Law Studio Professional Corporation
Speaking for: Session 2. 10:00 AM - 10:55 AM - Crafting Shareholder Agreements
Jonathon is the Managing Principal of Law Studio Professional Corporation, with offices in Toronto and Peterborough, providing innovative legal services to small and medium-sized enterprises - corporations, partnerships and sole proprietors.
A graduate of the JD/MBA Programme of Osgoode Hall Law School and the Schulich School of Business, Jonathon subsequently obtained two Master of Laws degrees - one from the University of Edinburgh and a second from Osgoode Hall Law School.
Jonathon was called to the Bar in 1995. Since that time he has practiced primarily commercial litigation, with extensive experience in corporate, shareholder and partnership disputes, bankruptcy and insolvency, debtor-creditor matters and fraud claims.
Jonathon is a member of the Canadian, Ontario and American Bar Associations, The Advocates’ Society and the Toronto Lawyers Association. He also is a member of the Board of Directors of Community Living Peterborough.
Proud of his Scottish heritage, Jonathon has been known to wear his kilt to the office from time to time. He is also well known for perennially leading his hockey team in penalty minutes.
Partner, Fasken Martineau Dumoulin LLP
Speaking for: Session 5. 2:00 PM - 2:55 PM - Service Level Agreements (SLA) and Cloud Agreements
John Beardwood is a partner of the firm, engaged in a corporate/commercial practice, with an emphasis on outsourcing and procurement, technology and privacy law related matters. John is regularly listed among the world's preeminent internet and e-commerce lawyers in Who's Who Legal - The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers where, in addition to being referred to as "an authority on outsourcing" in the guide to Internet and E-Commerce Lawyers, he has been identified as being both one of the two most highly nominated Canadian lawyers in the guide, and one of the ten "most highly regarded individuals" globally; and is also consistently included as a leading lawyer in the Internet & e-Commerce chapter of Who's Who Legal: Canada. He is listed in Chambers Global – The World's Leading Lawyers for Business, for Information Technology, as “very effective, efficient and remarkably accessible” and “a great lawyer”, and in Chambers (Canada) as "very polished and has a tremendous amount of experience." He is consistently recognized in The Best Lawyers in Canada for information technology law, and highly recommended as an outsourcing practitioner in the PLC Which Lawyer? Yearbook and in the PLC Outsourcing Handbook. John receives rave reviews as 'a go-to expert in Canada for privacy and IT law' from The Legal 500. His biography is included in the Canadian Who's Who and Who’s Who Legal: Thought Leaders.
John works closely with clients in advising on and negotiating various technology-related transactions, including outsourcing/procurement, licensing, implementation, distribution, technology transfer, strategic alliance and e-commerce related transactions, including in the airline, health care, financial/insurance institution and public sector contexts. Clients say he is John often advises clients on privacy law and access to information matters, and has been developing and implementing privacy compliance programs for more than ten years. He is a frequent speaker and publisher on various IT law and privacy law-related topics and has been interviewed for CBC Metro Morning, The Globe and Mail, ITBusiness.ca, Computing Canada, CBC Marketplace, Canadian Business Magazine and 1010 CFRB, and was featured on the cover of CBA National Magazine for the article "The Outsourcing Lawyers". John is the co-editor and a contributing author of the industry-leading text Outsourcing Transactions: A Practical Guide, now in its 10th Edition.
Partner, Labour & Employment, Fasken Martineau Dumoulin LLP
Speaking for: Session 3. 11:00 AM - 11:55 AM - Employment Agreements
Andrew Bratt is a partner in Fasken Martineau's Labour and Employment Law group. Andrew's practice is focused on all aspects of employment law, including recruitment and hiring, employment agreements, restrictive covenants, employment standards, workplace policies, disability management. accommodation, workforce reductions, discipline, terminations, unjust dismissal, wrongful dismissal and disability benefits related claims. Andrew also advises corporate clients with respect to labour and employment issues arising out of various types of corporate transactions.
