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The Honourable Justice Brian Riordan joins Spiegel Sohmer as Special Counsel

Spiegel Sohmer is pleased and honoured to announce that, as of February 1, 2023, the Honorable Brian Riordan has joined the firm as special counsel. Mtre. Riordan will provide advice to lawyers from all departments in the firm, with particular emphasis on the mentoring of young associates and articling students.  He cherishes the mentoring he received during his years working with the Honourable Joseph Nuss and hopes to provide similar guidance and support to the members of our firm.

Mtre. Morris Jacobson, managing partner, said that the arrival of Mtre. Riordan will allow Spiegel Sohmer to build on his wisdom and the depth of his understanding and command of the law to reinforce the quality of the work product of all of its lawyers. His decades of invaluable experience, both as a respected practitioner and as a member of the judiciary, will be invaluable to clients as he accompanies them in the difficult decisions to be made in the context of this rapidly-changing commercial world.

In addition to his work as counsel to Spiegel Sohmer, Mtre. Riordan will remain active in his separate med-arb practice.

Mtre. Riordan graduated in law from McGill University in 1978. There, he served as a senior editor for the McGill Law Journal. As well, he holds a master’s degree in economics, also from McGill University.  Called to the Barreau du Québec in 1979, he is a frequent lecturer and the author of several legal publications.

He retired from the Superior Court in October 2022 after 18 years on the bench, where he was a member of the Commercial Division.  There, he is best known for his judgments in the area of shareholder oppression.

In other matters, he is known for his 2015 decision in the Imperial Tobacco class actions, which found the three Canadian cigarette manufacturers liable for over 15 billion dollars of damages to smokers.  He notes, however, that his most challenging case was the medical liability claim in the file of White v. Watters, where he attempted to reshape the approach to doctor-patient confidentiality in the presence of genetic disorders.  He is quick to admit that the Court of Appeal disagreed with him … for the moment.

 About Spiegel Sohmer

Spiegel Sohmer Inc. is an independent law firm of over 50 lawyers. The firm offers a wide range of legal services and provides advice on large and complex mandates for local and national business clients in business law, litigation, tax law, real estate law, estate law and intellectual property.

With an integrated and innovative approach to the practice of law, the firm is able to leverage its skills, industry knowledge and extensive experience to help its clients achieve their business objectives.

The firm is a member of Ally Law, a global network of law firms.

Information:

Julie Gamache
Director of Human Resources and Operations

jgamache@spiegelsohmer.com | +1 514 875-8438