Payne Law

About Payne Law

Payne Law is a civil litigation firm based in North York, founded by Yan David Payne, who has practiced exclusively as a litigator for over 23 years. Payne articled at a small civil litigation firm in Toronto, then headed the litigation division of a commercial and tax litigation firm before starting a private practice in 2005 or 2006. Payne is certified by the Law Society of Ontario as a Specialist in Civil Litigation, a designation the firm notes less than 1% of Ontario lawyers hold.

The team includes litigators with varied backgrounds: Nicholas Lou Mester, who has 20 years of litigation experience in Canadian and US courts and was previously a partner at a mid sized Ontario firm; Jelani K. Asante, licensed in New Jersey, New York, and Ontario; and Pratik Batta, dual licensed in India and Ontario, who led a real estate legal team for a large Indian conglomerate before moving into Canadian practice.

Payne Law handles negotiations, trials, hearings, and appeals in real estate, bankruptcy, commercial, employment, and tax litigation, along with wills and estates disputes, appearing before the Superior Court of Justice, Divisional Court, the Ontario Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court of Canada. Yan David Payne has been featured in and consulted by national media, including CBC and the Toronto Star.