Andrew regularly represents employers in employment-related litigation, human rights proceedings, employment standards claims and workers' compensation proceedings. Andrew has appeared before a variety of administrative tribunals, courts and mediators.
In addition to litigating, Andrew partners with his clients to develop and implement proactive, strategic and practical initiatives aimed at fostering positive employee relations in the workplace and minimizing employment-related liability.
Having spent Six months seconded to the legal department of one of Canada’s largest retailers, Andrew appreciates the unique dynamic between the business unit and legal department of a large organization, and understands the importance of acting as a strategic partner to his clients, not simply a legal service provider.
Andrew speaks regularly on a broad range of employment law topics and has lectured a Queen's University Faculty of Law, University of Western Ontario Faculty of Law and at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. Andrew has also been a regular and significant contributor to The Duty to Accommodate In Employment, the leading text on the subject published by Canada Law Book,
which has been cited in several arbitration and court decisions across Canada, and edits the Firm's weekly HR Space Bulletin, as well as Northern Exposure- Employment Law for US Companies with Operations In Canada, a blog published by HR Hero.com.
Partner, Wildeboer Dellelce LLP
Speaking for: Session 7. 4:15 PM - 5:10 PM - Structuring LOI's and Definitive Agreements in the Sale of a Business
Rory is a partner of Wildeboer Dellelce LLP practising primarily in the areas of securities, corporate finance, corporate governance, commercial transactions, mergers and acquisitions and banking law. Rory acts for a variety of early stage and mature technology, biotechnology, healthcare, telecommunications and traditional economy companies (both Canadian and international) and has been involved in numerous public and private financings and secured lending transactions. In addition, Rory has acted for several underwriters in public and private equity and debt financings, has extensive merger and acquisition experience and has participated in several cross-border transactions. Rory has served as a director of a number of private, public and not-for-profit companies and has spoken at conferences on a variety of corporate finance, private company and commercial law topics.
Rory has been recognized by Lexpert as a Repeatedly Recommended lawyer and as one of Canada’s leading practitioners in the areas of Corporate Finance and Securities in the 2016 edition of The Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory.
Rory is an adjunct professor at Osgoode Hall Law School having taught Commercial Law in Fall 2010, Securities Law over the 2012 – 2015 Winter terms and Corporate Finance in Winter 2016.
Prior to joining Wildeboer Dellelce LLP in January, 1996, Rory practised law at Stikeman Elliott LLP in Toronto. Prior to practising law, Rory was an economist at Dome Petroleum Ltd. in Calgary.
Associate, Morrison, Brown, Sosnovitch
Speaking for: Session 7. 4:15 PM - 5:10 PM - Structuring LOI's and Definitive Agreements in the Sale of a Business
Samantha’s practice focused exclusively on Corporate and Commercial law, with an emphasis on purchase and sale transactions. She has been involved in commercial transactions in both the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors. In addition, Samantha has assisted clients in setting up, restructuring, buying and selling various commercial organizations, negotiating and drafting shareholder and partnership agreements, and structuring complex financing arrangements.
Samantha has also been involved in a number of complex commercial disputes dealing with a wide array of legal issues including contract interpretation, shareholder disputes, fraud and misappropriation of funds. Her exposure to these complex legal disputes now provides the backdrop to Samantha’s corporate commercial practice. Having debated these legal issues in the courtroom and understanding the way the court system works, Samantha is uniquely equipped to keep her clients out of the courtroom when negotiating and papering commercial transactions.
Samantha takes a no-nonsense, efficient path to getting the best results for her clients. She believes that clients have the right to a well-designed approach to the management of their legal matters, as well as innovative solutions that best meet their interests and needs. Samantha consistently delivers on this by spending time to fully appreciate her clients’ concerns, strategically planning on their behalf, and developing a framework to achieve creative resolutions.
Samantha is actively involved in several social causes. She is a Member of the Board of Directors of the Community Head Injury Resources Services (CHIRS) and a researcher and editor with the 160 Girls Program in association with The Equality Effect.
While at Osgoode Hall Law School, Samantha was one of 6 students selected to represent the law school in an international mooting completion in Vienna. The subject matter of the competition was international commercial dispute resolution and the application of international trade statues such as the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (often referred to as the CISG).
