Law Times

PAGE 16 The Inside Story NORTON ROSE MERGER FORMALIZED Norton Rose OR LLP and Macleod Dixon LLP offi cially merged to form Norton Rose Canada last week. Th e deal means the fi rm will have more than 700 lawyers at seven offi ces across Canada and around the world. "Norton Rose Canada can serve clients in new ways with a broader international reach and unmatched strength in key business sectors," said John Coleman, managing partner of Norton Rose Canada. "With offi ces in Latin America and as a market leader in Calgary and Western Canada, we are a new Canadian powerhouse." Bill Tuer, who until last week was managing partner of Macleod Dixon, joins the executive committee of Nor- ton Rose Canada. "We are very excited about helping our clients continue to grow in Canada and globally," he said. "We can now support them through stronger offi ces in Canada and in key interna- tional markets. In the energy sector, there is a strong global focus on Western Canada and more than ever, investment is fl owing into and out of the re- gion. We've expanded globally for 20 years and creating Nor- ton Rose Canada was a client- driven decision. Th is isn't our fi rst international rodeo, but it's our biggest." NEW PARALEGAL PROGRAM LAUNCHED Centennial College is con- tinuing to accept applications for its new paralegal program. Th e college is taking appli- cations immediately for class- es that begin this week. It's aiming the program at college and university graduates as well as those with three to fi ve years of legal experience. Th e program includes 210 hours of workplace experience. VETERINARY LAWYER JOINS BLG Veterinary lawyer Douglas Jack has joined Borden Ladner Gervais LLP as counsel at the fi rm's Waterloo, Ont., offi ce. In his new position, Jack will continue to provide legal services to the Canadian vet- erinary industry while focus- ing on general commercial matters, regulatory compli- ance issues, and complaints and discipline defence. "Veterinary law is a very unique practice that spans a broad range of practice areas," said Neil Henderson, offi ce managing partner for BLG in Waterloo. "Doug's exten- sive experience in veterinary law will fi t well with BLG's national platform and broad scope of services and we plan to assist Doug in providing the best possible service to this specialized practice area all across the country." Jack, who has practised vet- erinary law for more than 25 years, has handled everything from acquisitions, mergers, and divestitures to employ- ment law matters. "Joining BLG was a logical next step for my practice, as it will allow me to provide my clients with the support of a national full-service law fi rm," said Jack. NEW PARTNER AT DAVIS Corporate lawyer Anna Mac- Millan has joined the To- ronto offi ce of Davis LLP as a partner in the fi rm's national commercial, projects, and in- frastructure groups. In her new role, MacMillan will focus primarily on corpo- rate, construction, and commer- cial litigation. "With her impressive back- ground, Anna will add depth to Davis' national commercial and projects and infrastructure groups," Davis' managing partner. "Da- vis is well known for punching above its weight and Anna's ex- pertise will certainly strengthen that reputation, especially in the Toronto market." In the past, MacMillan has advised on several power proj- ects, generation including hydroelectric stations, natural gas-fi red electricity projects, so- lar power installations, nuclear plants, and ethanol facilities. MacMillan has also advised on a major-league sports complex and two toll-highway bids. MacMillan previously prac- tised corporate and construc- tion law at Blake Cassels & Graydon LLP before moving to Davis in the new year. For more Inside Story, please visit www.lawtimesnews.com. "It's the mandatory minimum sentence for someone who says, 'I see nothing wrong in principle with salary caps for federal Crowns' at a Crown attorneys' party." FEEDS LEGAL LegalFeeds_LT_Jan9_12.indd 1 A daily blog of Canadian Legal News Powered by & www.lawtimesnews.com 12-01-05 3:17 PM said Robert Seidel, MAN'S SPERM FACES REGULATORY BATTLE SAN FRANCISCO — Fans of the movie Starbuck wouldn't be surprised at the story of this prolifi c sperm donor. According to Reuters, an electronics company engineer whom the U.S. government considers a one-man sperm bank has fathered an estimated 14 children through free dona- tions of his semen that he ad- vertises over the Internet. Th e U.S. Food and Drug Administration says the San Francisco Bay-area sperm donor poses a threat to public health and has ordered him to stop or face up to a year in pris- on and a $100,000 fi ne. But Trent Arsenault, a 36-year-old bachelor who professes a strong religious up- bringing, sees his giveaways as acts of compassion and insists he's not abandoning his genetic generosity without a fi ght. "Whatever happens with me sets a precedent, which could mean a lot of child- less couples," he told Reuters. "Does the government need to be in people's bedrooms?" He and the FDA are now embroiled in what is believed to be the fi rst legal battle of its kind, one that has drawn national media attention and could test the limits of the agency's authority to regulate private donations of sperm off ered as gifts directly to prospective mothers rather than through commercial sperm banks. During the past fi ve years, Arsenault has given his sperm on more than 328 occasions to at least 46 women, resulting in 14 births, according to the FDA's estimates from docu- mentation Arsenault provided. Th is, the agency maintains, poses a risk to public health. Sperm banks must comply with precise requirements that include a battery of tests to ensure that the donated sperm does not carry HIV, hepatitis B or C, syphilis, chlamydia, gonorrhea, human T-lymph- otropic virus, cytomegalovirus or various genetic disorders. Arsenault gets himself screened every six months for that entire list of diseases but cannot aff ord the specifi c FDA- approved tests he's supposed to undergo within seven days of each sperm donation at a cost of $1,700, he said. DUTCH BAN POT SALES TO FOREIGNERS AMSTERDAM — It looks like the Dutch government is applying diff erential treatment to foreigners when it comes to marijuana sales. As Reuters reported, the reputation of the Nether- lands as the go-to jurisdic- tion for a legal joint is van- ishing like a puff of smoke as the country bans sales of cannabis and hashish in cof- fee shops to foreigners. Th e Dutch government has been clamping down on the January 9, 2012 • Law Times Bizarre Briefs By Viola James sale of soft drugs since 2007 because of gang-related crime and concern about the risk to health, according to Reuters. "Th e Dutch drugs policy's appeal to foreign users has to be reduced," Dutch Security and Justice Minister Ivo Opstelten said in a letter to parliament. Th e new rules, which will fi rst take eff ect in the south and gradually apply countrywide, limit sales of cannabis to resi- dents of the Netherlands who must enrol as members of a coff ee shop, the minister said. Th e rules came into eff ect on Jan. 1, 2012. But authorities won't enforce them until May 1, Reuters reported. MAN CLAIMS BENEFITS FOR 19 FAKE KIDS ATHENS — Th is might be a good explanation for Greece's fi nancial troubles. A former Greek cop who in- vented 19 fi ctional off spring to claim benefi ts for what would have been the largest family in Greece has been arrested for benefi t fraud, police said. Th e former police offi cer, divorced and with no children of his own, quit his job in 2001 and has been living solely on benefi ts ever since, police said last month. Using photographs of children he found online, the 54-year-old man allegedly forged birth certifi cates and other documents needed to claim benefi ts for at least one child a year since 1996, Reu- ters reported. Th e fraud was so expert, police said, that they only real- ized something was amiss when they noticed his was the only Greek family with that many children. Th e average Greek family usually has two or three children. canadianlaw Canadian Law yermag.com/legalfeeds yer Law Times

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