By Julius Melnitzer | November 27, 2024
Gowling pioneers service dog assistance for employees
When Jemima Banks, who suffers from illnesses that cause chronic pain, diziness, migraines, stomach problems, fatigue and joint dislocations, applied to Gowling WLG’s office in Birmingham, UK’s for a paralegal position, her health declaration stated that she would need to bring her service dog, Albert, a black lab, to work with her. Yukimi Daule, Gowling’s senior HR adviser at the firm, responded by researching how other businesses approached assistance dog policies and applied those lessons to the firm. “The assistance dog policy makes everyone’s responsibilities clear,” Banks told The Law Society Gazette. “Not everyone is comfortable around the dogs but the firm is there to support anyone with an allergy or fear of dogs.” Gowling’s initiative, the Gazette states, has “potentially opened the door to other assistance dogs being welcomed into law firms”.
Related Article: Changing Law Firms for the Worse (Yet Again)
EMPLOYMENT TRIBUNAL UNMOVED BY PLEA THAT $400,000+ IN WAGES IS NOT ENOUGH
James Townsend, an employment solicitor, sued his former London, UK firm, Howard Kennedy LLP, claiming that he was underpaid when he received only £225,000 (about C$400,000) in compensation. He maintained that he was entitled to £402,000 (about C$729,000) and that he had agreed to “inferior terms” only because the firm’s managing partner “intimidated” him. According to The Law Society Gazette, the employment judge made short work of the claim.
Related Article: Lawyer earning $126,000 gets $1.8 million in wrongful dismissal damages
98% OF CYBERATTACKS ACCESS DATA: BLAKES STUDY
Here are the highlights of Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP’s Canadian Cybersecurity Trends Study 2024:
- Cyberattacks increasingly target M&A deals, impacting due diligence practices and transaction security;
- 98% of cyberattacks now result in data being accessed, up from 77% in 2023 and 52% in 2021;
- Ransomware remains dominant, involved in nearly 61% of all incidents;
- Data exfiltration rates have surged to 87%, compared to 68% in 2023 and 28% in 2021; and
- AI’s Dual Role: Threat actors now use AI to enhance attacks, such as a deepfake scam that resulted in a US$25.6 million fraud at a Hong Kong multinational.
Related Article: Cybersecurity attacks in Canada hold steady, but things are getting worse
BIANCA KRATT JOINS BLG
Borden Ladner Gervais LLLP’s commerical real estate group in Calgary has added Bianca Kratt as a partner. Kratt, who is bilingual, specializes in real estate and commercial matters such as acquisitions, dispositions, commercial leasing and land development. She is currently vice-president of the Canadian National Bar Association and will assume the president’s role in 2025-26.
Related Article: Ceclia Hoover joins BLG
NEW CO-LEADER FOR BLAKE’S IP LITIGATION PRACTICE
IP litigator Geoffrey Mowatt has joined Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP in Toronto as a partner and co-leader of the firm’s IP litigation group, alongside Fiona Legere. His practice, honed over nearly two decades, focuses on patent and trademark litigation in the life sciences sector and features expertise in regulatory and compliance issues related to pharmaceutials, biologics, medical devices and health care.
Related Article: Fiona Legere joins Blakes
Julius Melnitzer is a Toronto-based legal affairs writer, ghostwriter, writing coach and media trainer. Readers can reach him at [email protected] or https://legalwriter.net/contact.