Partner, Gowling WLG
Speaking for: Session 2. 10:00 AM - 10:55 AM - Crafting Shareholder Agreements
Viona Duncan is a Gowling WLG partner based in Ontario. Her practice is primarily transactional, with an emphasis on helping Canadian, U.S. and international clients with mergers and acquisitions and debt and equity financings.
Viona works closely with both traditional and technology companies, from startups to mature organizations. In addition to her M&A experience, she regularly provides assistance to clients on a variety of technology contracting matters, including licensing, joint venture, strategic alliance and distribution agreements.
Viona is highly regarded for her ability to provide strategic, proactive and practical advice to her clients on complex M&A matters, as well as day-to-day commercial matters. She is currently co-lead of the firm's global tech sector group.
In addition to serving on the boards of directors of several private companies, Viona is currently an active member of the Board of Trustees and the Nominating and Governance committees of St. Mary's General Hospital.
Assistant Chief Economist, RBC
Introductory Speaker
As Assistant Chief Economist, Paul is responsible for the analysis and forecasting of macroeconomic and financial market developments in Canada, the United States and key overseas economies and is a regular contributor to a number of RBC publications.
A graduate of Queen’s University and the University of Manitoba, Paul joined the Economics Department of RBC in 2007 after working for twenty years at another major financial institution where he was responsible for generating the macroeconomic outlook for the United States, Canada and Canadian regional economies. Paul started his professional career as an economist in the Research Department at the Bank of Canada.
Paul is a member of the Economic Policy Committee of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and former member on the Editorial Board of Canadian Public Policy/Analyse de politiques. Paul is also Past President and Director of the Toronto Association of Business and Economics (TABE).
Partner, Goodmans LLP
Speaking for: Session 1. 9:00 AM - 9:55 AM - Standard Clauses in Agreements – Best Practices
Allan Goodman is a partner at Goodmans. He specializes in securities and corporate law. His practice focuses on corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance and regulatory compliance matters. Allan is also Co-Chair of Goodmans’ Technology Group and is a member of Goodmans’ Mining and Natural Resources Group. Allan has been a partner at Goodmans since 1999.
Allan acts for a broad range of issuers and underwriters on corporate finance transactions including public offerings and private placements of debt and equity securities. He has also been involved in a variety of complex transactions including restructurings, public and private mergers and acquisitions, financings and structured product transactions. Allan also provides advice to boards of directors and special committees with respect to governance and compliance matters. Allan is responsible for the firm’s emerging business initiative, and in particular its role as “legal counsel in residence” at the DMZ at Ryerson University, one of Canada’s largest business incubators for emerging tech startups. Pursuant to this relationship, Allan provides legal advice and mentorship to some of Canada’s most promising startups.
Partner, Labour & Employment, Fasken Martineau Dumoulin LLP
Speaking for: Session 3. 11:00 AM - 11:55 AM - Employment Agreements
Alix Herber has a practice that focuses on advising and representing employers in labour, employment, and human rights matters. She offers practical advice to employers on a wide array of issues including, union and non-union, performance and discipline management, employee terminations, wrongful dismissal litigation, employment standards, and human rights. In particular, Alix enjoys working with her clients to provide them with strategic advice on various matters including collective agreement interpretation and collective bargaining, union organizational campaigns, company restructurings, employment agreements, and the duty to accommodate. Working closely with her clients, she is also actively involved in auditing and drafting workplace policies as well as providing training for employees at all levels on issues such as harassment and discrimination.
Alix also spent several years as In-House Counsel of one of North America's largest food processing and distribution companies and as Senior Director of one of its major operating divisions. In those roles, she focused on operational labour relations, arbitrations, and the administration of approximately 50 collective agreements, leading negotiations in bargaining a number of them.
Alix is a frequent speaker at conferences relating to employment, labour relations and human rights area. She is also Chair of the Ontario Women’s Network at the firm.
Alix first joined the firm in 2001 as an associate in the Labour, Employment and Human Rights Group.
