Heenan Blaikie, has been the subject of speculation on Bay Street after a string of more than 20 departures since 2012.Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail
In yet another departure from Heenan Blaikie LLP, competition law partner Subrata Bhattacharjee is leaving for Borden Ladner Gervais LLP.
Mr. Bhattacharjee, who defends companies facing cartel allegations from the Competition Bureau or from plaintiffs in class-action lawsuits, said BLG's large litigation department is a good fit for his practice.
He would not comment on the other recent departures from his old law firm, which has been the subject of speculation on Bay Street after a wave of departures.
The 40-year-old firm, which is home to former prime minister Jean Chrétien, has seen at least 24 partners leave since 2012, including several in recent weeks, as well as a number of associates.
Heenan, which still has more than 500 legal professionals and offices across the country and in Paris, has said it is going through a restructuring to focus on its core strengths and that many of the recent departures were prompted by this strategic review.
In a recent interview about the departures, Kip Daechsel, the national co-managing partner, said that the firm is financially sound. But he said it has been going through a challenging year, as have many Canadian law firms. He also acknowledged some payments to partners were delayed last year out of "prudence."
He also said the firm has actually hired about 20 lawyers in recent months, including at least seven with the rank of partner or counsel.
Jeff Gray