Alex Fox was a member of the 2025 summer student class at Cassels and will return as an Articling Student in 2026.
Dalhousie University
Laura Cloutier
Laura Cloutier (she/her/hers) is an associate in the Litigation Group at Cassels. Laura maintains a broad civil and commercial litigation practice, including corporate and securities, commercial, franchise, and contract disputes. Laura has appeared on behalf of clients before the Supreme Court of Canada, the Court of Appeal for Ontario, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (Commercial List) and the Ontario Securities Commission.
Laura completed the J.D. program at the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University. While in law school, Laura was involved in the Business Law Association of Dalhousie and served as Co-Chair. Laura volunteered with the Halifax Refugee Clinic throughout her time in Halifax. Laura continues to maintain her community involvement through pro bono work at Cassels.
Prior to joining Cassels as an associate, Laura was both a summer and articling student with the firm.
Before attending law school, Laura worked at a prominent insurance defence firm in New York City and a legal expense insurance provider in Toronto.
Laura is pleased to serve clients in English, French and Spanish.
Emily Di Bratto
Emily Di Bratto is an associate in the Litigation Group at Cassels. Emily graduated from the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University with a Business Law Certificate. At law school, she was the Vice President of Finance for the Dalhousie Law Student Society. Emily also worked with the Canadian Bar Association through Pro Bono Dalhousie on an ongoing research project about judicial independence in courts across the country. Prior to starting law school, Emily graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from York University. She then worked as a project coordinator for a commercial construction company. Prior to joining Cassels as an associate, Emily was an articling student with the firm.
In her free time, Emily enjoys trying new restaurants, reading novels, and spending time with her friends and family.
Zeke Purves-Smith
Zeke Purves-Smith (he/him/his) is a partner in the Business Law Group at Cassels. Through his recent work as general counsel to two significant private equity funds and their investee businesses, Zeke endeavours to offer holistic legal solutions in a practical and business-minded way, and yet with creativity and sophistication. He is an experienced corporate and commercial lawyer and business advisor with experience including private equity fund formation and compliance, family office services, alternative asset transactions, business acquisitions and divestitures, asset-based lending and debt recovery, turnarounds and restructuring, litigation strategy and finance, commercial transactions and related regulatory compliance. His experience includes extensive work in the oil and gas, power, alternative energy, Alberta TIER carbon credits, commercial real estate, manufacturing, auctions and liquidations, and healthcare industries.
Jeff St. Aubin
Jeff St. Aubin is a partner in the Construction Group at Cassels. His practice is focused on assisting clients through all phases of the construction process. Jeff has acted for municipalities, cities, utility companies, private owners, general contractors, and contractors. In helping clients achieve their objectives, Jeff draws upon more than two decades of experience in the construction sector, including practical commercial insight from technical and management roles prior to becoming a lawyer.
A significant portion of Jeff’s practice is dedicated to efficiently avoiding, mitigating, and resolving disputes and challenges that arise during the construction process. These include procurement disputes, contractual claims for relief, contractual interpretation issues, lien and trust claims, enforcement of performance security, and responding to insolvencies. Responding to these matters requires an understanding of the client’s objectives and a legal strategy that may include, depending on the circumstances, risk and option analyses, executive briefings, negotiations, mediations, arbitrations, and court proceedings.
In advance of construction, Jeff assists clients with project structuring, preparing contract documents, responding to matters that arise during procurement, and negotiating and executing the construction contract and ancillary agreements. Jeff has prepared bespoke construction agreements, procurement documents, template contract documents, and has worked with a variety of standard form agreements.
Projects that Jeff has been involved with include subways, light rapid transit systems, heavy rail, nuclear facilities, bridges, hospitals, wastewater treatment plants, wind and solar developments, electricity transmission and distribution, and natural gas distribution.
Prior to becoming a lawyer, Jeff worked for ten years with an international engineering firm and served as the general manager for two telecommunications companies. This practical experience, which included managing complex multi-year construction projects, informs Jeff’s approach to legal issues in the construction sector where his focus is on efficiently delivering solutions that align with his clients’ business objectives. Jeff also completed a Master of Laws in Energy and Infrastructure Law, further focusing his development and practice on construction and infrastructure.
Prior to joining Cassels, Jeff practiced construction law at a leading international law firm, and he has also served as a legal director at Infrastructure Ontario.
Devon Campbell
Devon Campbell (he/him/his) is an associate in the Aboriginal Law Group at Cassels, where he is developing a broad Aboriginal law practice. A Registered Professional Forester (RPF), Devon brings practical experience from both Alberta and British Columbia to his legal practice.
Devon advises Indigenous governing bodies and industry proponents, including forestry companies and other natural resource clients. His work includes representing clients in disputes concerning Aboriginal title over private lands. He is also involved in the recognition of Aboriginal rights through both litigation and negotiation.
With a background in operational forestry, Devon offers clients support throughout project lifecycles – from concept to completion – while navigating environmental, regulatory, and stakeholder considerations. Devon also worked under in-house counsel at a water utility prior to joining Cassels, gaining firsthand insight into client priorities. Devon can bridge technical and legal perspectives, providing well-rounded guidance for clients involved in resource and development projects.
He earned his JD from Dalhousie University, where he received certificates in Aboriginal and Indigenous Law and Environmental Law. Devon was valedictorian of his graduating class and received an award for the highest standing in Constitutional Law subjects. While at Dalhousie, he was a Peer Educator for the Indigenous Blacks & Mi’kmaq Initiative.
Devon also holds a Bachelor of Science in Forestry (Honours) from the University of British Columbia and a diploma in Sustainable Resource Management from the British Columbia Institute of Technology.
Devon completed both his summer and articling terms at Cassels prior to joining the firm as an associate.