Find Lawyers in Toronto, Ontario for Alternative Dispute Resolution
Practice Area Overview
When people think of hiring a lawyer to resolve a dispute, they often have in mind that their problem will ultimately be resolved at a trial with a judge ruling in favour of one party and against another. This understanding, perhaps reinforced through television and movies, does not represent the reality. In fact, most lawsuits settle.
For the longest time, it was not uncommon for parties to go through all the steps of litigation, from pleadings through documentary and oral discovery, only to settle, sometimes “on the courtroom steps.” Bearing this pattern in mind, many litigants have opted to pursue Alternative Dispute Resolution, or ADR, as means of achieving settlement sooner and cheaper than by going through the court process.
In this context, the parties in dispute enlist independent, unaffiliated persons to assist them to reach a resolution. This may be achieved through two different paths. Arbitration proceedings are generally adversarial in nature and the arbitrator makes a final decision, just as a judge does, but outside the court system. A private mediator assists the parties in reaching settlements through consensus and does not impose a decision.
Lawyers play an important role in ADR. They may be the decision makers in arbitrations or function as facilitators in mediations. In either case, they may have specialized knowledge in the area of law under consideration or in the industry in which the dispute arose. Sometimes, lawyers are chosen as arbitrators or mediators because of their reputations as having the ability to be fair-minded and even-handed.
Not to be overlooked is the special role the lawyers for the parties can play in ADR. It is often they who suggest alternative means of resolving disputes to their clients. They play a huge role in explaining the process to their clients beforehand, and otherwise preparing the parties. In the case of mediation, the parties should ensure their lawyers have the right experience to assist them in getting to settlement. Parties sometimes will hire experienced lawyers to act as “settlement counsel” to assist them in getting to a resolution in mediation.
Clare Burns is a senior trusts and estates litigator. She served as the Children's Lawyer for the Province of Ontario from 2003 to 2008 pursuant to an Order-in-Council appointment. As the Children's Lawyer, Clare's office was responsible to investigate, advocate, protect and represent persons under the age of 18 in proceedings before the courts and tribunals of Ontario. In this role, she supervised more than 11,000 cases including variations of trust, will challenges, passings of accounts, gu...
Jeff Cowan is recognized as one of Canada's leading public law litigators. He acts as counsel before administrative tribunals and the trial and appellate courts in many aspects of public law, including professional self-regulation and discipline, judicial review of government decision-making, freedom of information and privacy matters, municipal and provincial planning and environmental approvals, municipal assessment and taxation, health, education, alcohol and gaming, legislative drafting a...
Jeremy Devereux acts as an advocate and negotiator in a wide range of complex commercial and regulatory matters. His experience includes securities and financial services disputes, regulatory investigations and prosecutions, corporate and commercial litigation, class actions, employment law, estates litigation, mining law and administrative law. He has appeared as counsel before the Ontario courts, the Federal Court of Canada, and numerous tribunals and arbitration panels. Mr. Devereux freque...
Justin is the Principal of de VRIES LITIGATION LLP. Justin was a partner at Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP (now Dentons LLP) and a partner and counsel at Hull & Hull LLP. He is the founder of allaboutestates.ca; a popular collaborative blog on estate and trust matters. Justin is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP), the Advocates’ Society, the Estate Planning Council of Toronto, and the Estate Planners’ Council of Halton. He has consistently been named ...
Valerie is a senior member of our Litigation Group and is a highly respected member of the litigation bar. In addition to her extensive experience as trial counsel, she has appeared as appellate counsel before both the Ontario Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada. With more than 25 years of experience at the Bar, Valerie has demonstrated established expertise in damages analysis, including business loss claims, business and share valuations, and real property valuations. She has ex...
Paul Fruitman’s commercial litigation practice focuses on contract disputes, health law, real estate, departing employee cases, shareholder disputes and product liability. He has extensive experience acting for healthcare institutions and professionals in civil and regulatory proceedings. He also regularly acts as counsel to corporate directors and officers and in shareholder disputes and oppression claims. Paul has appeared at all levels of court in Ontario, the Federal Court and the F...
