Welcome to the partnership, Christopher Isnor and Mara Mallory

It is my pleasure to announce that Christopher Isnor and Mara Mallory have been named partners at Lawson Creamer.

This is a defining moment for our firm – and a well-earned one for two exceptional lawyers.

On behalf of everyone at Lawson Creamer, I offer my sincere congratulations to both Chris and Mara. They have each built their practices here over years of exceptional work, and we are proud of them both. It is my great pleasure to welcome them to the partnership table.

I have had the privilege of watching both of them develop and distinguish themselves over years of demanding, high-stakes work. They are talented, committed lawyers who bring practical insight and a genuine understanding of business to everything they do.

I have known both of them well for some time now, and I want to tell you about each of them in turn – starting with Chris.

Deeply rooted here

Chris first came to us as a summer student, he articled here, was called to the New Brunswick bar in 2017, and has built his practice at this firm ever since. That continuity is not an accident. It reflects a deliberate choice, made and remade over nearly a decade, to invest in this firm and in the clients who depend on it.

His practice focuses on bankruptcy and insolvency, contractual disputes and commercial litigation. He has represented secured creditors, trustees, receivers and businesses navigating some of the most complex proceedings we handle – taking on increasingly sophisticated matters and handling them with a steadiness that clients notice and rely on.

What I find most distinctive about Chris, apart from his exceptional litigation skills, is that he listens. In litigation, that is rarer than it sounds.

He takes the time to understand what a file is really about – the human story behind the legal dispute – and that understanding is what separates good legal advice from exceptional representation.

He is also deeply rooted here. He grew up in Rothesay, bought back the house he grew up in, and is raising his family there. That commitment to community runs through everything he does, including his work mentoring students at UNB Law and coaching young athletes.

Being at the partnership table means something to Chris. He sees it as his stake in how this firm grows, how it serves clients, how it evolves.

That is exactly the disposition we were looking for.

Wonderful person

Mara came to us by a different path, though with no less purpose.

Law runs in Mara’s family. Her grandfather was a judge. Her uncles were lawyers. Her brother practises law.

She grew up around the profession – and when Mel Norton reached out to her about joining Lawson Creamer, she arrived with not only a strong legal foundation but a depth of real-world experience that is genuinely rare.

Mara began her professional career in private law practice but then transitioned to senior roles in business development and organizational leadership. She has sat at boardroom tables, managed institutional relationships and navigated the kind of complex strategic decisions that her clients now bring to her.

That background informs her approach as a lawyer – she understands what clients are actually trying to achieve, and can give them advice grounded in how the world actually works.

Her litigation record reflects that capability. She has been involved in complex civil matters at the appellate level, including a significant role in the Wolastoqey Nation title claim – one of the most consequential Indigenous land rights cases in this province’s history, with a leave application now before the Supreme Court of Canada.

She is also a wonderful person to work with. Direct, perceptive and genuinely invested in the success of her colleagues and clients. She and Chris have developed a strong working relationship that has already benefited clients across both of their practices.

Extraordinary future

Lawson Creamer has been at this since 1978.

The firm has evolved considerably over those decades – in the work it does, the clients it serves and the lawyers who have carried it forward. These appointments are part of that evolution.

They reflect the kind of deliberate, long-term investment in people that has always defined us. This is how a firm like ours stays strong – not by standing still, but by developing exceptional lawyers and bringing them to the table.

Chris and Mara will help shape an extraordinary future for our firm. I am proud to welcome them to the partnership – and I am confident the momentum we are building today will carry Lawson Creamer forward for decades to come.

Robert M. Creamer, K.C., is a partner at Lawson Creamer. He can be reached at rcreamer@lawsoncreamer.com.