Heenan Blaikie LLP’s Toronto office.Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail
Heenan Blaikie LLP has lost another lawyer, labour and employment law specialist Yves Turgeon, who has joined Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP in Montreal as a partner.
Mr. Turgeon, whose has 20 years of experience and who focuses on the construction industry, joined Heenan Blaikie in 2010 from Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP.
He is the latest partner to leave Heenan Blaikie in a series of more than 20 departures that began in 2012.
The 40-year-old firm, which still has more than 525 legal professionals and offices across the country and in Paris, says it is undergoing a strategic review to better focus its efforts. The firm, which counts former prime minister Jean Chrétien on its roster, also points out that it has hired 20 new lawyers, including seven with the rank of partner or counsel, in recent months.
National co-managing partner Kip Daechsel has said the firm is financially sound, but out of "prudence" decided to temporarily delay some payouts to partners last year. He said the firm has faced the same challenges as other Canadian firms this year, with a sluggish economy and a slowdown in mergers-and-acquisition deals.
Jeff Gray