A second successive lawyer with a Queen’s background will head Gowlings with the firm’s next appointment for Chair and CEO. Peter Lukasiewicz, Law’79, will take over from Scott Jolliffe, Law’76, effective January 1. Lukasiewicz is assuming his new role while Gowlings and Wragge Lawrence Graham & Co, a leading law firm in the United Kingdom, launch a new international legal practice called Gowling WLG. Lukasiewicz and Jolliffe will both serve on its global board.

“I am very much looking forward to continuing to expand Gowlings’ practice across Canada in each of the markets and sectors we serve,” says Lukasiewicz, a managing partner with Gowlings since 2013. “At the same time, I am honoured to be leading the first Canadian law firm to co-found an international law firm, and I look forward to working with my colleagues at Wragge Lawrence Graham & Co.”

Lukasiewicz is one of Canada’s leading commercial litigators and has been repeatedly recognized by the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory and The Best Lawyers in Canada. He has recently completed a term as president of The Advocates’ Society and has been involved in numerous boards and community organizations.

Jolliffe is delighted with the appointment of Lukasiewicz, with whom he has worked side by side over the last 20 years. “Peter has helped to shape Gowlings into the firm it is today, and has been a driving force in our combination with WLG,” says Jolliffe. “With the upcoming launch of Gowling WLG in January, I look forward to continuing to work closely with Peter in my new role on our global board.”

It’s at Queen’s Law where Lukasiewicz met the person who would inspire his legal career: Ian Scott, a future Attorney General of Ontario. Lukasiewicz took two courses from Scott, and went on to become his Chief of Staff and then one of his partners at Gowlings. “Ian served as a role model for me, demonstrating how to combine a passion for the law with service to your community.”

Now Lukasiewicz is prepared to lead his firm. “The enduring hallmark of Gowlings is its people-first culture,” he says. “As CEO of Gowlings, soon to be Gowling WLG Canada, I will ensure that this value is at the centre of everything we do.”