Archives: Lawyers

Frank Friesacher practices primarily as a litigator, working with clients to resolve disputes by consensus where possible, & representing their interests at all court levels where required. Frank addresses a broad range of legal disputes, including in the fields of estate litigation, divorce and family law, employment law, and business litigation. In estate litigation, Frank deals with family maintenance claims brought against estates, as well as addressing issues of mental capacity and undue influence in wills and property transfers, including under a power of attorney. In the family law field, Frank has deep experience in spousal and child support, matrimonial property division, child custody and access, and separation agreements; his family law practice also includes drafting pre-nuptial and marriage agreements. In the employment law field, Frank has acted for both employers and employees to resolve disputes either through agreement or by recourse to the court system. Finally, in business litigation, Frank understands that small-to-medium businesses need expert and timely advice and representation to avoid disrupting operations and to ensure the viability and prosperity of the parties involved.

A member of the Law Society of Alberta since his admission to the bar, Frank has also been long active with the Canadian Bar Association (CBA) and completed his service on the Executive of the Alberta branch (CBA Alberta) from 2015-2021 including as President for the 2018-2019 term, where he represented the interests of its over 5,300 members and advocated for improvements in the administration of justice, for support for the rule of law in this province, and for adequate resources for the justice system. Frank was recently active on CBA Alberta’s Agenda for Justice Committee (focusing on the Branch’s advocacy efforts) and its Legislative Review Committee, and he is a long-time coordinator for the Inns of Court Program (an Edmonton mentor project for junior lawyers). He currently co-chairs CBA Alberta’s Civil Litigation North Section.

Before commencing with the firm of McCuaig Desrochers LLP in 2000, Frank held a clerkship position at the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench and the Court of Appeal from 1999-2000. As a student-at-law he summered with ALRI (the Alberta Law Reform Institute) and served as Articles Editor for the Alberta Law Review, a wholly student-run organization. Before entering his legal studies, Frank obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and his Bachelor of Commerce (International Studies/German) with Distinction.

Frank became a partner at the firm in 2008, and uses his legal skills, training and broad experience to guide clients through the often-complex issues and decisions they face when encountering legal disputes. On 6 April 2022, Frank was appointed Queen’s Counsel in Alberta (now King’s Counsel after the demise of the Crown on 8 September 2022).

Frank is active in the province’s robust German community, having served on the executives for the German Canadian Associate of Alberta and the German Canadian Cultural Association of Edmonton, and including his long-term involvement with a local dance group, The Bavarian Schuhplattlers of Edmonton. He is an avid reader (especially the works of Haruki Murakami and John D. MacDonald, and he finds Moby-Dick the greatest novel ever written); a loping cross-country skier; a fair-weather cyclist; and a poor-weather frequenter of Edmonton’s profusion of locally-owned-and-operated cafés. He endorses the use of European date format, the semi-colon, and the series comma.

Bryon Baltimore conducts a general practice focusing on civil litigation and insurance law.

Bryon was admitted to the Alberta Bar in 1989 after having obtained his LLB (Dean’s List) from the University of Alberta and articling with McCuaig Desrochers LLP. Bryon has a successful general litigation practice with an emphasis on insurance-related litigation, general civil litigation, personal injury, contract disputes and estate litigation.

He has appeared at all levels of Court in Alberta as well as having significant experience with Alternate Dispute Resolution including mediation, negotiation and Judicial Dispute Resolution.

Bryon has always been involved in sports having played hockey for the U of A Golden Bears and professionally for 9 years in the AHL, WHA, and NHL. He then managed and coached professionally for an additional four years in both the US and Canada. He remains actively involved in professional sports and sports law and has represented professional hockey players as a registered agent through the NHLPA for many years.

Bryon is a member of the Insurance and Civil Litigation Sections of the Canadian Bar Association.  He is a member of the Edmonton Oilers Alumni Association and the U of A Golden Bears Alumni Association. He was actively involved with and sat on the board of KIDS, a volunteer organization that built and established an outdoor skating facility and related programs for inner city kids in the McCauley district.

