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Recent News Articles

D'Arcy & Deacon LLP is proud to announce that one of its partners, Richard Rice, was recently appointed as a Director of the Children's Rehabilitation Foundation of Manitoba. The Foundation is the fundraising arm for the Children's Rehabilitation Centre which supports children with special needs in Manitoba and surrounding areas.  Richard Rice continues to be a Director of the Winnipeg Goldeye's Field of Dreams Foundation.  The Winnipeg Goldeye's are the city's Northern League baseball team, and the Foundation has raised more than $1,000,000 for children's charities in Manitoba since its inception in 1995.

In a historic decision rendered on January 19, 2010, the Court of Queen's Bench of Manitoba ruled in favour of the members of the MTS Allstream Inc. Pension Plan by requiring MTS to return to the plaintiffs $43.343 million plus interest (approximately $100M).  The Court also found that the former Manitoba Auditor General, Mr. Singleton, overstepped his authority. His actions led to a  subsequent 10-year court battle, which resulted in a decision that may be the highest lump sum judgment amount ever awarded by a Manitoba Court.

Michael Werier has been selected to be included in the 2010 edition of The Best Lawyers in Canada in the specialties of Alternative Dispute Resolution and Labour and Employment Law.  Michael joins another partner of D'Arcy & Deacon LLP, Michael Willcock, who was selected in 2008, 2009 and 2010 in the specialty of Real Estate Law, on this prestigious list. 

On September 24, 2009, John Deacon officially opened the Robert Schultz Lecture Theatre at St. John's College, University of Manitoba. John was Chair of the Fund Raising Campaign from 2001 to 2007 which raised $4,000,000 to complete this project.  D'Arcy & Deacon LLP takes great pride in acknowledging John's long term commitment to our community and the advancement of education in our Province.

D'Arcy & Deacon LLP is pleased to announce that one of its partners, Roger Gripp, has been elected as Chair of the Patient Safety and Care Quality Improvement Committee at Concordia Hospital.  Roger continues as a director in the second year of his three year term on the Board of Directors of Concordia Hospital for 2009-2010 and will also serve as a member on the Executive/Finance Committee.  The Concordia Hospital is a faith based community hospital operating as part of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.

D'Arcy & Deacon LLP is pleased to announce that The Workers Compensation Board (the "WCB") has appointed one of its partners, Michael Werier, as its new chairman.  Michael has extensive experience as an arbitrator and mediator, and begins his three year term on April 1, 2009.  The WCB oversees the workers compensation system which is a mutual injury and disability insurance system for workers and employers, paid for by employers.

1984 was a vintage year for Manitoba curling and none other than our very own Russ Wookey, the lead on Mike Riley's 1984 Brier Championship Team, will be inducted into the Manitoba Curling Hall of Fame along with the rest of that team at The 22^nd Annual Induction Dinner to be held on May 3, 2009.  Congratulations from the firm on this well-deserved recognition.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

Client Identity & Verification

Recently, the federal government called on the Federation of Law Societies of Canada, and each of its provincial member law societies, to introduce new regulations that enlist lawyers in the fight against money laundering, terrorist financing and fraud involving legal services.  In December, 2008, D'Arcy & Deacon LLP implemented a new file opening process, primarily to ensure that we efficiently collect the information required under these regulations so that we can continue to provide you with the highest quality of service.  Every lawyer in Canada will be required to abide by his or her governing law society's "Know Your Client" rule in order to act for clients.  You can read more information about the new requirements at The Federation of Law Societies of Canada's website:

When you contact us with a new matter, we will confirm the following information:

v     Individuals:  we will need your full name, business address, business telephone, email address, home address, home telephone and occupation(s).  We will also need to arrange to view and copy a piece of identification, such as your passport or driver's licence.

v  Organizations:  (such as corporations, partnerships, trusts, co-operatives, or unincorporated associates): we will need the full name, business address, business telephone, incorporation or business identification number and place of issue, and a general description of the organization's business activities.  We will confirm the name, position, and contact information for those authorized to give instructions on the matter.

We are also required to collect information about any third parties whose interests you are representing in the matter.

For organization clients, if your matter involves receiving, paying, or transferring money, securities, negotiable instruments, or other financial instruments, we may also need to verify further details about you or your organization's identity.  We may ask for the following:

v  The name and occupation(s) of each director.

v  The name, address, and occupation(s) of each person who owns 25% or more of the organization or its shares.

v  A document verifying the organization's existence, such as a certificate of good standing, a certificate of status, or partnership agreement.

We may need to arrange to view and copy an identity document such as a driver's licence or passport for each of the people authorized to give instructions on the matter.

We may also ask to verify the identities of any third party whose interests you represent.

Foremost at D'Arcy & Deacon, we are committed to understanding our clients and protection of their interests.  We appreciate your cooperation.  For further information regarding the new rules, please contact your D'Arcy & Deacon lawyer or representative.

At the 85th JCI Winnipeg Anniversary Dinner on Saturday, December 13, 2008, Ivan Holloway was appointed a Senator of Junior Chamber International. This is the highest recognition of Junior Chamber International, which organization spans 90 plus countries.  The Junior Chamber of Commerce, as it was then known, started in the United States and JCI Winnipeg was the first international chapter, chartered in 1923. Ivan served two years as President of JCI Winnipeg and continues to be an active member of the Chapter.

Congratulations from the firm and from your fellow Senators, Senator John Deacon and Senator Roger Gripp.

D'Arcy & Deacon LLP is pleased to announce that one of its partners, Roger D. Gripp, has been nominated and accepted as a Fellow of the American College of Mortgage Attorneys ("ACMA").  Mr. Gripp is the first lawyer from Manitoba to receive this honour.  ACMA seeks to improve and reform laws and procedures affecting real estate secured transactions and to raise the level of professional responsibility of lawyers practicing in this area.

D'Arcy & Deacon LLP takes pride in being an integral part of  an  electronic  appeal  held  in the Manitoba Court of Appeal in May, 2008.    In  the case the judges and counsel used a litigation management application (Summation).  This provided the ability for collaboration of over 1,000 electronic documents required for production.

The firm believes  that organizing documents electronically can improve the practice of civil litigation and greatly assist in the preparation for various levels of court.   Lawyers in the firm have  worked with Summation on  numerous examinations, hearings and trials.  It has become an invaluable tool and the firm's Summation staff continues  to research other benefits of the application to help the firm grow in this evolving area of technology.

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