Gowling WLG is pleased to announce that Canadian Lawyer has named Jaimie Lickers, partner and leader of Gowling WLG's Indigenous Law Group, and Peter Simeon, partner and co-leader of Gowling WLG's Cannabis Group, among this year's Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers.
Published annually, Canadian Lawyer's Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers list recognizes lawyers who have played a significant role in the legal profession in Canada and around the world within the last 18 months.
Lickers is recognized in the Changemakers category, which distinguishes legal professionals who are leaders, innovators or catalysts for positive change within the profession of law. Simeon is recognized in the Business category, which distinguishes the accomplishments of legal professionals who practice business law, including with respect to litigation, big deals and class actions.
The first Indigenous woman admitted to Gowling WLG's partnership and the first Indigenous professional to hold a firm management position, Lickers has advanced the rights of First Nations peoples through her appearances at the Supreme Court of Canada on several landmark cases — including Daniels v. Canada, where she served as co-counsel for the Assembly of First Nations. She also recently fought for the rights of non-status Indians who applied for membership in Canada's newest First Nation, the Qalipu Mi'kmaq Band, through judicial review applications challenging the enrollment process. Lickers is also recognized as a leading practitioner in the area of First Nations trust law, having structured and drafted trusts for First Nations across the country, which now hold assets in excess of $1 billion.
In 2018, Lexpert recognized Lickers as a leading practitioner in Indigenous law. She has also been listed in Benchmark Litigation's annual "40 & Under Hot List" since 2017.
An experienced corporate commercial and securities lawyer, Simeon advises clients on a wide range of matters, including initial public offerings, reverse takeovers and qualifying transactions, private placements, bought deal financings, secondary offerings as well as share and asset purchase transactions. He has also been at the forefront of what is now a booming cannabis industry in Canada, and has acted on some of the leading transactions in the space. Simeon helped form the firm's Cannabis Group, which consists of more than 150 Gowling WLG professionals representing a wide range of practice areas and geographic regions.
Since 2017, the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory has consistently ranked Simeon among the top legal practitioners in its Corporate Mid-market category.
View the complete list of Canadian Lawyer's Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers for 2019.