About SOK LLP
SOK LLP is a Toronto firm that works only in expropriation law. It advises municipalities and other public bodies that need to acquire land for infrastructure, and it advises the property owners on the other side of that process, on projects ranging from road widenings and transit corridors to pipelines and utility easements. The firm's office is at 17 Leader Lane. The name reflects its senior partners, Paul B. Scargall, Matthew Owen-King, and Guillaume Lavictoire; it operated as Scargall Owen-King LLP until it added Lavictoire's name in January 2026.
The firm draws a clear line on who it will act for. It does not act for Metrolinx or the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, and in matters involving those two authorities it acts only for owners, so it never has to weigh a conflict between an expropriating authority and the landowner facing it. Paul Scargall has practiced expropriation law for more than 30 years, since being called to the bar in 1988. Guillaume Lavictoire, called to the bar in 2009, serves clients in French as well as English. Several lawyers at the firm are listed in The Best Lawyers in Canada for expropriation law.
Practice areas
Not listed
Milestones & recognition
- The firm operated as Scargall Owen-King LLP before renaming to Scargall Owen-King Lavictoire LLP in January 2026, adding partner Guillaume Lavictoire's name.
- Paul B. Scargall was appointed a Deputy Judge of the Provincial Court, Civil Division, in 1999.
- Paul B. Scargall was sworn in as Honorary Consul for the Republic of San Marino in October 2019.
- Guillaume Lavictoire was named International Right of Way Association Chapter 29 Professional of the Year in 2023.
- Paul Scargall, Matthew Owen-King, and Guillaume Lavictoire are each listed in The Best Lawyers in Canada for expropriation law, Scargall and Owen-King since 2020 and Lavictoire since 2021.
In the community
- Guillaume Lavictoire co-founded and directs Spinal CSF Leak Canada, a national health charity that focuses on outcomes for people with spontaneous intracranial hypotension caused by a spinal cerebrospinal fluid leak.
- Paul Scargall has served on Trent University's Lands Committee since being appointed in July 2019.
- Paul Scargall is a past director of the Children's Aid Society Foundation of York Region and a past director and vice chair of the Toronto Parking Authority board.
- Firm lawyers regularly teach and speak to outside organizations, including Ontario Bar Admission courses, the Advocates' Society, the Institute of Law Clerks of Ontario, and courses run by the International Right of Way Association.
Good to know
Wheelchair accessibleLawyers 13
Aadil Nathani
Administrative & Regulatory Law
Doron Lurie
Administrative & Regulatory Law
Guillaume Lavictoire
Administrative & Regulatory Law
Irene Wong
Partner
Administrative & Regulatory Law
Jacquilyn Beauchamp
Associate
James Macfarlane
Jason Priest
Administrative & Regulatory Law
Jeff McPherson
Administrative & Regulatory Law
Matthew Owen-King
Administrative & Regulatory Law
Michael James
Administrative & Regulatory Law
Paul B. Scargall
Real Estate LawAdministrative & Regulatory Law
Paula Trattner
Real Estate LawAdministrative & Regulatory Law
Serena Feeney
Real Estate Law
This firm’s lawyers at a glance
- Called to the bar
- 1988–2025 · median 7 years in practice 13 of 13 lawyers
- Law schools
- Queen's University (3), Dalhousie University (2), University of Ottawa (2), University of Windsor (2), McGill University, Osgoode Hall Law School and 2 more 13 of 13 lawyers
- Languages on the roster
- English, French
Who handles what
The neighbourhood
SOK LLP's office is at 17 Leader Lane, a short laneway running between Wellington Street and King Street in Toronto's old civic and financial core. Leader Lane was the site of York's first jail, a log building put up in 1796, and the building the firm occupies today dates to 1878. It's listed on the City of Toronto's heritage register as part of the St. Lawrence Neighbourhood Heritage Conservation District, one of the last surviving nineteenth century commercial buildings from that stretch of Colborne Street.
For about 50 years the same address was home to the Tom Jones Steak House before the space became legal offices, so the building has outlasted a run of very different tenants. It's a fitting setting for a firm whose work often turns on how land changes hands and changes use over time.
Frequently asked questions
- Does SOK LLP represent property owners or the government in expropriation cases?
- Both, but not against each other in the same file. SOK LLP advises municipalities and public authorities acquiring land, and it advises owners facing expropriation. It does not act for Metrolinx or the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, and in any matter involving those two authorities it acts only for the owner.
- My property is affected by a highway widening or transit project. Can SOK LLP help?
- This is the firm's core practice. SOK LLP handles compensation claims and disputes arising from expropriation for roads, highway widenings, transit corridors, pipelines, electricity transmission corridors, and other infrastructure projects across Ontario.
- Does SOK LLP only handle cases in Toronto?
- No. The firm's office is in Toronto, but its expropriation work covers matters across Ontario, since expropriating authorities and the projects that trigger expropriation are located throughout the province.
- Can I get help from SOK LLP in French?
- Yes. Guillaume Lavictoire is fluently bilingual in French and English and serves clients in both languages.
- What does SOK LLP mean by an 'owner' in an expropriation matter?
- The firm applies the term broadly. It can include not just the registered owner but also mortgagees, tenants, execution creditors, holders of limited property interests, guardians, executors, administrators, and trustees.
- How big is SOK LLP and who founded it?
- SOK LLP is a firm focused entirely on expropriation law. Its name comes from partners Paul B. Scargall, Matthew Owen-King, and Guillaume Lavictoire; the firm was known as Scargall Owen-King LLP before it added Lavictoire's name in January 2026.
Where to find them
17 Leader Lane, Toronto, Ontario M5E 1L8 · 416-869-2202
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Employment & Labour LawListing compiled from the firm’s public website in August 2026. Verify licence status in the Law Society of Ontario directory ↗