Norton Rose Canada launches Arctic group

Norton Rose has launched a 40-lawyer Canadian North and Arctic (CNA) group across its Canadian network.

Partner Dawn Whittaker, who currently heads the firm’s mining and commodities group, and Richard Desgagnes, chair of the Canadian transport team, will lead the new group.

The firm said lawyers working across its mining and infrastructure, energy and transport, regulatory and environmental and transportation would belong to the practice.

Norton Rose Canadian group chairman Norm Steinberg said: “The Arctic group will help clients capitalise on the potential of Canada’s far north and will potentially drive other practice areas of law – from transportation to employment and labour - that will need to service it.

“Changing climate patterns could also create new opportunities in unrelated areas like tourism.”

Maritime, energy and Arctic law specialist Wylie Spicer, the former managing partner of McInnes Cooper in Halifax, is the only new hire to be announced. Spicer joined the firm’s Calgary office as a member of its transport and energy team and Canadian North and Arctic (CNA) team.

Norton Rose merged with Canadian firm Ogilvy Renault in November 2010 (15 November 2010) and then with Canadian outfit Macleod Dixon in October last year (11 October 2011), making it one of the world’s five largest firms by headcount.

Earlier this month the UK team added to its Toronto office, taking on a six-lawyer team from Canada’s Gowling Lafleur Henderson (10 July 2011).