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Stephen
is a member of the firm's litigation and labour departments.
He is fluent in both English and French and provides client
service in both languages. His practise focusses primarily
on
the areas of employment law, professional regulation, and in
assisting numerous unions with litigation issues arising
before
arbitrators, the courts, and numerous other tribunals and agencies.
Stephen's knowledge of employment law is extensive, and he
uses
this to act for employees in all workplace sectors, including
the financial services industry, the health industry, the
entertainment
industry, and those employed in the public sector. Stephen
acts for numerous professionals, including chiropractors,
Crown attorneys,
nurses, lawyers, and police officers, both in civil litigation
and in regulatory matters. In addition to appearing before
arbitrators,
mediators, and other tribunals, he has appeared in all level
of courts in Ontario, Manitoba, and Nova Scotia, the Saskatchewan
Court of Appeal, and the Federal Court
Stephen
brings to his practice an extensive academic and legal background.
He first studied law at the University of Manitoba, which awarded
him the University Gold Medal. While a student, he worked for
Legal Aid and was an Associate Editor of the Manitoba Law Journal.
He then articled with the law firm of Taylor McCaffrey in Winnipeg,
where he focussed on litigation, labour, employment, and administrative
law, appearing in all levels of court in that province assisting
counsel in a number of motions, applications, trials, and appeals.
After completing his articles, Stephen clerked at the Supreme
Court of Canada for Madam Justice L'Heureux-Dubé and
Madam Justice Deschamps. Here, he did research into a wide variety
of areas of law; gained experience reviewing facta; and heard
the oral arguments in many leading cases. He was subsequently
employed as Legal Counsel at the Law Branch of the Supreme Court,
where he advised the Justices of the Court on leave to appeal
applications. The following year, Stephen won a SSHRC Graduate
Fellowship to study public law, human rights, and the Charter
through the pursuit of a thesis-based LLM at the University
of Toronto.
Stephen
has a deep interest in developing and protecting rights in the
workplace, and in working to ensure greater access to justice.
His aim is to serve his clients by developing practical, creative
legal strategies that make use of his knowledge of a variety
of areas of law. Stephen is a member of the Canadian and Ontario
Bar Associations, the Canadian Association of Labour Lawyers,
the Advocates Society, and the Association des juristes d'expression
française de l'Ontario.
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