Affleck Greene McMurtry LLP

Corporate and commercial litigation

AGM takes on business disputes of every kind, from contract breaches and product liability claims to defamation and damage to reputation, along with negligence claims against lawyers, auditors, accountants and investment advisors. Ken Dekker's work has included helping a food processor obtain a judgment that made its insurer cover losses from the August 2003 blackout.

Our guide: Litigation and Dispute Resolution in Toronto

Competition law

The competition group advises companies on Competition Act compliance, defends them against Competition Bureau investigations and class actions, and helps them get mergers cleared. It often works in Canada on cartel and class action matters that span several countries, alongside firms abroad. Senior counsel John F. Rook, KC brings more than 50 years of experience across administrative, commercial and competition law.

Class action defence

AGM defends businesses in class actions brought under the Competition Act or for related economic torts, under the Securities Act's secondary market liability provisions, and over product liability. Many of these Canadian proceedings run side by side with class actions in the United States.

Securities litigation

Lawyers here act for clients under investigation or facing enforcement by securities regulators such as the OSC. They also defend securities class actions that investors bring against public companies and their auditors, officers and directors.

Insurance defence

AGM acts for insurers and the people and companies they insure. The defence side covers errors and omissions claims against professionals (the securities industry among them), directors' and officers' claims, legal expense insurance and bond claims. For insurers, the firm also handles fidelity and surety bond claims and subrogated claims, and serves as class action monitoring counsel.

Construction litigation

Construction work covers bid irregularities, lien claims, breach of trust, contract breaches and delay or liquidated damages claims, for owners and contractors alike. AGM is regularly on the defence side for insurers and sureties facing claims on performance bonds and on labour and material payment bonds.

Shareholder and partnership disputes

When business relationships break down, AGM helps shareholders, partners, creditors, joint ventures and franchise parties sort out the fight, through oppression remedies, winding-up applications and damages suits. It also guides boards and shareholders through governance questions while a dispute is under way.

Regulatory and administrative law

AGM defends businesses through each stage of a regulatory or administrative case, from the investigation to tribunal hearings and judicial review, and it challenges municipal, provincial and federal governments. Its tribunal work reaches the CRTC, the Toronto Licencing Tribunal and provincial energy regulators like the Alberta Utilities Commission. Michael Binetti acted for owners of traditional Toronto taxicab licences in partly quashing the city's then-new taxicab by-law.

Intellectual property disputes

Vik Tenekjian joined AGM as Counsel and brings deep experience in pharmaceutical patent proceedings under the Patented Medicines (Notice of Compliance) Regulations. Associate Heather Lindsay worked on pharmaceutical patent cases and complicated damages claims at the Federal Court before coming to AGM.