Liva Freeman Dent LLP

About Liva Freeman Dent LLP

Liva Freeman Dent LLP is a small Toronto firm that practices almost entirely in professional regulation. Its three partners, Nadia Liva, Lisa Freeman and John Dent, bring more than 80 years of combined experience to defending, and at times prosecuting, regulated professionals. The firm represents lawyers, paralegals, doctors, nurses, practitioners of Chinese Medicine, naturopaths, social workers, massage therapists, pharmacists, condominium managers, professional engineers and real estate agents who are under investigation or facing a discipline hearing. It also acts as independent legal counsel to tribunals, regulators and professional associations, conducting investigations and prosecutions for them. It has appeared before the Law Society Appeal Division, the Divisional Court, the Court of Appeal for Ontario and the Supreme Court of Canada.

Each partner reached this niche practice by a different route. Nadia Liva built a criminal defence practice that grew to include professional regulatory work, and has appeared in more than 60 reported cases before the Law Society Tribunal. Lisa Freeman spent 16 years as Discipline Counsel at the Law Society of Ontario before starting an independent practice in 2017, and has taught Trial Advocacy at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law since 2009. John Dent clerked for judges of the Court of Appeal for Ontario, then practiced litigation at McCarthy Tetrault LLP, before founding what became Liva Freeman Dent LLP. The firm now works out of Courtyard Chambers on Adelaide Street East.