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September 26, 2016

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Page 16 September 26, 2016 • Law timeS www.lawtimesnews.com DIMOCK STRATTON MERGES WITH DLA PIPER (CANADA) DLA Piper (Canada) LLP and Dimock Stratton LLP have combined forces. Starting Nov. 1, lawyers from the intellectual property firm will join DLA Piper's Toronto office. "It's exciting, an exciting op- portunity," says Bruce Strat- ton, a partner at Dimock Strat- ton LLP, who will also be a part- ner in the new merger. "The legal market is changing and becoming more of a global market, and for intellectual property, the global aspect is key and we see this as a way of connecting into an incredible global network," Stratton added. The Canadian arm of DLA Piper — which has six offices across the country — joined with DLA Piper, which spans more than 30 countries, in April last year. Roger Meltzer, global co-chairman and co-chairman (Americas) of DLA Piper, hailed the merger with Stratton. "This key market continues to generate a wealth of new opportu- nities, and with intellectual property and technology law standing at the core of so many major business transactions across sectors, this is an important step to boost our competitive edge and execute our growth strategy," he said in a press release. Dimock Stratton was founded in 1994 by Ron Dimock and Bruce Stratton. The firm specializes in intellectual property litigation, as well as the acquisition, licensing and portfolio management of patents, trademarks and copyrights. Dimock Stratton has 19 lawyers, 16 of which will be joining DLA Piper (Canada) LLP. Two partners and one associate are forming their own firm on Nov. 1, Stratton said. OSGOODE HALL LAW PROFESSOR HONOURED AS 2016 TRUDEAU FELLOW Poonam Puri has been named one of five Canadian academics who will receive research fel- lowships from the Pierre El- liott Trudeau Foundation this year. The Osgoode Hall law pro- fessor will receive $225,000 over three years for a project called Piercing the Corporate Veil. Through the project, Puri, who is an expert in corporate governance, is set to develop policy and legal solutions to deal with multinational corporations that have caused harm such as human rights or environmental abuses on communities. ARI KAPLAN TO START NEW MEDIATION FIRM Toronto lawyer Ari Kaplan is leaving Koskie Minsky LLP at the end of September to launch his own solo practice. Kaplan, who became Can- ada's first Qualified Mediator with recognized expertise in pension law in 2015, will focus his new firm — Mediation Benefits at Kaplan Law — on mediation in the pension and benefits sector. YES, I AGREE 55 % 44 % NO, I DO NOT AGREE LAW TIMES POLL Law Times recently reported that a Law Society of Upper Canada committee has recom- mended ending the Law Practice Program after it finishes its pilot. Readers were asked if they agree with this move. More than 55 per cent said yes, the LPP should be scrapped because it has created a two-tier system. It's time for it to go. Almost 44 per cent said no, the LPP program should not be ended and is a much-needed al- ternative to articling. LT u Bizarre Briefs By Viola James u The InsIde story "I wonder when they'll outsource OUR jobs." LAWYERS IN SAN FRAN GET ALL THE FUN San Francisco's city attorney has issued a sub- poena to the developers of a luxury condomin- ium highrise that is tilting and has sunk more than 30 centimetres, to determine if structural is- sues were appropriately conveyed to purchasers. Some 400 residential units of the Millenni- um Tower, which opened in the heart of down- town in 2009, have been purchased, and City Attorney Dennis Herrera said he is worried the building's settling was not properly disclosed. "I have serious concerns that the disclosures required by state law . . . did not contain infor- mation about the settling of the Property," Her- rera wrote in a letter to the developers, Millen- nium Partners. The Millennium Tower is among the high- est-profile buildings constructed amid San Francisco's real estate boom, though its sinking raises concerns about development on the city's seismically vulnerable downtown. P.J. Johnston, a spokesman for Millennium Partners, said by phone: "We would have made this information available to him irrespective of a subpoena; all he had to do was call." The Transbay Joint Powers Authority, creat- ed under state law to oversee the creation of the Transbay Transit Center nearby, said last month that the building has sunk 41 cm — or 25 more cm than expected during its lifespan — and also that it was tilting. The authority said the 58-story building is set upon a concrete platform with piles driven 24 metres deep instead of reaching all the way to bedrock another 36 m down. Two residents filed a proposed class action last month against the developer as well as the Transbay Joint Powers Authority, which ex- cavated near the tower for the transit centre. The lawsuit says the building is still sinking at a rate of 2.5 cm per year and would likely settle another 38 cm. It also alleged tilting at the build- ing's base translates to a 38-cm tilt at the top. The lawsuit said developers first disclosed the poten- tial foundational problems in June 2015. The authority has blamed the settlement on the developers for failing to anchor the building to bedrock, while Millennium has blamed the authority's excavation. Johnston said many buildings in the area were built like the Millennium Tower and the building passed a seismic and structural safety study after settling was discovered in 2014. He said the homeowner's association was notified of the study at the time. Johnston said preliminary results of a re- cently commissioned study showed the build- ing is still safe. CHASE ENDS WELL FOR 86-YEAR-OLD MAN Florida news outlet WPTV reports police had a low-speed chase with an elderly man after they were called to look into a report a man was wav- ing handguns. The news outlet said the suspect was identi- fied by neighbours as 86-year-old John Wesley. After arriving on scene in Lauderhill, Fla. to look into the incident, police used a public ad- dress system to demand he drop the weapons. The man then allegedly told officers to shoot him, before getting into a minivan and driv- ing off. Officers followed along residential side streets. Family told police that Wesley has demen- tia, and believed someone was poisoning him and may be trying to harm him. According to WPTV, Wesley allegedly drove through differ- ent areas while police stopped pursuing him, aware of the dementia. Wesley was eventually stopped, and there was a minor collision. He allegedly had two weapons on him, re- ported WPTV. Wesley was hospitalized, said the news re- port, for a mental health evaluation. LT Bruce Stratton says he's excited by a merger between Dimock Stratton LLP and DLA Piper (Canada) LLP. One-Year Subscription Includes: • 11 issues of both print and digital editions • FREE exclusive access to the Canadian Lawyer digital edition archives • FREE weekly e-newsletter: Canadian Legal Newswire Access a free preview at: bitly.com/CanLawyer-FreePreview @canlawmag 7KHXOWLPDWHVRXUFHIRUWRGD\·VOHJDOSURIHVVLRQ Canlawyer.lawtimes@thomsonreuters.com 416.609.3800 I 1.800.387.5164 To place an order please call 416.609.3800 or order online at: bitly.com/CanLawyer-Subscription *Plus applicable taxes Subscribe to Canadian LawyerWRGD\IRURQO\ Untitled-4 1 2016-09-20 2:40 PM

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