David F. Smye, K.C.

Patricia (Pat) Forte specializes in employment law and insurance defence. She has also completed courses in risk assessment, risk control and risk financing to receive her Canadian Risk Management (CRM) designation, and has expertise in risk management in the profit and not-for-profit sectors. In the area of employment, her expertise includes representing clients on employment standards, contracts, policies, privacy, restrictive covenants, workplace investigations, managing leaves of absence,...

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...

Sean is a Partner at Ross & McBride LLP, practising in the Labour & Employment Law Group. Sean's practice encompasses a wide variety of employment law matters including drafting and negotiating employment contracts, advising employees on employment and human rights matters, and employment litigation.

Bill MacGregor is a partner in the firm’s Waterloo Region office and the leader of the firm’s Immigration National Practice Group. His practice emphasizes corporate immigration and the cross-border movement of personnel. Bill also provides advice in relation to hiring and employing foreign nationals in Canada. Bill brings years of experience advising clients on all aspects of corporate immigration. He regularly assists employers with international transfers; obtaining work permits...

Michael Henley is a knowledgeable and skilled business and real estate lawyer. He advises his clients in many aspects of business law, including private mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructuring, succession planning, and bank financing work. He counsels his clients with respect to corporation transactions, including incorporations, shareholder agreements, and purchase and sale agreements. He also advises clients on commercial real estate transactions. Mike worked as a commercial credi...

John Durdan is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law and Technology Law. John, who practices law in Kitchener, Ontario, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which John is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Kyle Hampson is a partner and experienced lawyer with a substantive and ever-growing real estate and business law clientele. Providing practical and straightforward advice, Kyle’s top priority is exceptional service to all of his clients, both new and established. He relies on his broad past experiences to regularly counsel clients with respect to: the acquisition or sale of various types of properties (developmental, commercial, investor-based, residential, etc.); institutional and pri...

Graham Bennett is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Insurance Law and Personal Injury Litigation. Graham, who practices law in Kitchener, Ontario, has been recognized since 2023. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Graham is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Carl Peterson is a partner of the firm and since his call to the bar in 1984, he has worked in all areas of labour law with special expertise in the construction industry and health and safety litigation. In addition to defending employers against health and safety charges, he has been quite active in developing policies and seminars for employers to prevent accidents and avoid litigation. Carl has a great deal of experience in assisting non-union and union employers develop positive employee...

Bevin Shores is a partner in Gowling WLG's Hamilton office, practising in commercial litigation. Bevin's litigation experience encompasses a diverse range of practice areas, including commercial, construction, municipal, products liability, environmental, insurance coverage, professional negligence, occupiers' liability and general negligence claims. As an advisor and advocate, Bevin works with her clients to learn their needs and objectives, and uses that knowledge to offer practical solutio...