Michael Paiva

About Michael Paiva

Land use planning, expropriation and business law sit at the centre of Michael Paiva's work at Unified LLP. It's a mixed practice: on real property files and on corporate and commercial ones alike, Paiva litigates disputes and also closes deals, with appearances as an advocate at the Ontario Land Tribunal (and its predecessors, LPAT and the OMB), the Superior Court of Justice, the Court of Appeal for Ontario and ODACC, which adjudicates construction contract disputes. A founding partner of the firm, Paiva heads its Property and Commerce department and serves clients from both the Toronto and Waterloo Region offices.

When government expropriates land or a leasehold interest, Paiva represents the businesses and individuals affected. Development is the other big piece. Paiva teams up with planners and other consultants to secure the approvals a project needs, whether that's an official plan or zoning by-law amendment, a minor variance, site plan sign-off or a building permit.

The topic shows up in Paiva's writing, too. In the Ontario Expropriation Association's Fall 2017 magazine, Paiva wrote about section 22 of the Expropriations Act and its one-year deadline for giving written notice of an injurious affection claim.

Gowlings is where the legal career began, first with a summer position, then articles and later a role as an associate. Paiva then became a partner at Rodrigues Paiva LLP before Unified was formed. History came before law: with SSHRC funding, Paiva completed an M.A. at the University of Waterloo in 2009, with a thesis arguing that American protectionism was a key reason the Mulroney government chose to negotiate a bilateral trade deal with the US. On every file, Paiva aims for a practical resolution and keeps the client's business operations in view.