Paliare Roland Rosenberg Rothstein LLP > Toronto, Canada > Firm Profile

Paliare Roland Rosenberg Rothstein LLP
155 WELLINGTON ST WEST 35TH FLOOR
TORONTO, ON, M5V 3H1
Canada

Canada > Dispute resolution: Ontario Tier 1

Toronto-based litigation boutique Paliare Roland Rosenberg Rothstein LLP is a significant player in the Ontario market, known for its expertise in corporate commercial litigation, class actions, insolvency litigation, securities litigation and product liability matters, among others. At the helm of the practice, Emily Lawrence has substantial expertise in professional regulation, pension litigation, constitutional litigation, civil disputes and privacy matters. Ken Rosenberg has notable experience in mediation and arbitration, as well as commercial litigation, class action and administrative disputes. Additional key contacts include Odette Soriano, who handles class action and defamation matters on both the plaintiff and defence sides; and Linda Rothstein, who specializes in professional regulation matters and internal partnership disputes. Jeffrey Larry brings expertise in securities and insolvency litigation.

Practice head(s):

Emily Lawrence

Testimonials

‘This firm is very well-respected, and its lawyers are known for their integrity and strong advocacy.’

‘Very capable lawyers, practical and driven to achieve great outcomes.’

‘Unlike some firms that litigate everything, the lawyers at Paliare Roland use litigation as one of many tools to achieve exceptional results for their clients.’

‘The team is diverse in both culture and ideas, and very talented. The lawyers are strong advocates for their clients and maintain respect and integrity with the parties opposite.’

‘The lawyers are smart and efficient and very good at coordinating with international clients in complex class actions across Canada.’

‘Linda Rothstein – experienced, wise and decisive.’

Key clients

Rideau Transit Group General Partnership and Ottawa Light Rail Constructors

Congress of Aboriginal Peoples

611890 Alberta, DBA Avila Energy, Avila Exploration, Development Canada and Leonard Van Betuw

Nippon Chemi-con

University of Toronto

Siskinds LLP and Koskie Minsky LLP

McKinsey & Company

College of Nurses of Ontario

Red Hill Valley Parkway Inquiry

Power Workers’ Union (Bill 124)

Jeremy Logan

Cresford Developments et al.

Guestlogix

The firm: Paliare Roland Rosenberg Rothstein LLP is a litigation boutique with a broad range of expertise and experience. It is routinely involved in high profile cases: complex commercial litigation or class actions, professional discipline or labour disputes or public inquiries. The firm is trusted to manage the most sensitive legal issues facing businesses of every size, individuals, labour unions, professional regulatory bodies, academic institutions and public interest organizations.  Much of its work is referred from other law firms in Ontario, across Canada and internationally.

Main areas of practice
Appeals and Judicial Review: Paliare Roland has argued many important appellate cases including:

  • Club Resorts Ltd v Van Breda, 2012 SCC 17 which established the test for an Ontario court taking jurisdiction over a foreign defendant
  • Counsel to the Canadian Police Association Fraser v Ontario (Attorney-General), 2011 SCC 20, the leading charter decision on freedom of association and the process of collective bargaining

Bankruptcy and insolvency litigation: Paliare Roland acts regularly nationally and locally. The practice is independent of major financial institutions, permitting them to act as counsel to insolvency stakeholders, including court appointed officers, debtors, employee groups, unions, bondholders and governments.

  • Acted for United Steel Workers Union. Was in a lead position regarding the restructuring of Stelco and its legacy liability pension obligations and other post-employment benefits including finding and sponsoring the ultimate Purchase of Stelco, Bedrock Industries.
  • Counsel to the representative plaintiffs in Sino-Forest’s CCAA proceeding commenced in March 2012, in the Ontario class action against Sino-Forest Corporation and some of its current and former officers and directors, auditors and underwriters
  • Counsel to the Canadian Federation of Pensioners at the Supreme Court of Canada in the appeal of Indalex Limited (Re), 2011 ONCA 265, which addressed the priority of pension funding obligations in a restructuring situation.

