Please click on the name to email a member of the Student Recruitment Committee.Ari BlickerDirector, Student & Associate ProgramsAri is responsible for all aspects of the firm’s student program, including the recruitment, supervision and professional development of summer and articling students, and liaising with law schools. Ari also oversees the firm’s associate program, including career development, performance reviews, compensation, partnership admission and lateral recruitment. Prior to joining Aird & Berlis LLP, Ari was the Director of Student Programs at McCarthy Tetrault’s Toronto office. Prior to that, Ari practised corporate commercial law at McMillan from 1997 to 2002 and in-house at IBM from 2002 to 2007. Ari holds an LL.B. from the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law (1995), and a B.A. (English Literature) from McGill University (1992). He was called to the Ontario Bar in 1997. Ari enjoys singing, playing guitar and spending time with his family.
David Stevens Chair, Student Recruitment CommitteeDavid is a partner and a member of the firm's Litigation Group and Energy Team. David practises in the area of regulatory and commercial litigation. He has advised on contractual disputes, fiduciary duty cases, competition matters, construction disputes, class proceedings, lease disputes, injunctions and professional negligence matters. David regularly appears before the Ontario Energy Board on a variety of matters. David has appeared before all levels of Ontario courts, including the Superior Court, Divisional Court and Court of Appeal as well as before the Supreme Court of Canada, the Federal Court Trial Division, the Competition Tribunal, the Ontario Energy Board, the Ontario Securities Commission and the Commissioner of Mining and Lands (Ontario). David is an avid traveller and also spends far too much time watching and reading about sports.
Annie SkinnerStudent & Associate Co-ordinatorAnnie is involved in co-ordinating all stages of the recruitment process and the day-to-day management of the student and associate programs at Aird & Berlis LLP, including continuing legal education. Prior to joining the firm in 2007, she worked as a litigation legal assistant in insurance defence and personal injury law. A native of Toronto, Annie loves living and working downtown. She is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from York University and, in her spare time, she enjoys reading, writing, ballroom dancing and spending time with friends and family.
Sherri AltshulerSherri summered and articled with the firm and became an associate in 2005. She is a member of the firm's Corporate/Commercial and Corporate Finance Groups, focusing primarily on public and private financings, mergers and acquisitions and ongoing general corporate and commercial activities. She has experience with public offerings, private placement financings, foreign insurance company registrations and the formation and completion of qualifying transactions for companies established under the TSX Venture Exchange Capital Pool Program. Sherri loves to watch reality TV and bowls almost a perfect game on Wii Sports. When she can find the time, she also likes to practice yoga, cook, read historical fiction and plan her next vacation.
Atoosa MahdavianAtoosa is a partner and a member of the Litigation Group. Atoosa's practice focuses on commercial litigation, including insurance defence, bankruptcy, professional negligence (both in civil actions and disciplinary matters), wrongful dismissal and fraud cases. Atoosa has appeared as advocate on applications, motions and hearings in the Superior Court of Justice, Commercial Court, Divisional Court and the Court of Appeal. She has also appeared before various tribunals and regularly represents clients on private and court-mandated mediations. Atoosa is the President of the Iranian-Canadian Lawyers Association. Atoosa is a movie buff and prides herself on knowing a lot of useless trivia about Hollywood!
John MascarinJohn is a partner and a member of the Municipal and Land Use Planning Group. John joined A&B after having been the Town of Markham’s solicitor for over a decade. Prior to that, John was in both private practice and private industry, working primarily in the areas of real estate and land use planning and development. He currently acts on behalf of both private and public sector clients, providing advice, counsel and representation on a wide variety of general municipal and planning law matters. He has appeared regularly before the Ontario Municipal Board, as well as the Ontario Divisional Court, on land use planning and development related matters. John is the co-author of four published texts and the editor-in-chief of two national law report series and a monthly newsletter in municipal and planning law. In his spare time, John loves spending time with his wife and two children, enjoys the cinema (especially the films of Hitchcock, DePalma and P.T. Anderson) and thinks classic rock from the 1970s still rocks.
Derek McCallumDerek is a partner and a member of the Real Estate Group and has a broad commercial real estate practice, including acquisitions, dispositions, leasing and financing transactions. Prior to returning to private practice and joining A&B, Derek was Senior Counsel, Real Estate & Site Operations for IBM Canada Limited, responsible for all legal aspects of a substantial Canadian real estate portfolio including office, retail, data centre and manufacturing assets. Prior to joining IBM, Derek practised for a number of years at another prominent Toronto law firm. As the parent to young children, Derek is quickly developing skills best suited to a short order cook and cabbie. In his free time, Derek attempts varied home improvement projects under the watchful eye of concerned neighbours.
Pamela MiehlsPamela was a summer student and articling student at the firm prior to returning as an associate. She is now a partner in the Litigation Group. Pam has a broad commercial litigation practice that includes an emphasis on contractual disputes, long-term disability matters and libel law. She regularly appears as counsel on motions, applications, appeals and trials before the Ontario Superior Court of Justice and the Ontario Court of Appeal. In her spare time, Pamela enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter, Isabella, and is an avid reader. She especially enjoys reading the classics such as Twilight and New Moon (no, she did not name her daughter after the main character – it was just a happy coincidence).
Morli ShemeshMorli is an associate and member of our Corporate Finance and Corporate/Commercial Groups. Morli's practice is primarily focused in the areas of securities law and mergers & acquisitions. She assists clients with a broad range of matters including public and private debt and equity financing, share and asset purchase transactions, mergers & acquisitions and ongoing general corporate and commercial activities. In her spare time, Morli is busy renovating (and decorating) her new home and enjoys cooking in her new kitchen. Morli is an aspiring chocolatier and always keeps a selection of chocolates and candies outside her office. Morli has knocked-out Sherri countless times during Wii boxing matches.
Sanj SoodSanj is a partner and a member of the Litigation Group. Sanj practises in the areas of commercial, civil and insolvency litigation, and has represented clients at hearings in the Superior Court of Justice, the Federal Court of Canada and the Court of Appeal. He has also represented clients before various administrative boards and tribunals, as well as at mediations. Sanj spends hours planning his next backpacking expedition, and as a fanatical Manchester United supporter, takes perverse pleasure in reminding Dave Stevens that Arsenal always has been and always will be a second-rate team.