin and the rest of council being held to different standards Aird & Berlis was asked about the intimate knowledge Boutis brings to the firm about Norfolk County and the sensitive confidential files she would have been privy to as in-house counsel the firm was asked if Boutis – going forward – might be consulted or engaged on matters involving the municipality “The Law Society of Ontario sets out rules that all law firms must follow when hiring lateral lawyers Aird & Berlis has created internal processes to ensure that we comply with these rules for all lawyers who join the firm,” Aird & Berlis spokesperson Karen Olivera said in an email “Paula has more than 20 years of experience advising on issues affecting municipal governance and environmental management,” the firm said “She has an unrelentingly eye for detail that informs her assessment of facts and issues and supports her ability to work closely with clients to resolve disputes effectively and efficiently “It is with great pleasure that we welcome Paula to the firm.” Chopp said she has no concerns about Boutis’s appointment The mayor said the Law Society of Ontario requires lawyers to recuse themselves from files once the solicitor-client relationship is over she’s bound under the law society to keep anything to do with us – her client – confidential,” Chopp said Provincial law requires municipalities to appointment an independent integrity commissioner to adjudicate complaints against council members Once Aird & Berlis served notice in December Norfolk council appointed in its place Charles Harnick a former Attorney-General in the cabinet of former Ontario Premier Mike Harris Harnick is the integrity commissioner serving Haldimand County and has been appointed on an interim basis until Norfolk settles on a permanent replacement Harnick delivers integrity and mediation services through the agency ADRChambers He was asked this week for his thoughts on Boutis joining with Aird & Berlis given Norfolk’s history with the firm Harnick makes no comment with respect to any factual situation presented hypothetical or otherwise,” ADRChambers spokesperson AnnaKay Mairs said in an email Mairs said “The Law Society of Ontario’s authority to license and regulate lawyers in the public interest is established through the Law Society Act and regulations made under the act “The Law Society Rules of Professional Conduct set out the professional and ethical obligations of lawyers Lawyers who fail to meet these standards are subject to the Law Society complaints and regulatory process.” Boutis did not respond Thursday to an invitation to comment transmission or republication strictly prohibited This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. 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By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and Torkin Manes made appearances in multiple commercial list matters before the Ontario Superior Court of Justice last week represented applicant Kingsett Mortgage Corporation in Kingsett Mortgage Corporation v Taurasi et al and advised Kingsett Mortgage Corporation and one other applicant in Kingsett Mortgage Corporation et al v Taurasi et al He focuses on corporate and commercial disputes acted for applicant Park Lawn Corporation in Park Lawn Corporation He focuses on corporate commercial disputes Ernst has a general insolvency and restructuring practice advised applicant Royal Bank of Canada in the cases of Royal Bank of Canada v 2531961 Ontario Inc et al and Royal Bank of Canada v Express GT Parts Serve Inc He belongs to the firm’s financial services group acted for applicant Equitable Bank in Equitable Bank v EquityLine SPV Limited Partnership His work covers insolvency and restructuring matters His practice includes corporate and commercial disputes His practice includes commercial litigation represented respondent Aviva Insurance Company of Canada in KEB Hana Bank v Mizrahi Commercial (The One) LP et al advised applicant Bank of Montreal in Bank of Montreal v Roll X Carriers Inc v CWB Maximum Financial Inc et al and represented applicant Milestone Distribution 2024 Ltd and three other respondents in Lamanna et al v G&L Group Ltd She focuses on insolvency and restructuring matters represented applicant KEB Hana Bank in the KEB Hana Bank case De Lellis focuses on corporate and commercial law Lamanna and two other applicants in the Lamanna case He focuses on corporate commercial litigation He focuses on restructuring and insolvency matters Dunn and six other defendants in Milborne et al v Dunn et al acted for applicant Pride Group Holdings Inc He works on restructurings and insolvencies represented Dundas Shorncliffe Limited Partnership and one other respondent in Centurion Mortgage Capital Corporation v Dundas Shorncliffe Limited Partnership et al He focuses on insolvency and restructuring law advised respondent 2121043 Ontario Inc in the Pride Group Holdings case Your browser is too old. To use this website, please use Chrome or Firefox February 20, 2025 @ 10:25 amNews is the Town of Erin’s new integrity commissioner An integrity commissioner ensures the conduct of the members of town council complies with the terms of the Municipal Act “The town received notice from our previous integrity commissioner that he was retiring effective immediately earlier in February,” town clerk Nina Lecic told council in a Feb “We were also notified that Aird and Berlis LLP was resuming all of their (Swayze) municipal contracts.”  Swayze was a municipal lawyer from Caledon The appointment of Aird and Berlis allows the town to meet its legislative requirement under the Municipal Act by providing accountability and transparency to its residents “The town is confident that this is the best approach in order to complete the previous integrity commissioner contract which was in place until the end of 2026,” added Lecic staff recommend continuing the previous practice of allowing for the renewal of an additional four years “This has been the council-approved practice in Erin for the past two [integrity commissioner] terms (2018-2026) and is standard in the municipal sector,” states the report Lecic noted the law firm is the integrity commissioner for more than 75 public sector entities in Ontario “Staff have worked with them and are confident in their abilities to serve the town in this capacity,” she said “Will we be assigned one person or multiple people from the corporation?” asked Mayor Michael Dehn “Aird and Berlis has a team that is allocated to us.”  The team includes lawyers and administrators depending on the type of inquiry from the town Aird and Berlis partner John Mascarin is Erin’s integrity commissioner “the town pays for [integrity commissioner] services based on the complaints/inquiries” it receives Integrity commissioner fees are a component of the town’s consulting fees budget The 2024 budget included a provision of $30,000 for overall consulting fees but only $2,900 was used that year Council approved the appointment for the remainder of the contract term including the renewal of an additional four years 905 Gartshore Street, Fergus ON N1M 2W8. © All materials copyright Wellington Advertiser, 2006-2025. 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Or sign-in if you have an account Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience Article content“I’ll be working toward bridging the gap between environment and economy So I’m lucky enough to be working for fields I care deeply about.”Article contentMr Miller started at the firm in March of this year though he was named as a partner shortly after graduating from University of Toronto law school in 1984 Miller will work with clients implementing business development strategy with a focus on clean technology By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc The next issue of Top Stories will soon be in your inbox Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. “What’s bad for the economy is waste; what’s bad for the environment is also waste,” he said. “I’ll be working with private sector clients, sustainable businesses; the firm has significant clients in the energy sector.” Mr. Miller is also acting as an advisor to the World Bank on environmental issues and remains with the C40 Climate Leadership Group, which represents 40 major cities. His most recent position is that of soccer coach for his daughter’s team. “I said I would do that and I just heard today that I’m the coach, so that should be good.” This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy You can manage saved articles in your account