Cassels

Canadian Corporate Law Firm

University of Saskatchewan

Gillian Harrington

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Gillian Harrington (she/her/hers) is an associate in the Banking & Specialty Finance Group at Cassels. Gillian’s practice focuses on corporate and commercial law, representing lenders and borrowers on secured financing transactions, including real estate and acquisition financings. Her practice includes both domestic and cross-border financing transactions and corporate finance matters.

While in law school, Gillian was involved with Pro Bono Students Canada (PBSC) and served as the Project Coordinator for the Consent Legal Education Project. In her final year with PBSC, Gillian won a Chief Justice Richard Wagner Award for outstanding leadership. Also in law school, Gillian competed in the Global Negotiation Conference based out of the University of Zurich, where her team received the highest accolade.

Eamon Hurley

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Eamon Hurley is a partner in the Business Law and Energy Groups at Cassels. His practice focuses on the oil and gas industry, including both private and public companies, involving both producers and service companies. Eamon offers over 25 years of experience in the energy sector as both a legal and financial advisor, having advised on issues in Canada, the United States, Southeast Asia, and the United Kingdom. Eamon is the current Regional Director for Canada on the Board of Directors of the Association of International Energy Negotiators.

Eamon’s experience includes having served as General Counsel for the Canadian subsidiary of an American global independent oil and gas company and as GC for two private international exploration companies. Eamon was also the managing director in the energy group of an independent international investment bank and served on the investment committee of a diversified, energy focused, Western Canadian private investment fund headquartered in Regina, Saskatchewan. Eamon currently serves as an Investment Review Committee member for Invico Capital Corporation, an independent Canadian investment fund management firm.

Eamon has assisted clients in all aspects of energy law, including all stages of asset acquisitions and dispositions, farmouts, risk assessment and mitigation, and diverse joint venture relationships. He has provided advice relating to lease and production sharing contract issues, joint operating agreements, royalty agreements, facility agreements and service agreements. Eamon’s practice has also involved the examination, management and resolution of government and public stakeholder matters in various jurisdictions. In the course of his experience, Eamon has advised clients on financing matters and been directly involved in negotiations with leading global financial institutions and sovereign wealth funds.

Eamon has advised companies from inception, initial financing, growth and the sale of the entity.

Eamon also has a general corporate practice that involves assisting small businesses with contractual matters, governance, and financing.

Eamon’s recent representative experience includes:

  • Sale of the Central Alberta assets by a private oil and gas producer to Whitecap Resources
  • Joint venture agreement between Valeura Energy, Pinnacle Turkey and TransAtlantic Petroleum respecting certain deep rights formations in the Thrace Basin of northwest Turkiye
  • Sale of SE Saskatchewan private oil and gas producer Anova Resources to West Lake Energy
  • Cross-border critical minerals development agreement
  • Investment agreement for Tanzanian oil and gas exploration project
  • Private equity financing for Covee Energy Corporation, an Alberta focused oil and gas start-up enterprise
  • Valeura Energy’s acquisition of Thai offshore concessions from Mubadala Petroleum
  • Private company disposition of SE Sask oil and gas assets
  • Private oil and gas services company domestic and international master service agreements and representative agreements
  • Share purchase agreement between private direct lithium extraction company and TSX-V company, Volt Lithium Corp.
  • Water treatment and lithium extraction agreement between private direct lithium extraction company and private oil and gas production company

Prior to joining Cassels, Eamon was Counsel with the Calgary office of a global law firm.

Josef W. Hocher

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Josef (Joe) Hocher is a partner in the Business Law Group at Cassels, the Chair of the firm’s national Energy Group, and is a member of the firm’s national Executive Committee. Indigenous organizations and project proponents both draw from Joe’s thirty plus years of deep government, project, and commercial expertise, in relation to their Indigenous partnerships, Indigenous equity participation, and their respective advisory, transactional, and financing needs. Joe also represents and advises Indigenous and other Canadian, US, and international clients with respect to governance and complex, strategic, and business critical transactions, including those related to green and traditional energy, infrastructure, and technology industries in North America and around the world. In so doing, Joe provides keen insights and exceptional counsel to clients, supporting successful outcomes.

