NOLAN - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Certified Specialist in Civil Litigation

Dermot P. Nolan was called to the bar in 1975. He is a graduate of McMaster University and the University of Ottawa. He has served as president of the Ontario Trial Lawyers' Association, the Hamilton Law Association and the Hamilton Medical Legal Society. He has been certified by the Law Society as a Specialist in Civil Litigation since 1990 and practises with emphasis on corporate, commercial & estate litigation and personal injury & insurance litigation. He has been recognized by his peers for inclusion in the Best Lawyers in Canada™ directory (in the fields of Personal Injury litigation and Corporate & Commercial litigation) and as the Hamilton Lawyer of the Year in Corporate & Commercial litigation for 2024, and previously in 2019 and 2021. In 2000, he received the Emilius Irving award, the highest honour of the Hamilton Law Association and he was inducted into McMaster University's Gallery of distinguished graduates in 2002. In 2014, he was appointed a deputy judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (Small Claims) and in 2018, he was chosen by the Hamilton Law Association as the recipient of the Ed Orzel award for excellence in trial advocacy. He was named Hamilton's Irish Person of the Year in 2015. He has served as Chair of the Boards of St. Peter's Hospital and the Hamilton Public Library, as a trustee of the Hamilton Board of Education and as a director of numerous other community, arts and charitable organizations. He has been a director of the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra since 2006. He spearheaded the initiative which led to the consolidation of Hamilton's courts in the John Sopinka Courthouse and was instrumental in the establishment of the Lawyers' Legacy for Children (an endowment fund of the Hamilton Community Foundation). He continues to serve on its Advisory Committee. Before entering law school, he was a professional actor with the Stratford Shakespearean Festival and he has continued to participate in theatre as an actor and director with the Hamilton Lawyers' Shows. He is also a playwright and an accredited member of the Playwrights' Guild of Canada. Dermot is a Certified Specialist in Civil Litigation with over 40 years of experience as a litigator and leader in his profession.

Ned Nolan was called to the bar in 2010 and since then he has focussed his law practice primarily in the areas of Employment, Human Rights and Disability Law. Ned is a proud Hamiltonian and graduated from McMaster University in 2004 before completing additional undergraduate studies at the University of Havana, Cuba. He went on to obtain a Masters degree in International Law from the United Nations University for Peace in Costa Rica. Ned completed his LL.B. degree at the University of Ottawa and articled in Toronto with a prominent labour and employment firm. He returned to Hamilton to continue his employment and labour law specialization and joined Nolan, Ciarlo LLP in 2012. Ned is honoured to have been voted the top local Employment Lawyer in Hamilton (diamond level) in the 2021 Hamilton Spectator Readers' Choice Awards. Outside of work, Ned is an active member of his community. He is a past president of the Kirkendall Neighbourhood Association, and a past director of Environment Hamilton and of Cycle Hamilton. Ned brings a passion for Hamilton and social justice to his practice.

Franco's practice focuses on estate planning and administration and commercial and personal injury litigation. He has represented clients before trial and appellate level courts as well as administrative tribunals. Franco takes a direct, common sense approach so that his clients get a positive, timely and cost effective resolution to their legal matter. He is a "people person" who prioritizes keeping his clients well informed and comfortable throughout the process. Franco was called to the bar in 1995 and is a graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School. Prior to attending law school, he studied economics at Western University. He has practised continuously at our firm since his articles in 1993 and currently serves as the firm's Managing Partner. He is a Past President of the Hamilton Medical-Legal Society and a member of the Hamilton Law Association and the Hamilton Lawyers' Club. Franco very much enjoys travel and cooking with his wife and spending time with his beloved dog. He is also fluent in Italian. Franco takes a hands-on, common sense approach to resolving his clients' problems.

Heather McKinnon was called to the bar in 2003 after majoring in economics and graduating from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in 1999 and earning her Bachelor of Laws degree from Queens University in 2002. She represented Queens law school in the national Laskin moot court competition at the university of Saskatoon in 2001 and received both the Canada Law Book award in international law and the Wilcox scholarship award for excellence in insurance law. She articled for Siskinds LLP in London and practised with the late Wally Zimmerman Q.C. and as a partner with Zimmerman, McKinnon, Anderson before joining Nolan, Ciarlo LLP in 2012. Prior to entering law school, she worked for over 15 years in business, gaining valuable practical experience in accounting, business administration, sales, insurance, personal property security and leasing. Heather practises with emphasis on Real Estate, Wills & Estates, Commercial Law and Civil Litigation and is committed to achieving effective results for her clients with special attention to their personal sensitivities, never forgetting the human aspects of their legal issues. Heather is committed to achieving effective results, never forgetting the human side of her clients' legal issues.

Kennedy helps people who have been wronged by others to confidently navigate the civil justice system. He has an active general litigation practice and specializes in particular in: Helping people hold insurance companies to account when claims get wrongly denied Working with employees and employers to resolve employment disputes Securing fair compensation for people who have been injured by the negligence of others Supporting survivors of sexual assault through litigation to recover vital compensation Kennedy takes a principled approach to his work and fights hard to ensure that parties can't get away with abusing the system for improper gain. He believes in working closely and collaboratively with his clients, and he always takes the time to ensure clients thoroughly understand their legal options and have all the information they need to make their own informed decisions about how their cases should proceed. A director of the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association from 2019 to 2022, Kennedy is strong believer in OTLA's mission to fearlessly champion the cause of Ontarians who have suffered injustice. He is also a member of the Hamilton Law Association. Kennedy has been a partner with Nolan, Ciarlo LLP since 2020. Prior to that, he worked at a prominent Burlington personal injury law firm for 8 years. He was called to the bar in 2012 and received his LL.B. in 2011 from the University of Windsor where he was awarded the John H. Rodd (KC) Award in Conflicts. He obtained his B.A. in Political Science from McGill University in 2007, where he minored in Settlers of Catan. Kennedy works closely and collaboratively with his clients to help them find practical solutions to their legal issues.

Mark brings a passionate, energetic and common-sense approach to his practice which focuses on civil litigation with an emphasis on employment, disability and personal injury. He was called to the bar in 2018 after graduating from the University of Windsor Law School and the University of Western Ontario with a Bachelor of Business Administration with a Minor in Economics. He also studied abroad at the University of Lucerne in Switzerland, where he focused on International Trade and Arbitration Law. Mark has represented clients before multiple levels of the courts including the Ontario Court of Appeal and Superior Court, and administrative tribunals including the Human Rights Tribunal, Labour Relations Board and the Landlord and Tenant Board. Mark is honoured to have been voted a top local Employment Lawyer in Hamilton in the 2022 and 2023 Hamilton Spectator Readers' Choice Awards. He is a member of the Ontario Trial Lawyers' Association, the Hamilton Law Association and sits as a chair of the Hamilton Law Association's New Lawyer's Subcommittee. Outside of the office, Mark is an avid - halfway decent - golfer, a hockey goaltender and is working to learn Brazilian Portuguese. Mark brings a passionate and energetic approach to advocacy on behalf of his clients.