News

Welcome Four New Associates

Four Patterson Law clerks were called to the Nova Scotia Bar on Friday.

John Creighton, Emily Hunter, Ryan O’Connor and Peter Rak all successfully completed their articles over the past year working out of Patterson Law.  Now that they are members of the Nova Scotia Bar, they will transition into associate roles with the firm.

“The entire firm is so proud of the effort John, Emily, Ryan and Peter put into achieving this significant milestone in their legal careers,” said Jennifer Hamilton Upham, co-managing partner of Patterson Law.  “We look forward to seeing each of them make a positive difference in helping our clients succeed and our communities prosper as part of the Patterson Law team.”

Ensuring Patterson Law clients benefit from continuous recruitment and retention of the best and brightest emerging legal talents has been a longstanding focus of the firm.

“Ongoing investment in new talent is one of the reasons why Patterson Law continues to deliver for our clients,” said Kate Harris, co-managing partner of Patterson Law.  “We are confident that John, Emily, Ryan and Peter will continue the Patterson Law approach of consistently high standards of advice and service.”

John Creighton holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree with a focus in Finance from Dalhousie University, placing on the Dean’s List.  He then earned a law degree from the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University in 2020.  He will work primarily out of Patterson Law’s Halifax (Hollis Street) office and practice in corporate/commercial. 

Emily Hunter holds a Bachelor’s in International Relations degree (honours) from Mount Allison University, where she was a Dean’s List student and an Academic All-Canadian student athlete.   She earned a law degree from the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University in 2020.  She will work primarily out of the Patterson Law’s Truro office and practice in litigation.

Ryan O’Connor holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Acadia University, where he consistently earned academic excellence awards and the Raymond W. Ferguson Award for good academic ability, sound character and potential leadership in the business world.  Following a successful two years in commercial banking, O’Connor earned a law degree from the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University in 2020.  He will work primarily out of Patterson Law’s Halifax (Hollis Street) office and practice in corporate/commercial.

Peter Rak holds a Bachelor of Arts degree (specialized honours) in Global Political Studies from York University and Master of Arts degree in Political Studies from Queen’s University.  He then earned a law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School at York University in 2020.  Rak will work primarily out of Patterson Law’s Bridgewater office and practice in litigation.

About Us

Clients coming first has been the core value of Patterson Law since the firm opened its doors in 1928.  Today, Patterson Law helps clients whose interests range from global to purely local with a talented team of more than 130 legal professionals and staff in five offices across Nova Scotia – Truro, Halifax (Hollis Street), Halifax (Quinn Street), Bridgewater and New Glasgow.