Joe was a founder of Buried Hill Energy, an international oil and gas company. At Buried Hill, Joe was one of the principals charged with creating, developing and implementing the strategic direction of the organization and financing its activities. In addition to directly driving investment and interest across the global market, he also served as Chair of the Corporate Governance and Ethics Committee, Compensation Committee, and various Special Committees, and was a member of the Audit Committee, Reserves Committee and HSE Committee. Currently, Joe is the Senior Independent Director of the company and either Chair or a member of its various Committees.

Joe serves as Chairman of Orthoshop Geomatics Ltd., a professional engineering services company that provides innovative and comprehensive geomatic solutions. He also held the position of Chief Commercial Officer at Enlighten Innovations Inc., a sodium (NaSICON) and energy storage technology company.

Joe was integral to the establishment of Hitic Energy Ltd.. As one of its founders, Joe had a senior leadership role in the successful expansion of its upstream oil and gas business, including business development and formulating and implementing overall company strategy.

Joe’s representative work includes:

  • Niyanin Nations LP (a partnership of five First Nations) in relation to its borrowing for, contribution to and investment and participation in an Alberta cogeneration project
  • McLeod Lake Indian Band in relation to its agreement with the Province of British Columbia regarding their collaboration on regulatory and environmental assessment processes
  • McLeod Lake Indian Band in relation to its Tse’khene Energy Transition Hub, including a $7 billion hydrogen production facility and straddle plant
  • Chiniki First Nation, Goodstoney First Nation, ʔaq̓am First Nation, and ʔakisq̓nuk First Nation in relation to their contribution to and participation in assets of TC Energy Corporation
  • Clearwater River Dene Nation in relation to its contribution to and participation in numerous Saskatchewan uranium mining projects
  • Osoyoos Indian Band in relation to its contribution to and participation in an approximately 60 MW solar energy project in BC
  • Saulteau First Nation in relation to its contribution to and participation in the Hourglass Wind Energy Center 200 MW solar energy project in BC
  • Dlezeh NGL Limited Partnership (a partnership of two First Nations) in relation to its contribution to and participation in a natural gas reprocessing plant and related infrastructure in BC
  • Mixt Energy Exports Limited Partnership (an indirect First Nation owned partnership) in relation to its contribution to and participation in green energy facilities and related infrastructure in BC
  • Duz Cho Group of Companies Limited Partnership (a First Nation owned partnership) in relation to its numerous infrastructure and constructions projects in BC
  • Granville Lake / Pickerel Narrows First Nation in relation to its contribution to and participation in a mining project in Manitoba and its pursuit of recognition as a band under the Indian Act
  • Natanik Energy Ltd. (a First Nation owned corporation) in relation to its lead participation in and contribution to a 15MW solar energy project in BC
  • Cree Ative Data Center Corp. in relation to its data center project in Alberta
  • Clearwater River Dene Nation in relation to its contribution to and participation in forest land carbon offset projects in Saskatchewan
  • FN CGL Pipeline Limited Partnership (a partnership of five First Nations) in relation to its contribution to and investment and participation in the Coastal GasLink pipeline in BC
  • First Nations in BC, Alberta, and Manitoba in relation to their treaty land entitlement and treaty annuity processes and negotiations

Jason Holowachuk, K.C.

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Jason Holowachuk* is a partner in the Litigation Group at Cassels. An accomplished litigator, Jason has extensive and varied experience in a broad range of commercial, financial, energy, manufacturing, real estate and construction related matters. He has appeared before all levels of Court and various administrative tribunals and has acted as counsel in complex, multi-party litigation involving issues of substantial claim value arising in Canada and internationally. Jason also has experience with banking and securities regulators on policy and proposed legislation related to swaps and derivatives. At Cassels, Jason has served as Chair of the firm’s Corporate Responsibility Committee. In 2022, Jason was appointed King’s Counsel in Alberta.

