Senior Competition Bureau Official Joins Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP

Adam Fanaki joins Davies as a partner in the firm's Competition & Foreign Investment Review Practice

TORONTO , Dec. 15 /CNW/ - Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP, one of Canada's leading business law firms, announced today that Adam Fanaki is joining the firm's Competition & Foreign Investment Review Practice.

Mr. Fanaki , who joins Davies' Toronto office, brings with him a wealth of senior-level experience as a competition lawyer and litigator, including extensive expertise with the criminal and civil provisions of the Competition Act. Most recently, Mr. Fanaki acted as Senior Deputy Commissioner in charge of the Competition Bureau's Mergers Branch and, before that, as Special Counsel to Canada's Commissioner of Competition. In these roles, Mr. Fanaki held primary responsibility for reviewing mergers, advising on strategic policy and the recent legislative amendments to the Act, and representing the Commissioner in respect of enforcement matters and major litigated proceedings. In private practice, he has represented parties on a number of Canada's most significant merger transactions, and acted as counsel in proceedings before the Competition Tribunal, as well as in class actions and other complex litigated proceedings before the courts.

"Adam brings to Davies an exceptional depth of knowledge and experience in a practice area where we have established a leading presence and profile across Canada and internationally," said William O'Reilly, Managing Partner of Davies. "His unique expertise, gained from his recent tenure at the Competition Bureau and in private practice, will be a valuable asset in advising our clients, and will greatly enhance the already extensive capabilities of Davies' competition practice."

Mr. Fanaki is recognized internationally as a leading lawyer in a variety of publications, including Chambers Global: The World's Leading Lawyers for Business and PLC Which Lawyer Yearbook, and as one of Canada's top competition law litigators by LEXPERT's Guide to the Leading U.S./Canada Cross-border Litigation Lawyers in Canada . Mr. Fanaki was named one of LEXPERT's Rising Stars - Leading Lawyers Under 40 in each of 2006 and 2008.

"It is an exciting time to be working in competition law, and Davies is clearly a leader in the field," said Mr. Fanaki . "I am very pleased to be joining the outstanding team at Davies, and I look forward to putting our combined expertise to work for clients of the firm."

"With Adam joining our team, the Davies Competition & Foreign Investment Review practice group will have unmatched strength and depth to serve our clients," said George Addy , the group's leader and former head of the Canadian Competition Bureau.

About Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP

Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP is an integrated firm of more than 240 lawyers with offices in Toronto , Montréal and New York. The firm is focused on business law and is consistently at the heart of the largest and most complex commercial and financial matters on behalf of its clients, regardless of borders.

For further information: or to secure a photo, please contact: Sherry Boisvert, APEX Public Relations Inc. (for Davies), [phone] ext. 260, [email protected], [phone]; Kaley Green, Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP, [email protected], [phone]