Barrister, Mediator, Chartered Arbitrator, Certified Specialist in Civil Litigation
Speaking for: Session 3. 1:00 PM - 1:55 PM - Joint Venture or Partnership Agreements
Marvin J. Huberman is a senior litigation lawyer practising in Toronto. He is certified by the Law Society of Upper Canada as a specialist in civil litigation, and is a mediator, arbitrator, former administrative law judge, and adjunct law professor at Osgoode Hall Law School.
For over 30 years, Mr. Huberman has served as independent and general counsel for a variety of individuals, businesses, financial institutions, governments and other organizations. Marvin has expertise in corporate-commercial litigation and administrative and public law, including cases involving contracts, labour, drug and alcohol testing, corporate governance and shareholder remedies, securities, tax, insurance, cross-border litigation, directors and officers fiduciary duties, torts, transportation law, professional liability and ethics, and constitutional/human rights before all levels of trial and appellate courts and numerous administrative tribunals.
Marvin holds a Master of Laws Degree in Alternative Dispute Resolution from Osgoode Hall Law School where he taught legal ethics and trial advocacy, and served as a negotiation and mediation coach. He has also served as a civil litigation and advocacy Instructor at the Law Society of Upper Canada, Bar Admission Course.
Marvin is the recipient of the M&A Today - Global Award 2016 - as the Law Firm of the Year - Commercial Arbitration - in Canada.
Director of Valuations & Litigation Support, BDO Canada LLP
Speaking for: Session 2. 10:00 AM - 10:55 AM - Crafting Shareholder Agreements
Stephen is a Director in the Transaction Advisory Services group in Toronto. Stephen is a member of the Board of Directors at the International Institute of Business Valuers. Over 15 years’ experience specializing exclusively in business and securities valuation. Completed numerous valuations reports for corporate finance activities (acquisitions /divestures /mergers), corporate reorganizations, income tax, litigation matters and fairness opinions in connection with regulatory requirements and other purposes. Worked with a broad base of clients, including mid-size and large private companies and public companies across a wide array of industries. Completed numerous loss quantification reports in complex litigation matters. Advisory services in respect of shareholder value enhancement in private companies.
Stephen has qualified as an expert witness in business valuation, loss quantification, tax and related matters, and has testified before the Superior Court of Justice (Ontario). His evidence has been reviewed by the Ontario Court of Appeal. Stephen is also a frequent author and speaker on loss quantification, valuation and income tax matters. Expert evidence reviewed by the Ontario Court of Appeal.
Employment & Labour Lawyer, Koldorf Workplace Law
Speaking for: Session 3. 1:00 PM - 1:55 PM - Joint Venture or Partnership Agreements
Inna is an employment and labour lawyer and a workplace investigator. The founder of Koldorf Workplace Law, Inna assists companies with managing their workforce and addressing human resources legal matters. Inna completed a double major in Sociology and Law & Society before completing her law degree. Inna previously served as the Vice-President of the Northview Heights Early Learning Centre Board of Directors, a member of the Ontario Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division Continuing Legal Education Committee and a member of the Ontario Labour Relations Board Advisory Committee. She is currently serving on the Ontario Bar Association Continuing Professional Development Committee for the Labour and Employment Law Section, and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Vaughan Chamber of Commerce.
Associate Corporate Counsel, Google
Speaking for: Session 5. 2:00 PM - 2:55 PM - Service Level Agreements (SLA) and Cloud Agreements
Arun Krishnamurti is Associate Corporate Counsel with Google Canada, and was formerly an associate with a Bay Street law firm, where he maintained a corporate/commercial practice with an emphasis on technology, including advising clients with respect to outsourcings.
Outside of the technology area, Arun has experience in a variety of transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, public-private partnerships, and financings. Arun has also significant experience working with start-ups, emerging companies, and entrepreneurs in a number of areas, including crowdfunding, app development (both mobile and web-based), on-line sales, gaming, and both the manufacturing and supply of goods and services to businesses and consumers.