Jason’s representative experience includes:

  • Oil and gas disputes in excess of $50 million involving project development, pipeline, plant and facilities issues, field production, operations and services, unitization and pooling issues, intellectual property rights, competition and confidentiality matters, often requiring urgent injunctive relief
  • Commodity marketing disputes involving forwards, futures, swaps and derivatives, including a longstanding mandate for creditors of the world’s largest market maker in relation to termination payment obligations, material adverse change events and the monetization of a $1 billion portfolio of physically and financially settled natural gas and electricity transactions
  • Construction and project infrastructure disputes, including mandates for owners, contractors and material suppliers involving RFP and procurement issues, extras, deficiencies and delay claims in excess of $50 million as well as builder’s lien and other realization matters
  • Securities and corporate governance disputes valued in excess of $100 million involving contested plans of arrangement, takeover bids, director and shareholder disputes, oppression remedies, receiver and inspector appointments
  • Class actions, including the successful defence of a Schedule 1 bank and its board of directors resulting in pre-certification dismissal of a representative claim alleging price fixing and other anti-competitive conduct in relation to foreign exchange transactions
  • Franchise litigation, including the enforcement of post-termination obligations on behalf of franchisors
  • Fraud and white-collar crime, including obtaining judgment for a global transportation and logistics provider and pursuing multi-jurisdictional enforcement proceedings against a former officer
  • Product liability matters in defence of some of the world’s largest manufacturers of medical, consumer and industrial products

*denotes Professional Corporation

Thomas Isaac

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Thomas Isaac* is Chair of the firm’s Aboriginal Law Group and serves as co-lead of the firm’s National Major Projects Team initiative. A nationally recognized authority in Aboriginal law, Tom advises business and government clients across Canada on Aboriginal legal matters and related regulatory, environmental assessment, negotiations and constitutional issues. Tom has extensive national experience advising energy, oil, gas, pipeline, mining, nuclear, forestry, real estate and transportation companies, and federal, provincial, territorial, municipal and Indigenous governments and agencies on Aboriginal, regulatory and constitutional matters. He regularly negotiates on behalf of industry and governments concerning impact, benefit, economic development, replacement tenure, and access agreements with Aboriginal groups, and advises on Aboriginal consultation and accommodation processes and agreements. In recognition of his important and significant work in this area, Tom was honoured as one of Canada’s “Top 25 Most Influential” lawyers by Canadian Lawyer magazine in 2018.

Tom’s litigation practice is national in scope and focuses on representing clients regarding Aboriginal and related constitutional matters before courts and tribunals across Canada, including: Supreme Court of Canada, the Federal, Ontario, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick and PEI Courts of Appeal, the Manitoba Court of King’s Bench, BC Supreme Court, PEI Court of King’s Bench, New Brunswick Court of King’s Bench, Northwest Territories and Yukon Supreme Courts, the Ontario Divisional Court and the Federal Court of Canada, and the Canadian Energy Regulator, Ontario Energy Board, and British Columbia Environmental Appeal Board, among others. His published works on Aboriginal law have been cited with approval by Canadian courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada and the Federal Court of Appeal. Tom has also served as a mediator involving complex, multi-jurisdictional Aboriginal-related disputes.

Tom is a former Chief Treaty Negotiator for the Government of British Columbia and former Assistant Deputy Minister responsible for establishing Nunavut for the Government of the Northwest Territories. He also served in a senior capacity with the Government of Saskatchewan dealing with Aboriginal issues. Tom has published extensively in Aboriginal law, including 17 books, most notably Aboriginal Law, 6th ed. In November 2025 Tom (with Cassels’ Grace Wu) released their new book Canada & The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Tom was appointed as the Minister’s Special Representative to the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs regarding a Section 35 Métis Rights and Reconciliation Framework and a reconciliation approach for the Supreme Court of Canada’s decision in Manitoba Métis Federation v. Canada. His Report – A Matter of National and Constitutional Import: Métis Section 35 Rights and the Manitoba Metis Federation Decision – was released by Canada in July 2016. Tom also served as the Minister’s Special Representative to the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs and the Premier of the Northwest Territories regarding the Akaitcho Dene and NWT Métis Nation negotiations in the Northwest Territories. His Report – A Path to Reconciliation – was released by both governments in March 2017.

Tom also served as Minister’s Special Representative for the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs regarding the Gottfriedson class action settlement agreements with Canada relating to residential school day students.

*Services provided through a Law Corporation