Duncan W. Glaholt, FCIArb, C.Arb is the founder and a partner of the leading and nationally recognized construction law firm of Glaholt LLP, consistently peer rated as one of Canada’s most highly recommended mid-sized construction law practises. Mr. Glaholt is the recipient of the 2014 OBA Award of Excellence in Construction Law. Mr. Glaholt has been named one of Canada’s leading lawyers in the Construction Law category in the Lexpert/American Lawyer Media publication: “Lead...
Rahat Godil is a business-minded litigator with a diverse practice focusing on complex and high-value commercial and contractual disputes. She is a strategic thinker and leader committed to excellence, professionalism and inclusiveness. Rahat has significant commercial arbitration experience and regularly represents clients in both international and domestic institutional and ad hoc arbitrations. Rahat also has substantial experience with joint venture and shareholder disputes, multi-party di...
Matthew Gottlieb practises business litigation including corporate and commercial disputes, insolvency and restructuring and fraud and securities litigation. Matt’s extensive track record of success in complex, high-stakes disputes explains why he has been recognized as one of Canada’s top litigation lawyers. He has significant expertise in trials, applications, tribunals and arbitrations and regularly appears at all levels of court in Ontario and other provinces, the Federal Cour...
Susan Gunter, partner since 2002 at Dutton Brock LLP, holds an LLM in Civil Litigation (Osgoode), an LLB (UNB), and was called to the Ontario Bar in 1996. She is recognized in The Best Lawyers in Canada (Products Liability Law, Insurance Law and Personal Injury Litigation). Her litigation practice defends domestic and international corporations and insurers. She has appeared before federal and provincial tribunals, at all levels of court in Ontario and at the Federal Court of Canada. She is c...
Douglas Harrison is an independent commercial arbitrator and mediator, handling both international and domestic Canadian business disputes. He also acts as legal counsel in select matters, including designing arbitral procedures and enforcing arbitral awards, as well as doing opinion work. Mr. Harrison is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, a member of the CPR Panels of Distinguished Neutrals as both an arbitrator and mediator (Global Panel, Product Liability Panel and Pro Bon...
Ian Hull co-founded the firm with his father, Rodney Hull, in 1998. Ian also maintains a mediation practice through Hull Estate Mediation Inc. Ian is a lecturer at the Ontario Bar Admission Course and guest lecturer for the Canadian Bar Association and the Law Society of Upper Canada. Ian is also the author of numerous articles and has written four books on estate law issues. All books and articles can be found on our website .
Mr. Israel has practiced exclusively in the areas of Employment and Labour Law since his call to the Bar in 1978. He has appeared successfully before every level of Court including the Ontario Court of Appeal as well as the Supreme Court of Canada. He has been named as one of Canada’s Most Frequently Recommended employment lawyers by The Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory every year since its inception in 1998 as well as by The Lexpert®/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 La...
Jonathan Lancaster’s litigation practice is focused on corporate commercial litigation, commercial real estate litigation, lease arbitrations, banking law, product liability litigation, professional negligence and estate litigation. Jonathan has a broad commercial real estate and estate litigation practice. Acting successfully as counsel in Ontario cases, Jonathan has advised on a broad array of real estate litigation issues, including mortgagee and tenant rights/priorities, rights of f...
Described by his peers as ‘the gold standard in this space, a phenomenal litigator’, for more than thirty years Jonathan has won landmark decisions across a broad variety of subject matter including competition law, constitutional law, liability of public authorities, professional liability, criminal law, financial services, franchise law and contract disputes. He has tried over 90 cases to judgment and argued over 55 appeals in provincial appellate courts and the Supreme Court of...
Paul practice focuses on corporate commercial litigation and arbitration, shareholder and fraud litigation, appellate litigation and judicial review with particular expertise in complex cases with a regulatory or cross-border dimension. He has litigated cases involving failed hedge funds, derivatives, fraud and Ponzi schemes, arbitration-related court proceedings, shareholder disputes, construction and infrastructure, defamation and employment law. A highly experienced and versatile litigator...
