Emily Lawrence
Emily Lawrence is the Managing Partner of Paliare Roland and maintains a busy litigation practice. She has substantial expertise in professional regulation, pension litigation, employment and labour law, constitutional litigation, civil disputes, and privacy matters. Emily is recognized as an expert in administrative law, as counsel appearing before numerous administrative law tribunals, the co-author of a book on administrative law practice, a sought-after presenter on the topic, and adjunct faculty in administrative law at Osgoode Hall Law School. She has appeared before all levels of court in Ontario and at the Supreme Court of Canada.
Prior to becoming Managing Partner, Emily was the head of the firm’s student program. She is an active mentor and contributor within the legal community, including acting as a chair of the Mid-Career Standing Committee of The Advocates’ Society in 2021-2022. Emily has been ranked by Lexpert as a Leading Lawyer to Watch, by Chambers Canada in administrative and public law, and by Best Lawyers in Canada in the areas of administrative and public law, corporate and commercial litigation, health care law, and labour and employment law. She is also Repeatedly Recommended for litigation (Regulatory & Public Law) in the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory.
Education
- Osgoode Hall Law School, Osgoode Certificate in Pension Law, 2011
- Osgoode Hall Law School, LL.B., 2005 (Specialization in Litigation, Dispute Resolution and Administration of Justice)
- Concordia University, B.A. (Hons.), Political Science, 2002
Bar Admissions
- Ontario, 2006
Professional Affiliations
- Ontario Bar Association
- Toronto Lawyer's Association
- The Advocates' Society
Awards and Honours
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Chambers Canada 2024 - Litigation - Administrative & Public Law Ontario
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Best Lawyers in Canada 2024 - Administrative and Public Law, Corporate and Commercial Litigation, Health Care Law, Labour and Employment Law
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Best Lawyers in Canada - Administrative and Public Law, Corporate and Commercial Litigation, Labour and Employment Law
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2021 - Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory - Repeatedly Recommended - Litigation - Regulatory & Public Law
Representative Work
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Inquiry Counsel to The Honourable Mr. Justice Herman J. Wilton-Siegel, Commissioner of the City of Hamilton’s Red Hill Valley Parkway Inquiry, 2019-2023.
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Richard Stephenson, Emily Lawrence and Douglas Montgomery represented a trade union in a complex arbitration involving drug and alcohol testing in nuclear facilities, and in a related constitutional challenge in Federal Court to a regulatory instrument imposing drug and alcohol testing in nuclear facilities. Richard, Emily and Douglas obtained interim stays from the arbitrator and the Federal Court of the implementation of drug and alcohol testing in nuclear facilities, pending final disposition.
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Acts for a large multinational corporations on complex civil and product liability litigation.
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Has acted for large and small companies in breach of contract cases with service providers and suppliers.
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Frequently appears as prosecution counsel and defence counsel for colleges of regulated professionals before discipline committees and on appeal or judicial review in the courts.
Publications
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Emily regularly speaks at continuing legal education programs and conferences in the areas of administrative law, employment law and professional regulation
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Co-author – Administrative Law in Practice: Principles and Advocacy with Justice Lorne Sossin – a practical guide to administrative law – Emond, 2018
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What’s Law Good For? An Empirical Overview of Charter Equality Rights Decisions – Supreme Court Law Review (2d), Vol. 24, p. 103, 2004 – (June 1, 2004) (with Bruce Ryder and Cidalia Faria)