Class actions: Paliare Roland represents both plaintiffs and defendants in a broad spectrum of class actions. On the defence side, the firm has acted for major financial institutions, major manufacturers, pension funds, educational institutions and insurers.

  • Class counsel in multiple actions alleging criminal interest charges (Markson v MBNA Canada Bank, 2007 ONCA 334), the leading decision on aggregate damages in Ontario.
  • Class counsel to individuals who invested in an alleged charitable tax shelter opportunity sold through investor advisors. The claim was certified in 2012: Cannon v Funds for Canada Foundation, 2012 ONSC 399

Constitutional litigation: Paliare Roland has acted on many high profile constitutional cases and has long associations with the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and other public interest organizations like Friends of the Earth, British Columbia Civil Liberties Association, Métis National Council, Congress of Aboriginal Peoples, Human Rights Watch and various specialised legal aid clinics.

  • Counsel to the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples and individual litigants in Daniels v HMQ, 2014 CanL1168707 (SCC) seeking a declaration that the Federal Government is constitutionally responsible for approximately 600,000 Métis and Non-Status Indians, under s91(24) of the Constitution Act, 1867
  • Counsel to the Canadian Civil Liberties Association in R v Bedford, 2012 ONCA 186 in which the Ontario Court of Appeal struck down substantially all of the Criminal Code provisions regulating prostitution in Canada.

Corporate commercial litigation: Paliare Roland represents publicly and privately on leading cases. The team acts for defendants and plaintiffs bringing versatility and unique insights. It has acted as counsel on class proceedings at all stages of proceeding (certification including all levels of appeal; mediations; examinations for discovery; completion of common issues trials) and on cases involving usurious interest rates, product liability, Competition Act violations, institutional abuse, auditor’s negligence, franchise disputes, cases involving foreign exchange charges, breach of trust, breach of contract, pensions issues, and others.

  • Class counsel to credit card holders who alleged MBNA Canada Bank had received a criminal rate of interest in certain circumstances. The certification decision is one of the leading decisions on aggregate damages (Markson v MBNA Canada Bank, 2007 ONCA 334).
  • Class counsel to individuals who invested in an alleged charitable tax shelter opportunity. Cannon v Funds for Canada Foundation, 2012 ONSC 399.

Employment: Paliare Roland provides advice and advocacy relating to all areas of the employment relationship for both employees and employers. Many of the important cases remain confidential.

Estates and trusts: Paliare Roland has acted on a number of high profile contested estates and trusts matters. It advocates on behalf of both trustees and beneficiaries in will challenges, dependant’s relief applications, capacity and guardianship disputes, and breach of trust matters. Their lawyers have argued leading cases on the right to contest probate, the existence of a trust by virtue of a government grant, misconduct by trustees and advisors, and removal of trust assets offshore. Importantly, it has also achieved settlements of significant and complicated disputes engaging family businesses, trusts and estates.

Judicial Inquiries and Inquests: Paliare Roland has been actively involved in the Province and the City’s inquiries in both capacities – as commission counsel and as counsel to a party with standing in the process. These include acting as counsel to the Hospital for Sick Children at the inquiry into baby deaths at the hospital; to the Durham Regional Police Association at the Guy Paul Morin Inquiry; to the Ontario Public Service Employees’ Union at the Walkerton Inquiry; to the Ontario Provincial Police Association and its members at the Ipperwash Inquiry; to the City of Toronto at the Toronto Computer Leasing Inquiry and the Toronto External Contracts Inquiry; to the developer World Class Developments Ltd at the Mississauga Judicial Inquiry; and to the Honourable Mr Justice Herman J Wilton-Siegel who was appointed Commissioner of the City of Hamilton’s Red Hill Valley Inquiry in May 2019.

The lawyers at Paliare Roland have also acted as commission counsel to the MacKenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry, the Alaska Highway Pipeline Inquiry, the Dionne Quintuplet Review, and most recently, the Inquiry into Pediatric Forensic Pathology in Ontario.

Libel and slander: Paliare Roland has expertise in all aspects of defamation law including litigation and litigation strategies, media strategies and prepublication review. Paliare Roland’s defamation practice includes representation of senior executives, politicians, corporations, athletes, educational institutions and others.