Derry Millar is a skilled and dedicated advocate with a broad civil litigation and administrative law practice who brings his skills in dispute resolution and as an advocate to his work as an arbitrator and mediator. Derry was elected as the Treasurer (President) of the Law Society of Upper Canada (governing body for Ontario lawyers and paralegals) on June 26, 2008 and May 29, 2009, and served as Treasurer from June 26, 2008 to June 29, 2010. Derry is the fourth partner in the history of the ...
Orestes Pasparakis is co-chair of our Canadian special situations team, which encompasses Canada’s leading shareholder activist practice, sophisticated securities litigation and complex reorganization transactions. Mr. Pasparakis has led and won some of Canada's most contentious and complex corporate disputes. Mr. Pasparakis focuses on high-stakes disputes that often proceed in “real time” or on an urgent basis. His approach is practical and results-oriented. Many of his cas...
Bruce Reynolds has earned a stellar reputation in the construction industry for settling disputes and drafting and negotiating contracts. Who’s Who Legal has recognized him as “one of the foremost construction practitioners in the world,” while his clients have praised him for his legal skills, integrity and clarity of insight. Bruce is Co-Managing Partner and Co-Chair of the firm’s International Construction Projects Group. He specializes in the resolution of construc...
Crawford's litigation practice focuses on corporate and commercial matters, energy regulatory proceedings, securities and competition litigation, public and administrative law, and he has substantial class action expertise. Crawford has appeared as counsel in all levels of court in Ontario, in the Supreme Court of Canada, in the Federal Court, in commercial arbitrations, and before a variety of administrative tribunals including the Ontario Energy Board, the Ontario Securities Commission, the...
Practice Profile Larry practices commercial litigation, insurance and product liability (including class proceedings), and has appeared before all levels of the Ontario and Federal courts, as well as the superior courts of Manitoba and Alberta. He is honoured to have been selected again by his peers for inclusion in Best Lawyers 2016 for Insurance, as well as Expert Guides in the areas of Litigation, Product Liability, Insurance and Reinsurance. Larry has acted as lead counsel in over 70 tria...
Sharon Vogel has been recognized for her success at resolving and litigating disputes relating to large-scale infrastructure, industrial and commercial projects. Among the many professional acknowledgments she has received, Benchmark Litigation has named her Construction Lawyer of the Year (three times) and repeatedly one of the top women in litigation in the country, she is ranked Band 1 by Chambers Global , she was recognized as one of the 25 most influential lawyers in Canada by Canadian L...
Peter Wardle is a Partner with the Commercial and Business Litigation and Professional Liability Practice Groups at Singleton Urquhart Reynolds Vogel LLP. Peter has built his reputation as a recognized and trusted advocate over more than 35 years representing parties in commercial disputes involving contract interpretation, shareholder and partnership obligations, securities, directors’ and officers’ liability, professional negligence, construction, estates, and real estate. Peter...
Michael Watson is a partner in Gowling WLG's Toronto office, practising in the area of corporate and commercial litigation, administrative law, and employment and labour relations. Michael handles a wide variety of commercial, energy, constitutional and administrative matters. He has appeared before all levels of courts in Ontario, in the Federal Court of Canada, and in the Supreme Court of Canada, as well as the trial and appellate courts of Alberta. Throughout his career, Michael has been h...
Maureen has a large and diverse litigation practice which includes commercial litigation, competition law litigation, property disputes, employment disputes, medical malpractice and personal injury litigation. She appears regularly before all levels of court in Ontario as well as in mediations, arbitrations and before a number of tribunals. In addition, Maureen has significant experience in injunction proceedings and has both written and spoken at conferences on Mareva injunctions. Maureen ha...
Rob Alfieri in a lawyer at Dickinson Wright's Toronto office, in its Commercial Litigation Group. Rob focuses his practice on commercial & business litigation and class action law. He maintains a general trial and appellate litigation practice, concentrating on contract disputes, shareholder disputes, professional liability, fraud cases, foreign judgment enforcements, injunctions, and private commercial arbitration disputes. Rob brings together passion with experience, intellect, and a th...
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