Arun is a past editor for the OBA’s Information Technology & Intellectual Property Newsletter, and remains a member of the OBA Information Technology & Intellectual Property section executive. Arun also currently serves as Vice-President of the South Asian Bar Association of Toronto.
Partner, Gowling WLG
Speaking for: Session 1. 9:00 AM - 9:55 AM - Standard Clauses in Agreements – Best Practices
Aubrey Lasky is a partner at Gowling WLG, an international law firm. Aubrey is a specialist in domestic and international corporate law and delivers strategic legal advice to private and public sector clients in Canada, the U.S., the U.K. and beyond. He is highly regarded for his expertise in complex commercial transactions, M&A, corporate finance and joint ventures, with a particular focus on the manufacturing, technology, leisure, infrastructure and construction sectors.
Aubrey regularly advises U.S. and international clients on their in-bound Canadian strategies, as well as Canadian clients in relation to conducting business and establishing operations overseas
Aubrey is a dual-qualified lawyer in both Ontario and England and holds a Foreign Legal Consultant Permit from The Law Society of Upper Canada. Prior to joining the Waterloo Region office of Gowling WLG, Aubrey practiced corporate law at top-tier firms in London, England and Toronto, Ontario.
When not acting for clients, Aubrey spends time with his family and is active in the community. Aubrey is a director and corporate secretary for the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Association. He is a founding member of Next Generation – The Leadership Series, an initiative designed to promote and train the next generation of business leaders in the Waterloo Region. Aubrey’s community service also included volunteering at the head office of the Alzheimer’s Society in London, England.
Gowling WLG is a new international law firm created by the combination of Gowlings, a leading Canadian law firm, and Wragge Lawrence Graham & Co (WLG), a leading UK-based international law firm. With more than 1,400 legal professionals in 18 cities worldwide, we provide our clients with in-depth expertise in key global sectors and a suite of legal services at home and abroad. We see the world through our clients’ eyes, and collaborate across countries, offices, service areas and sectors to help them succeed, no matter how challenging the circumstances. Learn more at gowlingwlg.com
Barrister & Solicitor, Cobalt Lawyers & Founder and CEO, Clausehound Inc.
Speaking for:
Session 1. 9:00 AM - 9:55 AM - Standard Clauses in Agreements – Best Practices
Session 4. 1:00 PM - 1:55 PM - Joint Venture or Partnership Agreements
Rajah is a legal technologist, lawyer, and is the Founder and CEO of Clausehound.com.
After working for a decade in the information technology industry, Rajah received his M.B.A. and J.D. degrees from Western University’s Richard Ivey School of Business and Faculty of Law, respectively. Rajah received his legal training with the corporate law group at Stikeman Elliott LLP, and subsequently gained international experience with the Technology Media and Telecom group in the Dubai office of Clyde & Co., before founding Clausehound.com.
Rajah is presently the CEO of Clausehound.com, a DIY cloud-based legal drafting and design software tool. In addition to his legal and technology experience, Rajah sits on the board of directors of Cobalt Lawyers, a boutique technology law firm, and MultiplicityTO, a tech and learning not-for- profit, both of which Rajah was instrumental in founding. Rajah is also the Canadian Responsible Leaders Chapter Head for the BMW Foundation.
Partner, Baker & McKenzie LLP
Speaking for: Session 7. 4:15 PM - 5:10 PM - Structuring LOI's and Definitive Agreements in the Sale of a Business
Greg McNab is a member of the Firm's Corporate & Securities Practice Group in Toronto. His main areas of practice include financings of public and private securities issuers, investment management products, capital markets transactions, mergers and acquisitions and resources and energy matters, both domestically and internationally. He also advises on corporate governance, regulatory compliance, continuous disclosure and stock exchange matters for public issuers. Mr. McNab helps lead the Firm's Global and Canadian Mining Groups. Mr. McNab regularly speaks, writes published articles and appears in the media with respect to a variety of securities, mining and energy matters. He is a director and Canadian Chair of the Canadian Australian Chamber of Commerce. A former mechanical engineer, Mr. McNab is also the co-chair of the International Emissions Trading Association's global carbon capture and storage working group.
