Global law firm Dentons has added nine to its legal team in its Toronto and Calgary offices in a bid to expand its insurance capabilities.
The team joins from Cassels, Brock & Blackwell LLP and will be based in its Toronto and Calgary offices, whilst providing corporate and regulatory advice to insurance sector clients.
The new team includes partners Derek Levinsky and Marisa Coggin, along with associates Taschina Ashmeade and Katie-May O’Donnell, as well as law clerk April Campbell, who will all based in Toronto. Leading the team will be partner Laurie LaPalme.
They are joined by a team of strategic commercial litigators, including partners Arthur Hamilton and Laurie Livingstone and associate Tara McCarthy. They all join with years of experience in the insurance sector, as well as representing clients in a range of other commercial litigation matters.
The team will be an addition to Dentons’ existing practice in Canada and elsewhere around the globe. Dentons advises clients across the market including insurers, reinsurers, run-off consolidators, global brokers, as well as insurtech start-ups.
Beth Wilson, Canada CEO at Dentons, said: “We are starting 2021 with a story of growth. With a focus on delivering exceptional client service and understanding our clients’ business needs, we are excited to expand the depth of our service offering to meet those needs.
“It is a privilege to be welcoming a truly remarkable team of professionals with exceptional reputations in Canada and globally. We are looking forward to this group joining our regional, national and global teams as we advance our strategy to build the leading global law firm in Canada.”
Martin Mankabady, London-based partner and global chair of Dentons’ Insurance group, noted: “Bolstering our insurance sector capabilities across the world is a huge priority for Dentons. Our scale is unmatched by any other law firm and our aim is to continue to be a market-leader and the go-to adviser for both large conglomerates with global reach and local businesses with highly specialised needs.
“We’re delighted to be welcoming such an extraordinary team of lawyers to our global insurance team, and I look forward to working with all of them.”
Blair McCreadie, managing partner of Dentons’ Toronto office, added: “We are pleased to be joined by this team of exceptional lawyers who advise many leading domestic and international property and casualty, life insurance and reinsurance companies.
“Their core sector expertise will crucially strengthen our offering in the Toronto market and nationally as we continue to help clients to grow, protect, operate and finance their businesses. We look forward to integrating the team with our existing insurance clients and expanding our bench in this important sector.”
