Canadian Lawyer

38 A U G U S T 2 0 1 8 w w w . C A N A D I A N L a w y e r m a g . c o m THE TOP 25 MOST INFLUENTIAL YOUNG INFLUENCERS Usman Sheikh Partner, Gowling WLG Toronto Usman Sheikh galvanized a team of colleagues to consider blockchain's application for clients involved in banking, tech, insurance, manufacturing and law. Currently authoring an upcoming book, The Law of Blockchain Technology, Sheikh is the national head of Gowling WLG's Blockchain & Smart Contract Group, an internationally recognized team of more than 80 practitioners, which advises clients on matters ranging from smart contracts and initial coin offerings to regulatory com- pliance and consumer protection. He is the "go to" speaker on blockchain technology and crypto- currencies throughout the country and the world. His clients include senior companies and banks, co-founders of Ethereum, five of the top 50 crypto-currencies in the world as well as many of the leading pioneers in the blockchain community. Sheikh also serves as counsel on several precedent- setting securities and commercial cases in Canada, including cases before the Supreme Court of Canada as well as several of the first blockchain civil and regulatory cases in Canada. Rachel Barsky Associate, Narwal Litigation LLP Vancouver A tour de force, Rachel Barsky promotes access to justice for some of the country's most vulnerable indi- viduals. She is co-counsel in R. v. Tallio, currently leading efforts to vacate the conviction of Phillip Tallio, an Indigenous man who was convicted of second-degree murder at the age of 17 and remains incarcerated at 52. She has managed media relations on behalf of Tallio and drawn public attention to this important access-to-justice issue. The police said Tallio, who is intellectually impaired, confessed to raping and mur- dering his 22-month-old cousin after 10 hours of interrogation by police. Tallio was not given access to a lawyer. In addition to her efforts on the Tallio case, Barsky works on prison law matters for several federal inmates on a pro bono basis and is currently the principal investigator and author of a prison law reform project called "Preventing parole: the effect of innocence claims on parole eligibility" and a volunteer case reviewer with Innocence Canada. WHAT VOTERS HAD TO SAY: "Brilliant and determined." "Ms. Barsky deserves recognition for her outstanding work on the Tallio case. Kudos." "Outstanding young lawyer and inspirational for the work she's doing with the Innocence Project; few people show this commitment to social justice." WHAT VOTERS HAD TO SAY: "A promising young leader for Quebec's top regional law firm." WHAT VOTERS HAD TO SAY: "Usman has shown enormous foresight in identifying blockchain technology as a meaningful new practice area. Pioneers like Usman are charged with the complex and nuanced work of fitting this platform innovation into a coherent legal framework." "Usman is a recognized leader in the emerging law of blockchain." Guillaume Lavoie Partner Lavery, de Billy Montreal Both lawyer and mentor, Guillaume Lavoie is a partner that leads Lavery de Billy's private equity and venture capital team known as the Lavery Capital group, spearheads the firm's mergers and acquisitions team and is a member of its board of directors. He regularly acts as a mentor to other young lawyers and is a forward thinker who is always ready to implement new efficient strategies to improve client service. Lavoie was also among the finalists in the Quebec Young Professional category in the 2017 Arista contest of the Jeune Chambre de commerce de Montréal. Lavoie was nominated "Corporate Lawyers to Watch" in the 2016 Lexpert Guide to the Leading U.S./Canada Cross-Border Corporate Lawyers in Canada.

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