Partner, Shibley Righton LLP
Speaking for: Session 6. 3:15 PM - 4:10 PM - End User License Agreements (EULA)
Peter Murphy is a partner in Shibley Righton’s Toronto office. Peter is a member of the Business Law Group with over twenty years of commercial law experience. His practice includes technology and commercial contracting, privacy and data protection, intellectual property development and licensing, consumer protection, marketing law and commercial transactions.
Peter has extensive experience drafting and negotiating technology agreements, including outsourcing, development, licensing, implementation, support services, cloud computing, hosting, e-commerce and support agreements. Peter has advised on both the customer and vendor sides of technology procurements by chartered banks and insurance companies, including cloud computing solutions and banking technology joint ventures.
Peter’s practice also has a strong focus on privacy and data protection law. He helps clients deal with data breaches, respond to investigations by Canada’s Privacy Commissioner, comply with privacy laws and respond to access to information requests. Peter also conducts privacy assessments, drafts privacy-compliant contracts, and prepares corporate privacy and data policies. Peter acted for a Canadian chartered bank with respect to privacy and data protection issues arising during its purchase and development of a $900,000,000 accounts receivable financing program. He also acted as privacy counsel with respect to the merger of two hospitals and their charitable foundations.
Peter acts for a wide variety of organizations, including nuclear operators, universities, chartered banks, software companies and healthcare organizations. In addition, Peter frequently advises not-for- profit organizations on a broad range of legal and corporate issues.
A frequent public speaker and writer on technology law, privacy and consumer law matters, Peter’s comments are frequently quoted in Canadian and international news media.
Associate/Lawyer, Bhole IP Law
Speaking for: Session 6. 3:15 PM - 4:10 PM - Data Security Agreements and End User License Agreements (EULA)
Erika Murray has a PhD in engineering, has trained and practiced as an IP lawyer at a large boutique law firm, is an active member of the Toronto Intellectual Property Group (TIPG) and is also an adjunct at Ryerson University. Erika has an undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Waterloo (UW). Following her undergraduate degree, Erika completed her PhD in Chemical Engineering also at UW where her research focused on studying small molecule delivery in a stem cell differentiation model using proteomics and robotic long-term live cell imaging. After 10 years of engineering, Erika then obtained a law degree from Osgoode Hall. Since being called to the Bar in Ontario, Erika has practiced exclusively in the area of intellectual property law. Erika has gained exposure to all areas of intellectual property law. Her practice is focused on patent prosecution and licensing agreements in high tech, clean tech, biological and chemical processing areas. Erika is also a part-time instructor at Ryerson University in the area of environmental law. Erika contributes to the success of her clients IP portfolios in performing effective intellectual property analysis and concise legal writing, requiring adept communication and direct professional client contact. Erika also has IP experience in the areas of trademarks, industrial designs, end user licence agreements, copyright protection, domain names and patent litigation issues, including invalidity and infringement. Erika speaks English and French.
http://www.bholeiplaw.com/erika-murray/
Partner, Fogler, Rubinoff LLP
Speaking for: Session 4. 1:00 PM - 1:55 PM - Joint Venture or Partnership Agreements
Bob Saunders is a Partner with Fogler, Rubinoff LLP. Bob has many years of experience in providing corporations, entrepreneurs and owner-operators of businesses with practical and strategic advice in all aspects of business law. He strives to know and understand his clients’ business needs so that he can respond with advice that reflects the realities of the clients’ particular business and the economic environment affecting it. Bob advises corporations, partnerships and small businesses in all areas affecting their business including:
Bob has developed a particular expertise in advising clients on their business and family succession issues. Bob brings a solid understanding of and experience in the dynamics of family-run businesses and is sought out for his knowledge, creativity, sensitivity and singular focus on the issues faced by his clients. He has the ability to combine excellent legal analysis with practical and balanced advice. Bob acts for a large number of the Firm’s clients as their executor and trustee and has become their family’s problem solver. In all, Bob’s special skill is the provision of reasoned and practical solutions to difficult problems and transactions.