NARWAL LITIGATION LLP

Joven Narwal, KC

Founding Partner

Cheryl D'Sa, KC

Managing Partner

Vanessa Hicks

Group Executive Customer and People Experience

Leadership

Joven Narwal, KC, is a leading trial and appellate lawyer with unrivalled experience in complex and serious cases where liberty and reputation are at stake, particularly in the areas of criminal litigation, securities litigation, professional regulation, and specialty civil litigation involving criminal overtones. He has appeared at all levels of court, including the Supreme Court of Canada, and has been counsel before regulators in the health professions, legal profession, and financial industry, in addition to having acted for clergy, athletes, and academics before their respective governing bodies. He has an extensive international criminal law practice involving multi-jurisdictional investigations and enforcement actions.

Founding Partner

Joven Narwal, KC

Cheryl D'Sa, KC, is the firm’s managing partner. She has been an elected Bencher of the Law Society of British Columbia (LSBC) since 2020 and is currently the chair of the LSBC’s Lawyer Development Task Force, among other Bencher roles. She was the first visible minority female president of the Vancouver Bar Association. D'Sa has received several awards, including the CBABC Women Lawyers Forum Debra Van Ginkel, QC Mentoring Award, an Excellence Award in the Category of Female Trailblazer of the Year by Canadian Lawyer Magazine’s Canadian Law Awards and Business in Vancouver’s Top Forty Under 40.

Managing Partner

Cheryl D'Sa, KC

Vanessa Hicks took on the newly created role of group executive customer and people experience at TPG Telecom in April 2024. She has served in several senior roles within the company, including general manager of business customer operations and general manager of human resources. She is responsible for all human resources functions. Hicks was appointed chair of the TPG Telecom Foundation Board in January 2022. She has served on the Vodafone Foundation Australia Board since 2010, including a four-year tenure as chair. Hicks has served as an advisory board member of the Telco Together Foundation since 2017.

Group Executive Customer and People Experience

Vanessa Hicks

Jonathan Rutherford

Group Executive Wholesale, Enterprise and Government

Jonathan Rutherford was appointed group executive of wholesale, enterprise and government in December 2021. Having joined TPG Telecom in July 2021, he has responsibility for driving growth in the enterprise, business, government and wholesale segments. Rutherford was previously at Vodafone Czech Republic, where he served as vice president – B2B. He previously worked at Vodafone Ireland and Vodafone UK in senior enterprise and commercial roles and, prior to that, was a network engineer at 3. He holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering and a master’s degree in engineering.

Group Executive Wholesale, Enterprise and Government

Jonathan Rutherford

Naomi Lim

Chief People and Operations Officer

Naomi Lim is a human resources professional specialising in change management and fostering growth at both individual and organisational levels. She is a collaborative and inclusive leader, empowering high performance in teams while staying ahead of HR innovation and best practice. Lim brings a well-rounded perspective to driving positive change within organisations, particularly at Ligeti Partners. With an honours degree in psychology and a master’s degree in human resource management, she understands the critical factors required to enhance a company’s most valuable asset: its people. Lim is committed to building an engaged, high-performing and resilient workforce.

Chief People and Operations Officer

Naomi Lim

Criminal and regulatory investigations do not unfold in a single arena. What begins as an inquiry can develop into parallel proceedings, reputational exposure, and institutional risk. Narwal Litigation LLP advises clients in that context, where decisions must account for more than the immediate legal issue. Recognized as one of Canadian Lawyer’s Top Criminal Law Boutiques 2026–27, the Vancouver-based firm is known for its work on the most complex and consequential cases in the country. It represents individuals, regulated professionals, and institutions in matters where liberty, reputation, professional standing, and organizational survival are at risk. Its matters frequently involve clients navigating parallel criminal and regulatory exposure, both domestically and internationally. The practice is led by Joven Narwal, KC, whose career has been shaped by involvement in some of Canada’s most legally significant and high-profile criminal and regulatory matters. A former Crown prosecutor and an experienced trial and appellate advocate, he acts for clients facing extraordinary scrutiny, including public figures, senior executives, professionals, athletes, and organizations.

“Credibility and judgment are as critical as outcome”

Joven Narwal, KC, Narwal Litigation LLP

Adrian Zoppa

Director and Head of Financial Planning

Adrian Crossing

Director and Head of Technology, Orlo One

Scott Young

Director, Accounting and Business Advisory

Simon Williams

Chief Strategy & Distribution Officer, Arch Insurance International and Active Underwriter, Syndicate 1955

Adrian Zoppa is a director at Hood Sweeney Securities with more than 20 years of experience in integrated accounting and financial planning. As head of financial planning since 2021, he specialises in financial strategy, ownership structures and portfolio management, working with clients across industries, including the health sector. Zoppa is known for his detail-oriented, collaborative approach, taking time to understand each client’s story and objectives before designing tailored, practical solutions. He works closely with other trusted professionals to deliver comprehensive advice. Zoppa sits on the Hood Sweeney Securities Board, is a responsible manager for the AFSL, and chairs the Investment Committee.

