We are excited to announce that Robert Frost-Hinz (Saskatoon), Ryan Hallman (Saskatoon), Drew Lafond (Calgary), Ryan Lepage (Saskatoon), Josh Morrison (Regina), Dana Nowak (Edmonton) and Mahdi Shams (Vancouver) have been accepted into the MLT Aikins partnership, effective January 1, 2018.
Robert Frost-Hinz practises in the areas of labour and employment, administrative and public law and health care. He advises on an array of labour and employment issues including labour relations, collective agreement negotiation and interpretation, employment standards, OH&S, policy development, discipline and discharge as well as human rights and accommodations. Robert has acted on behalf of his clients before the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal, Court of Queen’s Bench and Provincial Court and worked alongside a number of boards, tribunals and arbitrators. Robert is currently a Director of the Saskatoon Bar Association.
Ryan Hallman maintains a commercial law practice focused on business acquisitions and divestitures and on commercial lending. Ryan’s experience includes acting for both vendors and purchasers in share and asset transactions in various industries. He also acts for a diverse group of commercial lenders and has experience across the spectrum of lending. In addition, Ryan also practises in the area of forestry law, advising various lumber companies on business and regulatory matters. Ryan is currently the public appointee on the council of the Association of Saskatchewan Forestry Professionals and has previous experience serving on other community boards. His accolades include the Law Society of Saskatchewan Silver Medal, Ron Fritz Prize in Law, Eldon Woolliams Scholarship and the William Elliot Scholarship in Law.
Drew Lafond practises in Aboriginal law, representing First Nation clients throughout Alberta. Drew’s practice focuses on designing and restructuring policies for First Nation clients in relation to financial management, housing and elections. This includes share and asset purchase, limited partnership, joint venture and impact benefit agreements. He has appeared on matters relating to First Nation appeals, Treaty rights and Métis harvesting rights before the Alberta Court of Appeal, Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench, the Provincial Court of Alberta and the Federal Court of Canada. In addition to his many accomplishments, Drew sits as Director on the Indigenous Bar Association.
Ryan Lepage practises litigation involving complex commercial disputes. His experience includes class actions, commercial litigation, construction and transportation law. He has appeared as counsel before the trial and appellate courts in Saskatchewan and Alberta, the Federal Court and Federal Court of Appeal as well as the Supreme Court of Canada.
Josh Morrison practises in a number of areas including construction, commercial litigation and Aboriginal law. He counsels on builders’ liens, delays and other issues associated with municipal, commercial and industrial construction projects, advising on strategies to avoid dispute and minimize project costs. Josh received his undergraduate degree from the University of Saskatchewan with a focus on Métis and First Nations history in Western Canada; he has attributed his educational experience to working with First Nations throughout Saskatchewan and Alberta on issues that are pertinent to First Nations.
Dana Nowak practises in the areas of insolvency and restructuring and construction litigation. Dana has appeared before all levels of the Alberta Courts, as well as the Courts in the Yukon Territories and in the Province of Saskatchewan. Dana is involved with several pro bono projects and has presented at a number of conferences, including the CBA National Insolvency Conference and the CAIRP National Conference. Dana also periodically guest lectures at the University of Alberta Faculty of Law on insolvency related topics.
Mahdi Shams practises in a broad number of areas including: corporate finance and securities, corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions and emerging growth companies. He represents both private and public companies on a variety of domestic and international transactions – offerings, mergers and acquisitions, commercial sale agreements, debt and equity financings, private placements and corporate reorganizations. Mahdi is fluent in French and Farsi with intermediate knowledge of Spanish.