Corte Madera resident John Supple and San Francisco’s Henry “Rick” Canvel are forming a new Sausalito law firm, Supple & Canvel.
The two were partners at San Francisco’s Gordon & Rees firm. They will be joined in Sausalito by resident Susan Roe, who is leaving her position as director of professional development at Gordon & Rees to serve as Supple & Canvel’s office manager.
Supple chaired Gordon & Rees’ nationwide health care practice group and has worked with Canvel for 10 years.
Roe worked at Gordon & Rees for 26 years and is the recipient of the 2008 Spirit of Marin Award. She is the president-elect of the Sausalito Chamber of Commerce.
Supple & Canvel, located on Marinship Way, will open its doors for business on April 18. The firm will focus on clients in the long-term care industry, including assisted living, independent living and skilled nursing facilities, as well as physicians and hospitals in elderly abuse actions and other types of claims.
Supple joined Gordon & Rees 10 years ago, when the firm had approximately 100 attorneys. It has since grown to about 425 attorneys in 18 offices across the country. The rapid growth of Gordon & Rees encouraged Supple to form his own firm.
“I like a situation in which I have a little bit more control over the direction of the firm. The business plan we have in mind will deliver more cost-effective service and hopefully it will be more profitable for the principals. Gordon & Rees is growing like crazy — we feel it’s time to do it on our own,” Supple said.
Also joining Supple & Canvel are senior litigation counsel William Horsey Jr. of Gordon & Rees and associate attorneys Karen Poppy of Erickson Arbuthnot; Rob Deering of the law offices of Barton Hegeler in San Diego; and Elizabeth Throne, a recent Pepperdine University School of Law graduate. Supple & Canvel has also hired a full-time nurse consultant, Mary Armstrong, who previously worked at Gordon & Rees.