Director and Head of Financial Planning

Adrian Zoppa

Adrian Crossing is director and head of technology for Orlo One, with more than 20 years of experience in technology services. Promoted to director in 2024, he believes that effective business strategy must be underpinned by robust security and privacy and advocates embedding these principles into every layer of operations. Crossing leads the continuous refinement of Orlo One’s capabilities to keep pace with a rapidly evolving threat landscape, where cyber risks demand resilient, proactive responses. His deep expertise in cybersecurity and disaster recovery makes him a trusted adviser to organisations seeking comprehensive protection, operational continuity and confidence in their technology environment.

Director and Head of Technology, Orlo One

Adrian Crossing

Scott Young is a director in accounting and business advisory at Hood Sweeney, bringing more than 30 years of experience with a strong focus on regional and agribusiness clients. Having grown up in a family livestock farming operation, he understands firsthand the challenges facing farming and regional enterprises, including seasonal variability and market volatility. As agribusiness relationship partner, Young oversees the delivery of professional services to regional and farm-related businesses across South Australia and Alice Springs and advises SMEs nationwide. He is highly regarded for his expertise in accounting, taxation and tax planning, succession planning, business planning and cash flow management.

Director, Accounting and Business Advisory

Scott Young

Kimi leads the Estate Planning and Wealth Protection team and is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. She understands the complex and delicate nature of family estate planning, the technical requirements around probate and estate administration, and the importance of preserving wealth for future generations. Her advice is accurate, commercial, strategic and tailored to each situation.

Partner

Kimi Shah

maintaining an in-house team of more than 20 programmers to facilitate fast improvements direct bill options to streamline the payment process for the agent and the insured providing IVANS policy downloads that enable up to 30 percent labor savings to independent agencies delivering online capabilities including rating, policy documents, payments, and claims reporting

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While the criminal courtroom remains central, each file is treated as part of a broader set of strategic considerations, reflecting a practice built around this complexity. The team anticipates collateral consequences and aligns decisions with a client’s wider vulnerabilities and objectives, recognizing that investigations can evolve into overlapping proceedings involving criminal prosecution and enforcement actions, often with cross-border dimensions. “The risk of wrongful conviction and enforcement overreach is not confined to traditional violent crime, but is equally present in regulatory and white collar prosecutions, where evidentiary complexity and institutional incentives can distort outcomes,” explains Narwal. In regulatory and white collar matters, cases often turn on evidentiary detail and institutional dynamics. These cases require careful analysis and thorough preparation, with a clear understanding of how enforcement decisions are made. That perspective is reinforced through Narwal’s academic role. As an adjunct professor at the Peter A. Allard School of Law for the past 13 years, he created and teaches advanced courses in complex criminal litigation and white collar crime, drawing directly from real-world experience.

relationships and teamwork embracing and driving change holding teammates accountable pursuing excellence with humility giving back to the community

Narwal and partner Cheryl D’Sa, KC, have each served as president of the Vancouver Bar Association, and D’Sa has been an elected bencher of the Law Society of British Columbia for multiple consecutive terms. Their roles in bar governance, combined with peer-elected fellowships in selective international legal organizations, reflect confidence in their judgment and integrity from within the profession itself. That track record has established credibility through repeated involvement in matters where stakes are high and the margin for error is limited. The practice integrates criminal defence, professional discipline advocacy, and institutional regulatory matters into a cohesive model of crisis representation. Advocacy is informed by an understanding of governance, compliance frameworks, and regulatory expectations, strengthening its defence of individuals operating within complex corporate and professional environments. The team also advises on crisis response, regulatory engagement, and stakeholder communication, recognizing the demands of high-stakes matters. Narwal Litigation LLP’s continued recognition reflects its position at the forefront of criminal and regulatory defence in Canada. Its record is defined by experience and professional leadership, with a consistent focus on matters where the stakes are high and the consequences are far-reaching, and an unwavering commitment to its clients.

“The risk of wrongful conviction and enforcement overreach is not confined to traditional violent crime but is equally present in regulatory and white-collar prosecutions, where evidentiary complexity and institutional incentives can distort outcomes”

Joven Narwal, KC, Narwal Litigation LLP