Best Lawyers in Ontario, Canada for Municipal Law
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Quinto practices municipal, land use planning and development law. He has over 30 years of experience as an advocate, appearing before the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (formerly the OMB) in hundreds of cases. He has practiced his entire career as a lawyer at Loopstra Nixon . Quinto is an accomplished author and lecturer, frequently speaking at conferences throughout North America. He is the author of a Thompson Reuters publication entitled “Municipal Lands: Acquisition, Management and...
Denise Baker is Chair of WeirFoulds LLP. Her practice focuses on municipal and land use planning issues and related litigation. She has acted on behalf of municipalities, private landowners and resident groups. She predominantly advises landowners and municipalities with respect to land use planning and development matters including municipal finance matters, Planning Act applications and appeals and Heritage Act matters. Denise appears regularly before municipal councils, Committees of Adjus...
Neil M. Smiley is a leading lawyer in complex real estate transactions, planning and development. Having a unique dual experience in commercial real estate lawyer as well as a planning and development lawyer, Neil advises clients regarding the acquisition, financing, leasing and disposition of real property, as well as in connection with the myriad of approvals and entitlements required of governmental authorities to maximize value and/or develop such real property. Neil provides corporate su...
Jeff Wilker focuses his practice on land use law and routinely develops novel approaches to resolve complex legal problems. The provision of top-shelf legal guidance to his clients is a hallmark of his practice. Jeff acts on cutting edge matters and prides himself on his ability to “think outside of the box.” Jeff’s practice involves all aspects of municipal and planning law, including land use litigation, expropriation, environmental and constitutional matters. He appears b...
Ursula Melinz is a municipal lawyer in Ottawa. As a member of our Municipal, Land Development & Expropriation team, Ursula advises and represents a full range of clients in Eastern Ontario including developers, municipalities, associations, businesses, and individual homeowners. Ursula assists clients in pursuing site-specific development matters and broad policy issues. She has extensive experience in taking raw land through the development approval process to obtain subdivision, site pl...
Stan Floras is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Municipal Law. Stan, who practices law in Toronto, Ontario, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Stan is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Michael Binetti, Managing Partner of the firm, brings a proven litigation background plus extensive experience in arguing both trials and appeals. He has demonstrated his strategic legal capability and expertise in wide-ranging areas of litigation. Michael’s peers and clients have commented that Michael is an “excellent and creative lawyer,” “finds unique solutions to complex problems,” and that “Michael gets it and knows how to win.” Michael represen...
Paul has been an expropriation lawyer for over 30 years. His practice has provided him with insights from all perspectives; in fact, he has even been expropriated personally - twice. Paul successfully acts as legal counsel for landowners, local municipalities, cities and regional governments throughout the Greater Toronto Area and across Ontario. He works to resolve real estate acquisitions/expropriations, infrastructure projects and development issues of all complexities. Paul’s appear...
Christel practices real estate litigation, with a particular focus on contract and commercial lease disputes, civil litigation, expropriation, land use planning law and professional negligence. Christel represents both municipalities and private landowners. Christel's practice encompasses a broad scope of real estate litigation work, including assisting in title investigation, ground lease negotiations and litigation drafting pleadings and engaging in settlement discussions. Over the last sev...
Practices in the areas of health law, appellate litigation and commercial litigation with focuses on commercial arbitrations, business and contractual disputes, shareholder disputes, administrative and public law, tribunals and commissions, professional negligence discipline, employment disputes, and appeals Professional Achievements and Recognition Certified as a Specialist in Civil Litigation by the Law Society of Upper Canada Recognized and recommended by Lexpert as a leading lawyer in the...
Michael S. Polowin is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Municipal Law and Real Estate Law. Michael S., who practices law in Ottawa, Ontario, has been recognized since 2010. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Michael S. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Ian Mathany was a partner at one of the largest law firms in Canada prior to starting Mathany & Higgs Law with Christel Higgs in 2018. Ian’s practice is focused on real property litigation with an emphasis on expropriation law. Ian appears frequently at the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal and at the Board of Negotiation in expropriation cases and has significant experience assisting public sector clients, including transit authorities, local and upper tier municipalities, and private...
Tara Piurko has over 20 years of experience in planning and development, real property assessment and taxation, and municipal law matters. She regularly provides strategic advice, counsel and support to property owners, including public and private developers, on development approvals and land entitlement matters and real property assessment and taxation matters. She is an expert negotiator and has extensive experience securing development approvals, including settling official plan amendment...
Peter Gross is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Administrative and Public Law and Municipal Law. Peter, who practices law in Toronto, Ontario, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Peter is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
As a Certified Specialist in Municipal Law (Local Government/Land Use Planning and Development) and original member of the Law Society’s Municipal Law Specialty Committee, Steve O’Melia specializes in municipal, planning/development, and expropriation law. Since returning to private practice in 2003 his clients have included developers, landowners and more than 50 municipalities, school boards, and conservation authorities. Steve’s decade of experience as an in-house municip...
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.