http://www.farris.com/index.php en kvurdela@farris.com Copyright 2012 2012-02-01T16:45:14+00:00 http://www.farris.com/law-news/post/farris-welcomes-four-new-partners/ http://www.farris.com/law-news/farris-welcomes-four-new-partners/#When:16:45:14Z It is with great pleasure that the Partners of Farris, Vaughan, Wills & Murphy LLP announce that Peter Roth, Rebecca Morse, Mike Wagner, and Tim Dickson have been appointed to the Partnership effective February 1, 2012. Peter Roth Peter acts as a corporate counsel to public and private companies in diverse industries, providing advice on a broad range of corporate matters and securities law obligations. He has an extensive transactional practice, having advised on numerous acquisitions and divestitures, debt and equity financings, proxy battles, supported and unsupported takeover bids, plans of arrangement, restructurings and share exchanges. Rebecca Morse Rebecca practices in corporate and commercial litigation and is experienced in contractual disputes, bankruptcy, insolvency and restructuring matters, shareholder and partnership disputes, banking disputes, and international trade matters.  She has acted for a variety of corporations (both publicly listed and privately held), individuals and financial institutions. Mike Wagner Mike’s business litigation practice involves all aspects of corporate/commercial litigation, and he appears regularly in all levels of court.  He often seeks urgent relief, such as injunctions to protect his clients’ IP and trade secrets.  Mike’s media law and defamation practice serves Farris’s major media clients, both print and online.  Mike’s other practice areas include class actions, municipal litigation, and acting for public utilities on regulatory matters. Tim Dickson Tim has a general litigation practice with extensive experience in public and administrative law, commercial law, inquiries, appeals and judicial reviews. Tim acts for public and private clients – including government bodies, corporations and individuals – before all levels of court in British Columbia and in the Supreme Court of Canada, as well as before administrative bodies and commissions of inquiry. News 2012-02-01T16:45:14+00:00 http://www.farris.com/law-news/post/farris-hits-centre-of-lexpert-alm-500-bulls-eye-as-vancouvers-leading-corpo/ http://www.farris.com/law-news/farris-hits-centre-of-lexpert-alm-500-bulls-eye-as-vancouvers-leading-corpo/#When:21:11:11Z The 2012 Lexpert®/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada has once again ranked Farris, Vaughan, Wills & Murphy as one of the country’s leaders in corporate law. Farris was also placed at the centre of the bulls-eye for Corporate Transactions. Additionally, Farris was recognized in the areas of Litigation as one of the leading law firms in Vancouver. Farris has been recognized by Lexpert as Vancouver’s leading corporate law firm since rankings began and the 2012 Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory recognizes eleven of the seventeen corporate commercial partners practising in our Vancouver office. To view the 2012 Corporate bulls-eyes please click here. To view the 2012 Litigation bulls-eyes please click here. 2012-01-31T21:11:11+00:00 http://www.farris.com/law-news/post/elizabeth-harrison-q.c.-wins-2012-influential-women-in-business-lifetime-ac/ http://www.farris.com/law-news/elizabeth-harrison-q.c.-wins-2012-influential-women-in-business-lifetime-ac/#When:18:32:46Z Farris congratulates Senior Partner Elizabeth Harrison, Q.C. for being a recipient of the 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award. Business in Vancouver has celebrated BC’s most influential women in business for 12 years. The awards are committed to recognizing some of BC’s most talented business leaders, whose career paths and individual achievements inspire business people throughout the province. Elizabeth Harrison provides legal advice on various matters including corporate finance; securities; mergers and acquisitions; corporate governance issues; establishment of commercial, “not for profit” corporations; corporate reorganizations; and general corporate advice to clients including board of directors and advice on incentive and employee stock compensation plans. She has previously been honoured at the inaugural Lexpert Zenith Awards Gala which recognized her significant contribution to law and at the 12th Annual PEAK Awards, Honouring Women in Finance, where she won the Performance & Excellence Award. Elizabeth has been named among the Top 25 Women Lawyers in Canada, the Top 30 Mergers and Acquisitions Lawyers in Canada, and the Top 100 Most Creative Lawyers in Canada. She is consistently ranked among the leading lawyers in Canada, including within the Lexpert Guides to the Leading US/Canada Cross-Border Corporate Lawyers in Canada; and, the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada. Elizabeth has served on the Board of Directors of the International Finance Centre, St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation, The Vancouver Opera, and Crofton House School and as Chair of BC Ferry Authority and BC Ferry Services Inc. She is currently Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors of BC Ferry Services Inc. Elizabeth will receive her award on March 6, 2012 at an awards luncheon to be held at the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel, Vancouver. To view the article, click here. 2012-01-13T18:32:46+00:00 http://www.farris.com/law-news/post/al-hudec-trevor-scott-and-peter-roth-to-present-at-farris-continuing-legal-/ http://www.farris.com/law-news/al-hudec-trevor-scott-and-peter-roth-to-present-at-farris-continuing-legal-/#When:21:07:13Z On January 19th, Farris Partners’ Al Hudec, Trevor Scott and Peter Roth will present on Annual Public Company Filings and AGMs: What You Need to Know for 2012. Key topics will include new executive compensation disclosure requirements; say on pay; shareholder proposal trends; and, shareholder activism. The presentation is part of Farris’ Continuing Legal Education Series. For more information, please contact Deborah Williams-Walshe. News Releases 2012-01-12T21:07:13+00:00 http://www.farris.com/law-news/post/trevor-scott-mike-korbin-and-mark-chu-authors-of-guide-to-doing-business-in/ http://www.farris.com/law-news/trevor-scott-mike-korbin-and-mark-chu-authors-of-guide-to-doing-business-in/#When:23:09:32Z VANCOUVER - Farris Partners Trevor Scott, Michael Korbin, and Mark Chu have authored “Doing Business in British Columbia” which is featured in the 2012 Lexpert®/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada. To read the Canadian handbook chapter, please click below: Doing Business in BC.pdf News 2012-01-10T23:09:32+00:00 http://www.farris.com/law-news/post/farris-client-pacific-northern-gas-ltd.