Karen Swartzenberger practices in the areas of Immigration, Family and Wills & Estates.  In the Immigration area, she assists clients interested in obtaining, or retaining, permanent resident status in Canada, those who wish to sponsor family members or who wish to obtain or renew temporary status as visitors, workers or students.  She also assists employers who wish to hire foreign workers.  Her Family Law practice includes separation, divorce and family property issues.  She also practices in the areas of estate planning, estate administration and estate litigation.

Karen is a member of the Law Society of Alberta, and the Canadian Bar Association including the Immigration, Family and Wills & Estates Sub-sections.

Karen is a past Director of the Alberta Law Foundation, a former Instructor at the Faculty of Law at the University of Alberta in Immigration Law and Contract Law, a former member of the Legal Aid Appeals Committee and a former Chair of the Edmonton Regional Legal Aid Committee.

Pierre C. Desrochers, c.r. conducts a general business law practice which focuses on corporate law, commercial law and real estate law. He has a number of years’ experience working with independent business clients and commercial lenders in areas relating to commercial financings, real estate developments and joint ventures, incorporations, corporate reorganizations, shareholder agreements, partnership agreements, shareholder disputes and purchases and sales of businesses. Pierre assists clients with family business succession issues, estate planning, wills and trusts. He has a keen interest for issues relating to minority language education and francophone school authorities.

Pierre was admitted to the Alberta Bar in 1982. In January 2004 he was designated Queen’s Counsel. Pierre is and has been active in a number of professional and community organizations and has served on a number of corporate boards. Pierre has served as a member and chair of the Fédération des conseils scolaires de l’Alberta, trustee and chair of Le Conseil scolaire Centre-Nord, member of the Board and President of the Franco-Albertain (Alberta’s French language weekly newspaper), and was a long time member of the Edmonton Community Foundation’s Distribution Committee. He was on the executive of the Canadian Bar Association’s Conference of French Speaking Common Law Members and was formally active in the Canadian Bar Association as a member of its council.  He is currently the President of the Conseil Consultatif (the advisory committee) of Campus St Jean, University of Alberta’s French language faculty.

Lorimer Dawson conducts a general business law practice, concentrating on corporate law, commercial law and real estate law.  He has many years of experience assisting his clients with incorporations, business acquisitions and sales, commercial financing, corporate reorganizations, agri-business requirements, shareholder agreements and shareholder disputes, real estate development, commercial leasing, joint ventures, franchising (for both franchisors and franchisees) and an extensive array of business contracts.  His corporate law experience includes legal work on a variety of legal issues for not-for-profit entities.  He also assists his clients on their succession and will and estate planning needs.

Lorimer was admitted to the Alberta Bar in 1979, having obtained his B.A./B.Sc. at the University of Lethbridge and his LL.B at the University of Alberta.  He was formerly an instructor for the Alberta Bar Admission Course in the areas of Company Law and the Legal Profession. He has served on the Board of Directors of a public corporation.  Lorimer has been active in a number of community groups addressing issues such as family service needs, child education, and fundraising to combat violence against women.  He was an advisory committee member for the Grant MacEwan University in connection with their Legal Assistants Program.

Since 2004, Lorimer has also been a member of the Northwest Territories Bar. In 2012, he was appointed King’s Counsel in Alberta.

Robert Curtis has more than five decades of general litigation experience, including commercial litigation, contractual disputes, complex matrimonial issues, testamentary capacity and estate disputes, foreclosure, bankruptcy, insolvency, and professional malpractice. While a wise old Barrister once gave him the sage advice that has become his motto, “A settling lawyer is a successful lawyer”, Rob has a reputation as a tenacious advocate.  He has conducted many trials on behalf of individuals and institutions, and argued appeals through to the Supreme Court of Canada.

Rob was admitted to the Alberta Bar in 1974, having obtained his B.A. at McGill University and his LL.B. at the University of Alberta.  He was awarded many scholarships and prizes during his academic career, was Case Notes Editor of the Alberta Law Review, and elected as the Law Representative to General Faculty Council.  He has been a sessional instructor teaching evidence at the University of Alberta Faculty of Law, and has served the Canadian Bar Association in many capacities, including membership on the National Executive and Planning Committees.

In 2000, he was appointed Queen’s Counsel in Alberta.  When not practicing law he can frequently be found in his workshop or watching eagles and seals on Vancouver Island.