Foreman & Company’s 5th Anniversary
We are proud to announce that Foreman & Company is celebrating its 5 year anniversary!
We had the unusual fortune to have launched the firm in the first week of March, 2020. After several month’s of intense preparation and investment, we opened our doors on Monday, March 2, 2020. We had to close them shortly after (just about two weeks later on March 17, 2020) when the COVID 19 pandemic took hold and the Ontario Provincial shut down order was made.
But thankfully, we had a stellar team – Sarah Bowden, Jean-Marc Metrailler, Annie Legate-Wolfe, Kassandra Gauld and Anni Barry rallied together and converted our operations to a very effective virtual law firm. Thankfully, all of our tech and phone systems were brand new and could be quickly converted to a virtual existence. That isn’t to say that this wasn’t scary or hard. It was terrifying if I am being honest. And there were many points that felt like existential threats or crises.
My team and our clients had bet on me and our new firm. That alone was a central motivation to keep calm, to pull together and to move surely but carefully forward.
Everyone showed up for each other during that time. Everyone excelled and adapted to the circumstances we faced. We built a very flexible work system that we continue to favor today. Very special credit goes to Sarah Bowden for her leadership and organization during this time. Jean-Marc Metrailler and Annie Legate-Wolfe rose to every occasion. Kassandra Gauld managed our office needs impeccably. Anni Barry was a powerhouse of productivity.
The results we have been able to build from that period forward make us all proud. Many significant settlements have been (and continue to be) reached. Battles have been well fought and won. New matters, new relationships and exciting new directions and opportunities have been built. Sarah Bowden is now a partner in the firm. We have grown and added new members to our team – Tracy Goodman (the return of a wonderful friend and my first administrative assistant after my call to the bar!), Rayanne May (a fantastic new law clerk) and Dylan MacIsaac (our newest brilliant lawyer).
5 years on, I don’t think any of us can believe it has already been half of a decade. And I think we are having as much fun as you can and should have in a professional endeavour. My hope is that we continue to put one foot in front of the other, serve our clients to the best of our ability and continue to build this great team dynamic together.
On this anniversary, I want to share my deepest thanks to my team, to our families, to our clients, and to our co-counsel. Thanks to all of our service providers for being there for us – IT, marketing, accounting and more.
And finally, I want to share thanks to our opposing counsel, virtually all of whom adapted in the most collegial way to the virtual and post-COVID world. We have seen little other than remarkable respect and professionalism on genuine display, even in very contentious matters and circumstances. That is reflective of the best traditions of our advocacy bar in Canada.
Congratulations to our team! I look forward to facing the challenges and opportunities of the future together.
- Jon Foreman