Product liability and tort claims: Paliare Roland acts for both plaintiffs and defendants in cases involving product failure, negligence and economic torts. While these sensitive issues generally result in settlement, the firm’s lawyers have argued leading cases on international jurisdiction and insurance coverage.

Professional discipline and regulation: Paliare Roland represents both regulators and a wide range of professionals in connection with complaints, investigations and discipline proceedings.

Securities litigation: Paliare Roland acts for both investors and issuers in litigation involving public disclosure issues providing assistance to investors, investment advisors and other registrants in proceedings before the Ontario Securities Commission, the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) and the Mutual Fund Dealers Association also representing investors in negligence claims against investment advisors and dealers.

  • Counsel to a prominent lawyer accused of insider tipping and trading at the Ontario Securities Commission.
  • Counsel to the Foundation for the Advancement of Investor Rights, an intervener, in the Reference re Securities Act, 2011 SCC 66 respecting the constitutionality of proposed federal securities legislation, and in CIBC v Green, 2014 ONCA 90 regarding securities class action limitation periods.
  • Counsel to the minority common shareholders of Hollinger Inc before the Ontario Securities Commission in Re Hollinger Inc, (2005), 28 OSCB 3309
Department Name Email Telephone
Managing Partner Emily Lawrence emily.lawrence@paliareroland.com 416.646.7475
Business Development and Marketing Manager Neelam Dhat neelam.dhat@paliareroland.com
Photo Name Position Profile
Joseph Berger photo Joseph Berger Associate
Kris Borg-Olivier photo Kris Borg-Olivier Partner
Hailey Bruckner photo Hailey Bruckner Associate
Ren Bucholz photo Ren Bucholz Partner
Charlotté Calon photo Charlotté Calon Associate
Gordon Capern photo Gordon Capern Partner
Mannu Chowdhury photo Mannu Chowdhury Associate
Denise Cooney photo Denise Cooney Partner
Paul Davis photo Paul Davis Partner
Donald Eady photo Donald Eady Partner
Catherine Fan photo Catherine Fan Associate
Michael Fenrick photo Michael Fenrick Partner
Danielle Glatt photo Danielle Glatt Associate
Lily Harmer photo Lily Harmer Partner
Glynnis Hawe photo Glynnis Hawe Associate
Chloe Hendrie photo Chloe Hendrie Associate
Karen Jones photo Karen Jones Partner
Jean-Claude Killey photo Jean-Claude Killey Partner
Jeffrey Larry photo Jeffrey Larry Partner
Jessica Latimer photo Jessica Latimer Partner
Emily Lawrence photo Emily Lawrence Partner
Shawna Leclair photo Shawna Leclair Associate
Andrew Lewis photo Andrew Lewis Partner
Tina Lie photo Tina Lie Partner
Andrew Lokan photo Andrew Lokan Partner
Jodi Martin photo Jodi Martin Partner
Claire McNevin photo Claire McNevin Associate
Mariam Moktar photo Mariam Moktar Associate
John Monger photo John Monger Partner
Douglas Montgomery photo Douglas Montgomery Associate
Chris Paliare photo Chris Paliare Partner
Lauren Rainsford photo Lauren Rainsford Associate
Jessica Roher photo Jessica Roher Associate
Ken Rosenberg photo Ken Rosenberg Partner
Dan Rosenbluth photo Dan Rosenbluth Partner
Linda Rothstein photo Linda Rothstein Partner
Lindsay Scott photo Lindsay Scott Partner
Kate Shao photo Kate Shao
Alysha Shore photo Alysha Shore Partner
Megan Shortreed photo Megan Shortreed Partner
Evan Snyder photo Evan Snyder Associate
Odette Soriano photo Odette Soriano Partner
Massimo (Max) Starnino photo Massimo (Max) Starnino Partner
Richard P. Stephenson photo Richard P. Stephenson Partner
Shyama Talukdar photo Shyama Talukdar Associate
Kartiga Thavaraj photo Kartiga Thavaraj Associate
William Webb photo William Webb Associate
Jesse Wright photo Jesse Wright Associate
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