Calgary criminal law firm one of top 10 in country: magazine
Hepner, partner have been involved in some of region’s most high-profile cases
High-profile Calgary criminal lawyer Alain Hepner’s law firm has been included on a prestigious list of top practices in the country.
This week’s Canadian Lawyer Magazine lists the top 10 boutique criminal firms, which conduct at least 80 per cent of their business in that area, and Hepner’s is one of three outside Toronto to make the grade.
“I’m flattered and I’m humbled to be in such illustrious company,” Hepner said Wednesday, of being named to a list that includes such high-profile firms as Marie Henein’s and the one founded by the late Edward Greenspan.
Canadian Lawyer managing editor Tim Wilbur said his publication periodically conducts surveys of its readership to choose the top firms in a particular area of the law.
He said it’s been a while since they asked readers to offer an opinion on the top criminal law firms.
Firms are nominated by a third party and then the magazine conducts a survey of its readership to determine the top 10, which are announced alphabetically, and not by the number of votes they garnered.
Wilbur said voters are asked to choose a minimum of five law firms to ensure a greater variety of successful candidates.
Hepner and his law partner, Kim Ross, have been involved in some of Calgary and southern Alberta’s most high-profile cases over the years.
Hepner acted for Medicine Hat man Jeremy Steinke, who helped his then-12-year-old girlfriend murder her parents and younger brother in 2006, and Russell Rafuse, who murdered four people in a northwest Calgary home in July 1988. Ross’ most recent high-profile case was as co-counsel with defence lawyer Jim Lutz on the Douglas Garland triple-murder trial.
Others chosen as top-10 criminal firms included Henein Hutchison LLP and Addario Law Group.
Marie Henein acted for former CBC radio host Jian Ghomeshi in his sexual-assault trial, while Frank Addario, who founded his Toronto firm, is best known in Calgary for representing disgraced former judge Robin Camp before the Canadian Judicial Council.