Emily is a partner at the firm, starting her career with the firm as summer student in 2004. She has a diverse litigation practice, with an emphasis on civil litigation and public and administrative law. She provides pragmatic, creative, and client-focused advice and strategies to individuals, institutions and corporate clients.
She regularly acts for clients in civil and commercial disputes, employment and pension litigation, privacy matters, and administrative law proceedings. She maintains an active hearing practice, and has particular expertise in administrative and civil proceedings involving regulated professionals, both as a prosecutor and defense counsel before regulatory tribunals and the civil courts. Emily has appeared before all levels of court in Ontario and at the Supreme Court of Canada.
Emily has a particular interest and expertise in administrative law. She is the co-author of the book Administrative Law in Practice: Principles and Advocacy (with now Mr. Justice Lorne Sossin) (Emond, 2018), a practical guide to administrative law. She has taught Administrative Law as an adjunct professor at Osgoode Hall Law School. Emily presents regularly on administrative law, professional regulation and litigation skills development at the Law Society, the Ontario Bar Association, and the Advocates’ Society.
Emily is actively involved in mentoring and in the legal community. She sat for four years on the Young Advocates’ Standing Committee of the Advocates’ Society, and is currently on the executive of the 10+ Committee of the Advocates’ Society for mid-career lawyers. She has developed numerous educational, mentoring, and networking events with the firm and through the Advocates’ Society. Emily also sits on the Osgoode Hall Alumni Association and has been an alumni mentor for Osgoode students since 2007.
Within the firm, Emily is the head of the firm’s student program.
Education
- Osgoode Hall Law School, Osgoode Certificate in Pension Law, 2011
- Osgoode Hall Law School, Specialization in Litigation, Dispute Resolution and Administration of Justice, LL.B., 2005
- Concordia University, B.A. (Hons.) (Political Science), 2002
Professional Affiliations
- Ontario Bar Association
- Toronto Lawyers’ Association
- The Advocates’ Society
Representative Work
- Inquiry Counsel to The Honourable Mr. Justice Herman J. Wilton-Siegel who was appointed Commissioner of the City of Hamilton's Red Hill Valley Parkway Inquiry in May 2019.
- Acts for a large multinational corporations on complex civil and product liability litigation;
- Has acted for large and small companies in breach of contract cases with service providers and suppliers;
- Frequently appears as prosecution counsel and defence counsel for colleges of regulated professionals before discipline committees and on appeal or judicial review in the courts;
- Represents unions, pension plan administrators and individuals in pension matters, before the courts, the Financial Services Tribunal, and in labour arbitrations; and
- Acts for executives and other employees in employment and pension matters.
Awards and Honours
Recognized in the 2021 Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory as Repeatedly recommended - Litigation - Regulatory & Public Law
Recognized in the 2020 Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory as Leading Lawyers to Watch - Litigation - Regulatory & Public Law
Recognized in 2021 by Best Lawyers in Canada for Corporate and Commercial Litigation
Publications and Presentations
- Emily regularly speaks at continuing legal education programs and conferences in the areas of administrative law, employment law and professional regulation.
- Co-authored Administrative Law in Practice: Principles and Advocacy with Justice Lorne Sossin (Emond, 2018), a practical guide to administrative law.
- Ryder, Bruce, Lawrence, Emily and Faria, Cidalia, What's Law Good For? An Empirical Overview of Charter Equality Rights Decisions (June 1, 2004). Supreme Court Law Review (2d), Vol. 24, p. 103, 2004.