Hakemi & Ridgedale LLP and MLT Aikins LLP have joined forces as of December 1, 2022. Adding Hakemi & Ridgedale, a leading litigation boutique in Vancouver, allows MLT Aikins to offer its clients a broad range of litigation services in British Columbia.
Established in 2012, Hakemi & Ridgedale is a respected commercial litigation boutique recognized as a Leading Firm in Dispute Resolution in British Columbia by Legal 500 and as a Benchmark Litigation recommended firm. Led by name partners Tom Hakemi and Lisa Ridgedale, Hakemi & Ridgedale has received numerous Canadian Law awards.
Hakemi & Ridgedale has experience in a wide range of civil litigation matters, including corporate and commercial disputes, securities litigation, administrative law and defamation law. The firm’s lawyers act for clients in several sectors, including private equity and investments, financial services and banking, mining, resources, energy and infrastructure, construction, real estate, and retail and consumer markets.
Tom Hakemi advises clients in complex business disputes often involving alleged breaches of commercial contracts, including shareholder and partnership agreements, allegations of fraud, defamation, anti-competitive conduct and violations of securities laws. He also acts for clients being investigated by securities regulators.
Lisa Ridgedale advises clients involved in business disputes and regulatory enforcement actions, in addition to advising clients on compliance with securities laws. She also acts for clients involved in civil proceedings and draws on her past experience as a prosecutor for the British Columbia Ministry of the Attorney General and senior enforcement counsel at the British Columbia Securities Commission.
Hakemi & Ridgedale’s exceptional litigation experience adds to the depth and breadth of the firm’s Vancouver presence and overall litigation bench strength. Hakemi & Ridgedale represents companies across a broad range of industries in litigation matters, and can now refer these clients to a full suite of services.
A Growing Presence in Vancouver
With a team of more than 40 legal professionals, the MLT Aikins Vancouver office has seen steady growth since it opened in 2015. The office has a significant corporate/commercial law presence due to its extensive work carrying out mergers and acquisitions, initial public offerings (IPOs) and securities work.
- MLT Aikins was Canada’s most active law firm in the IPO space in the first half of 2022, working on 12 of the IPOs completed, including multiple IPOs in the mining sector, with most of this work coming out of Vancouver
- The firm was one of the top-ranked firms in Canada in 2021 according to Canadian IPO Reports from CPE Analytics
The office also has significant experience in litigation, labour and employment, insolvency, mining and natural resources and Indigenous relations.
Career Opportunities
With the addition of the Hakemi & Ridgedale team, our presence in Vancouver is growing. To support our growth, a number of job opportunities are available in our Vancouver office.
MLT Aikins provides challenging work and competitive salaries in a team-oriented work environment that recognizes the importance of healthy work-life balance.
Legal Insights
Our lawyers regularly publish blog posts and other resources on a variety of legal topics. We help you stay on top of pressing issues and legislative changes affecting your business and industry.
We also host a number of in-person or online events to support in-house counsel, HR professionals and business leaders. Whether you prefer a one-hour webinar or a full-day conference, MLT Aikins offers training opportunities to suit your needs and learning style.