-acquired-by-altagas-ltd.-for-139mil/ http://www.farris.com/law-news/farris-client-pacific-northern-gas-ltd.-acquired-by-altagas-ltd.-for-139mil/#When:19:05:05Z December 20, 2011 – Farris represented Pacific Northern Gas Ltd. (“PNG”) in the recent acquisition of all of the issued and outstanding common shares by AltaGas Utility Holdings (Pacific) Inc., an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of AltaGas Ltd., for aggregate cash consideration of $139,139,322 (an enterprise value of approximately $230,000,000 including assumed debt), being an equity value of $36.75 per common share. PNG supplies gas to approximately 40,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers and their pipeline extends some 587 kilometres from Summit Lake, BC, to the west coast of BC at Prince Rupert. The acquisition will grow AltaGas’ Utility business to over 110,000 customers and increase rate base to over $500 million. The Farris team comprised of Al Hudec, Trevor Scott, Denise Nawata and Peter Roth (securities), David Selley (competition), Rebecca Morse (litigation) and Sandy Sheinin and Mark Chu (tax). 2012-01-10T19:05:05+00:00 http://www.farris.com/law-news/post/robert-kennedy-appointed-queens-counsel/ http://www.farris.com/law-news/robert-kennedy-appointed-queens-counsel/#When:17:06:47Z Farris Partner, Robert Kennedy, has been appointed as Queen’s counsel. The Queen’s counsel designation is an honour conferred on members of the legal profession to recognize exceptional merit and contribution. Robert was called to the bar in Ontario in 1979, remains a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada and practises in both Ontario and British Columbia. He has represented the ski industry since 1983 as counsel and as a volunteer and works closely with the ski industry developing mountain safety and risk management programs. Robert is a recipient of the Marshall Award and the Jimmie Spencer Award for his contribution to the ski industry in Canada and an associate member of Canada West Ski Areas Association and the former Chair of the CWSAA Safety Committee. Robert has also been litigation counsel for the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University for 20 years. For further information about the Queen’s Counsel list for 2011 please click here. For further information about Mr. Kennedy please click here. 2011-12-28T17:06:47+00:00 http://www.farris.com/law-news/post/ludmila-herbst-named-by-lexpert-u.s.-guide-as-a-litigation-lawyer-to-watch/ http://www.farris.com/law-news/ludmila-herbst-named-by-lexpert-u.s.-guide-as-a-litigation-lawyer-to-watch/#When:17:00:14Z Partner Ludmila Herbst has been recognized as a Litigation Lawyer to Watch by the Lexpert 2011 Guide to the Leading US/Canada Cross-Border Litigation Lawyers in Canada. Ludmila was one of a team of lawyers at Farris who were recently awarded the Order of the Diocese of New Westminster (honorary) in recognition of their work in defending the Anglican Diocese and the Bishop of New Westminster in property-related claims brought against those parties by the Anglican Network in Canada. She was also a member of the team supporting George Macintosh in his role as Amicus Curiae in the B.C. Supreme Court Polygamy constitutional reference case. She has been media counsel on publication ban and access applications, such as the Basi-Virk case in which she has represented the Vancouver Sun, Province and Global BC.  Ludmila is also co-author of the annually updated Commercial Arbitration in Canada: A Guide to Domestic and International Arbitrations (Canada Law Book), a text which has been cited by all levels of court in British Columbia, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice and the Alberta Queen’s Bench. 2011-12-22T17:00:14+00:00 http://www.farris.com/law-news/post/don-richards-interviewed-by-global-tv-on-the-impact-of-social-media-on-empl/ http://www.farris.com/law-news/don-richards-interviewed-by-global-tv-on-the-impact-of-social-media-on-empl/#When:21:04:11Z Partner Don Richards was recently interviewed by Global TV discussing the implications of the use of social media by employees and job seekers. The piece for 16x9 The Bigger Picture was entitled “Snoopy Boss” and aired nationally on 26 November, 2011. It addressed the common employment practice of undertaking internet searches prior to interviewing a candidate and the continuing surveillance of employees once hired. It is claimed that some ninety percent of employers will check social networks and seventy two percent will not offer a candidate a position if they find something of concern about the individual online. Some employers are going so far as to request Facebook passwords to ensure that online profiles conform to employment contracts. To view Don Richards’ interview, please click here. 2011-12-09T21:04:11+00:00 http://www.farris.com/law-news/post/hector-mackay-dunn-q.c.-opens-tsx-with-digital-shelf-space-and-georges-st-p/ http://www.farris.com/law-news/hector-mackay-dunn-q.c.-opens-tsx-with-digital-shelf-space-and-georges-st-p/#When:19:34:56Z TORONTO - Farris Partner Hector MacKay-Dunn, Q.C. joined with client Digital Shelf Space (TSX.V: DSS; OTCQX: DTSRF) and UFC World Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre to open the Toronto Stock Exchange on December 8, 2011. Click here to view. In congratulating DSS, Mr. MacKay-Dunn highlighted that Digital Shelf Space’s GSP RUSHFIT home workout DVD fitness series starring Georges St-Pierre had in just its first year of sales become the number1 selling fitness DVD series of all time by a professional athlete. Digital Shelf Space is an independent producer of home entertainment content and online delivery technology provider to digital retailers, content owners and aggregators. Their proprietary technology platform blends e-commerce functionality and paid DVD, digital download and streaming video delivery. 2011-12-08T19:34:56+00:00