LAWYERS

Robert’s expertise in corporate and securities litigation is widely recognized in both the securities industry and the legal community. In addition to being recognized as Securities Litigation Lawyer of the Year for 2020 by Benchmark Litigation, Robert has been recognized by Lexpert as one of the Top 500 Lawyers in Canada and has been featured in the Lexpert Special Edition on Canada’s Leading Litigation Lawyers. He has also been recognized as a leading corporate commercial litigator by Best Lawyers in Canada and as a leader in the field of securities litigation by Chambers Canada.

Robert regularly represents public companies, investment dealers, officers, directors, shareholders, investment advisors and investors in the myriad disputes that can arise in the capital markets. His securities litigation practice includes class actions, proceedings before securities regulators, director and officer liability claims, shareholder and corporate governance disputes, oppression remedy matters, takeover bid litigation, negligence claims against investment advisors and dealers, cyber-fraud investigations and claims in the financial sector, and wrongful dismissal suits against investment firms.

Robert has extensive experience representing individual and corporate respondents before the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC), the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC), the Mutual Fund Dealers Association (MFDA) and the Financial Services Commission of Ontario (FSCO).

Robert also has a wide-ranging commercial litigation practice that includes disputes arising out of mergers and acquisitions, breach of contract suits, fraud and cyber-fraud investigations and claims, business tort claims, wrongful dismissal actions and professional negligence suits.

Robert has appeared before all levels of court in Ontario and, due to his expertise in corporate and securities matters, has been counsel on a wide range of civil cases, class actions and regulatory proceedings across the country. He is a frequent speaker on corporate, securities and civil litigation issues and is a skills instructor at trial practice workshops put on by The Advocates’ Society.

Awards & Recognition

Robert is recognized by Lexpert as one of the Top 500 Lawyers in Canada and has been featured in the Lexpert Special Edition on Canada’s Leading Litigation Lawyers. In 2020, he was named Securities Litigation Lawyer of the Year by Benchmark Litigation. He has also been recognized as a leading corporate commercial litigator by Best Lawyers in Canada and as a leader in the field of securities litigation by Chambers Canada. Robert is also a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America.

Speaking Engagements & Publications

Co-Author, “Reduce Litigation Risk for Your M&A Deal with Dispute Resolution Clauses”, M&A Risk Advisor, December 15, 2021

Co-Chair, “Evidence for Litigators”, The Advocates’ Society, October 26, 2021

Co-Author, “Three Things You Need to Know if a Contract is Breached Because of COVID-19”, April 2020

Faculty, Summer Trial Advocacy College, The Advocates’ Society, June 2016 and 2018

Speaker, “Regulatory Hot Topics”, Association of Canadian Compliance Professionals Annual Conference, April 22, 2019

Moderator, “Hitting your Story Home in Closing Argument”, The Advocates’ Society Civil Litigation Skills Program, April 4, 2019

Panellist, “OSC Whistleblower Program”, Northwind 2018 Investment Funds Forum, October 11, 2018

Co-Author, “Don’t be the next Equifax: Cyber-liability in an Age of Data Insecurity: Recognizing and Managing Cyber-risk”, Private Capital Markets Association Newsletter, October 2017

Co-Author, “Separate, Independent and Confounding: Understanding Personal Liability for Corporate Acts”, Annual Review of Civil Litigation (Toronto: Thomson Reuters Canada Limited, 2017, reproduced with permission).

Speaker, “Errors and Omissions Insurance — What you need to know”, MFDA Risk Management Conference, October 27, 2017

Instructor, Advanced Do a Trial, Advocates’ Society, September 23, 2017

Speaker, “Compliance, The Future is Now”, Association of Canadian Compliance Professionals Annual Conference, April 24, 2017

Faculty, Motions Advocacy, The Advocates’ Society, February 7, 2017

Panellist, 5^th Annual Conference, Federation of Mutual Fund Dealers, April 26, 2016

Speaker, “Compliance, Own It”, Association of Canadian Compliance Professionals Annual Conference, April 25, 2016

Speaker, Assante Wealth Management and CI Financial – National Wealth Management Conferences, 2014-2016

Speaker, “Risk Management, Suitability and Complaint Handling”, Association of Canadian Compliance Professionals Annual Conference, April 27, 2015

Speaker and Instructor, “Objections During Cross-Examination and Re-Examination”, The Advocates’ Society, April 17, 2015