Size up the competition.
Steve’s practice focuses on employer-side labour and employment law, municipal law and general litigation in the areas of construction and insurance. He has a broad range of court and hearing experience, having represented clients in labour arbitrations, judicial reviews, trials and appeals at the Newfoundland and Labrador Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court of Canada. Although sometimes unavoidable, Steve recognizes that going to court is not most people’s first choice for resolving a dispute. That’s why he works with his clients to make an early assessment of the matter to see if alternative dispute resolution or other procedures might assist in resolving the matter efficiently.
Representative matters
Steve’s clients include public sector employers (municipalities, health boards, school boards and universities), private sector employers (oil and gas, mining and construction) and insurers. His representative matters include:
- Acting as co-counsel for an intervener in a landmark Supreme Court of Canada cases involving the Charter right to freedom of association (Ontario v. Fraser).
- Acting as counsel in a case dealing with the role of courts in judicial review of arbitration awards heard at the Supreme Court of Canada in October, 2011 (NLNU v. Newfoundland).
- Acting as co-counsel in the successful defence of a significant and complex multi-million dollar product liability claim (Sobeys v. CRA Trailers).
- Acting as counsel in a number of challenging municipal cases, including appeals relating to the ambit of municipal powers, a disputed municipal election involving a judicial recount and a Charter challenge, and numerous other cases involving taxation, tendering , liability and development issues.
- Acting in a number of construction disputes, involving lien claims, delay claims, professional negligence and tendering.
Areas of practice:
- Labour and Employment
- Occupational Health and Safety
- Municipal Law
- Construction Law
- Litigation
BAR ADMISSION(S)
Newfoundland and Labrador, 1998
LAW SOCIETY(IES)
Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador
EDUCATION
Osgoode Hall Law School, LL.B., 1997
Queen’s University, B.A., 1994
ACTIVITIES
- Member, Canadian Bar Association
- Member, Articling and Recruitment Committee, Stewart McKelvey, 2009-present
- Member, Business Development Committee, Stewart McKelvey, 2008-2010
- Member, Board of Directors, Community Youth Network, St. John’s
- In-school mentor, Big Brothers Big Sisters
- Avid soccer player, having played and coached competitively for many years
LANGUAGE(S)
English
EXTERNAL RATINGS
- Best Lawyers: Municipal Law, 2011-2012
- Lexpert Rising Stars Leading Lawyers Under 40, 2010