http://www.farris.com/index.php en kvurdela@farris.com Copyright 2012 2012-05-01T21:59:32+00:00 http://www.farris.com/law-news/post/alison-narod-appointed-to-bc-safety-authority-board-of-directors/ http://www.farris.com/law-news/alison-narod-appointed-to-bc-safety-authority-board-of-directors/#When:21:59:32Z Farris Partner Alison Narod has been appointed as a Member of the BC Safety Authority Board of Directors, effective April 1st 2012. The BC Safety Authority is a not-for-profit organization that administers safety standards through education, and through issuing permits and licences. They also promote compliance to standards to ensure consistency and fairness, and conduct onsite inspections. Alison is noted for her involvement in the business community. Alison is a Hearing Panel Chair for the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada and a member of the CBA, BC Branch’s Advisory Committed to the Judicial Council of BC. She is Vice Chair of the Community Care and Assisted Living Appeal Board and a Director of ACT Autism Community Training Society. Alison is a former Adjudicator on the Employment Standards Tribunal and a former member of the board of governors of Royal Roads University and the Vancouver Stock Exchange. She is a former Disciplinary Panel Chair for the Vancouver Stock Exchange, the Canadian Venture Exchange and the TSX Venture Exchange. To view the announcement in The Vancouver Sun, please click here. News Releases 2012-05-01T21:59:32+00:00 http://www.farris.com/law-news/post/farris-sponsors-annual-ubc-law-trike-race/ http://www.farris.com/law-news/farris-sponsors-annual-ubc-law-trike-race/#When:22:08:04Z On March 23rd, Farris sponsored UBC Law’s Trike Race, the most anticipated and celebrated tradition of the year.  Students thoroughly enjoyed the last social event of the academic year with a student barbeque and a memorable Trike Race won by an all-woman team.  The “Tricykillers” endured hailing water balloons, flung by fellow law students, to dethrone the long-reigning rugby champions. This year’s theme “I Want 2 Ride My Tricycle” was inspired by the popular Queen’s song, “I Want to Ride My Bicycle.” As Andrea Lejay, Student Affairs Representative, UBC Law describes: “The day began with water balloons – two thousand of them to be exact. Volunteers stood at every fountain filling them up with speed, precision, and a lot of splashing.  Over burgers and beverages, upper year students and Farris representatives regaled us with epic tales of Trike Races past. Soon enough, it was time for this year’s Trike Race to begin. Nothing could have prepared us for what ensued: costumes, a hail of water balloons, and racing so fierce it shattered the strongest tricycles. For all students, it was a memorable and much-needed break from the books. Thank you to Farris for keeping this longstanding UBC tradition alive.” News Releases 2012-04-19T22:08:04+00:00 http://www.farris.com/law-news/post/farris-lawyers-recognized-in-lexpert-regarding-altagas-pacific-northern-gas/ http://www.farris.com/law-news/farris-lawyers-recognized-in-lexpert-regarding-altagas-pacific-northern-gas/#When:16:35:58Z Farris lawyers Al Hudec, Trevor Scott, Denise Nawata, Peter Roth, David Selley, Rebecca Morse and Sandy Sheinin recognized in the Big Deals section of Lexpert Magazine’s March 2012 issue. They represented Pacific Northern Gas Ltd. in their acquisition by AltaGas Ltd. of all issued and outstanding common shares of the company for an aggregate cash consideration of $139,139,322. To view the article, please click here. News Releases 2012-04-16T16:35:58+00:00 http://www.farris.com/law-news/post/hector-mackay-dunn-judges-ubcs-sauder-school-of-business-pacific-venture-ca/ http://www.farris.com/law-news/hector-mackay-dunn-judges-ubcs-sauder-school-of-business-pacific-venture-ca/#When:17:33:24Z On March 24th, Hector MacKay-Dunn, Q.C., served on a panel of judges for the final event of the Pacific Venture Capital Competition, hosted by the UBC Finance Club at UBC’s Vancouver campus.  The competition is the only undergraduate Venture Capital competition in Canada and presents a unique opportunity for students to gain hands-on experience and show case their skills in presenting and negotiating their venture capital case in front of industry professionals. Congratulations to the team from Kaizen Biomedical founded by UBC Engineering students Annelies Tjebbes (ECE), Neal O’Grady (MECH) and Mayank Kalra (MECH) and Sauder School of Business students Derek Li, Jennifer Vlasiu and Stephanie Wilson who placed first with their product MobiChill. To view more about the event, please click here. News Releases 2012-04-13T17:33:24+00:00 http://www.farris.com/law-news/post/aaron-lightman-speaks-at-18th-annual-seminar-for-first-time-home-buyers/ http://www.farris.com/law-news/aaron-lightman-speaks-at-18th-annual-seminar-for-first-time-home-buyers/#When:21:09:06Z On April 3, the Greater Vancouver Home Builders’ Association hosted the 18th Annual Seminar for First-time Home Buyers. Farris associate Aaron Lightman addressed the legal considerations and responsibilities associated with a first-time home purchase. Aaron was joined by a panel of industry experts in answering questions, addressing concerns, and providing insight into the home purchasing process. As many as 750 people attended the seminar which was held at the Bell Performing Arts Centre in Surrey. To read the Vancouver Sun article, please click here. News Releases 2012-04-12T21:09:06+00:00 http://www.farris.com/law-news/post/farris-partners-listed-in-2012-chambers-global-directory/ http://www.farris.com/law-news/farris-partners-listed-in-2012-chambers-global-directory/#When:15:40:48Z Three Farris Partners have been listed in the 2012 Chambers Global Directory, which identifies worldwide leading lawyers and law firms through interviews with thousands of lawyers and their clients. Farris Chair Keith Mitchell, Q.C. has been recognized for his work in International Trade/WTO and is joined by George Macintosh, Q.C., who leads the litigation group at Farris, and Herbert Dodd, Q.C., senior partner in the Corporate & Commercial group. Macintosh and Dodd have been recognized for their work in Dispute Resolution and Banking & Finance, respectively. Farris’ Public Private Partnership (P3) Group is also recognized in the directory. News Releases 2012-04-11T15:40:48+00:00 http://www.farris.com/law-news/post/farris-recognized-for-restructuring-deal-of-the-year-by-iflr/ http://www.farris.com/law-news/farris-recognized-for-restructuring-deal-of-the-year-by-iflr/#When:18:08:14Z Farris was recognized for its role in and contribution to the Restructuring Deal of the Year, as awarded by the International Financial Law Review (IFLR) for the Companies Creditors Arrangement Act restructuring of Angiotech Pharmaceuticals Inc. (“Angiotech”). Farris was the local counsel for Angiotech, a publicly traded pharmaceutical company located in Vancouver.  Its recapitalization involved a conversion of some $266 million in senior subordinated notes to equity, which enabled Angiotech to emerge from creditor protection on April 6, 2011. Farris’ team included David E. Gruber, David J. Selley, Rebecca Morse, and Tim Louman-Gardiner. The 7th Annual International IFLR Americas Awards were held in New York on March 29, 2012.  More information on the IFLR awards can be found here. News Releases 2012-04-10T18:08:14+00:00 http://www.farris.com/law-news/post/farris-listed-as-a-highly-recommended-litigation-firm-in-bc-by-benchmark-ca/ http://www.farris.com/law-news/farris-listed-as-a-highly-recommended-litigation-firm-in-bc-by-benchmark-ca/#When:23:06:31Z Farris is one of 7 firms listed as a “highly recommended” litigation firm by Benchmark Canada: The Definitive Guide to Canada’s Leading Litigation Firms and Attorneys. Listed firms were consistently mentioned by peers and clients, with the “highly recommended” firms receiving the most mentions and dominance in their jurisdiction. Benchmark Canada, produced by Benchmark Litigation, focuses on the leading litigation firms and lawyers within each province based on extensive research including recent casework, interviews, peer-reviews, and professional opinion. Benchmark Canada recognizes George Macintosh, Q.C., Robert Anderson, Q.C., and Jeffrey Kay, Q.C. as “local litigation stars”. Litigation partners Scott Dawson, Ludmila Herbst and Sean Hern have been recognized as “future litigation stars”. The list of litigators for each province reflects only those individuals who were recommended consistently as reputable and effective litigators by both clients and peers. To view the publication, please click here. News Releases 2012-03-09T23:06:31+00:00 http://www.farris.com/law-news/post/hector-mackay-dunn-presents-special-recognition-award-to-daniel-nestor-at-d/ http://www.farris.com/law-news/hector-mackay-dunn-presents-special-recognition-award-to-daniel-nestor-at-d/#When:19:11:29Z Vancouver – On February 8, Hector MacKay-Dunn Q.C., Chair of the Davis Cup Local Organizing Committee and Tennis Canada Director presented a special gift to Professional Tennis player Daniel Nestor, signifying his place in Canadian tennis history. “It is an honour and privilege to present this special recognition gift to future hall of famer Daniel Nestor signifying his unparalleled place in Canadian tennis history and Vancouver’s Davis Cup legacy” said Mr. MacKay-Dunn. The gift is a limited edition print by Clarence Mills, renowned Canadian Haida artist and was made possible by the generosity of the Pacific Salmon Foundation.   Click here to view. News 2012-03-07T19:11:29+00:00 http://www.farris.com/law-news/post/al-hudec-speaks-at-annual-wine-law-seminar/ http://www.farris.com/law-news/al-hudec-speaks-at-annual-wine-law-seminar/#When:22:49:52Z Farris partner Al Hudec presented at the Third Annual Seminar on Wine Law in British Columbia on February 27th, 2012. The seminar was held in conjunction with the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival.   The Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival is aimed at wine distributors, producers, vineyard operators and advisors interested in the economic and legal challenges unique to the wine industry. In his presentation titled “Reforming BC Liquor Laws”, Al discusses the historical development of regulatory policy, BC’s licensing structures and taxation levels in comparison with other jurisdictions, and the current regulations imposed on liquor manufacturers, suppliers and distributors. Furthermore, Al highlights key industry changes and business implications if the liquor laws are to undergo the suggested reform. Al expands on this topic within his article, “B.C.’s liquor laws need to change”, featured in the February 27th, 2012 edition of The Vancouver Sun. He suggests that the privatization of BC’s liquor distribution warehouses will “reduce the $300-million cost incurred by LDB”, equate the prices of liquor sold in private and government stores, and decrease delivery times for orders. Al states, “The B.C. government needs to get out of the business of selecting, distributing and selling liquor in the province, and focus on tax collection and the enforcement of health and safety regulation of the liquor industry.” To view the presentation materials, please click here. To view the article, please click here. News 2012-03-01T22:49:52+00:00