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Charles Sinclair

Charles Sinclair

Partner

Biography

Charlie Sinclair is a civil litigator with an extremely varied practice, and he likes it that way.  Working in a variety of areas of the law keeps Charlie on his toes and contributes to his ability to give his clients the practical and unfiltered advice they come to him for. He is also fully qualified as a mediator.

Having started his career as a corporate lawyer, Charlie has now been a litigator for over 15 years.  His practice has evolved during that time.  But what has not changed is his affability and approachability with clients and the vigorous legal work he does on their behalf.  Among other things, Charlie’s practice focuses on:

  • Defence of professionals: Charlie defends lawyers and other professionals who have been sued for negligence.  While he likes nothing more than to identify an opportunity to have a claim against a client dismissed at an early stage, Charlie is a skilled advocate who does not hesitate to commit his talents to a trial when necessary.  Charlie is on LawPRO’s Preferred Counsel List and has represented, among others, real estate lawyers, civil litigators, family lawyers and corporate / commercial lawyers.
  • Unions and union members:  When unions need to go to court to fight for their own or their members’ rights, Charlie is the civil litigator for the job.  From construction lien litigation on behalf of members whose wages and/or remittances are in arrears, to enforcing arbitration awards against delinquent employers, and from representing the rights of unions and their members in insolvency proceedings, to defending workers’ rights on the picket line, Charlie is committed to the union cause.
  • Non-unionized employees: Whether an employee has been fired, is being harassed at work, is the subject of a workplace investigation or needs to negotiate an employment contract, Charlie understands the importance of work in people’s lives and enjoys making sure they are treated fairly.
  • Class actions: Charlie represents plaintiffs in class actions aimed at recovering unpaid wages and overtime for employees who are the victims of unscrupulous employers.  He believes that class actions are a vital tool for righting the power imbalance between employers and employees.
  • Claims against public authorities: Charlie represents clients who are the victims of abuse at the hands of the police and other public authorities.
  • Housing co-operatives: The boards of directors of housing co-operatives rely on Charlie’s practical focus and ability to provide legal advice in a cost-efficient manner.

In all matters, Charlie understands and appreciates the stresses triggered by the adversarial court process, and supports his clients in ways that help to mitigate the financial and emotional costs of litigation.

Charlie regularly appears before all levels of court in Ontario as well as before various administrative tribunals, including coroners’ inquests. He is also external counsel to the License Appeal Tribunal. In that capacity, he presides over case conferences in accident benefits disputes.

As a mediator, Charlie mediates all manner of civil disputes including employment, professional negligence, personal injury, insurance, commercial, and business disputes. He will bring his experience, adaptability and empathy to bear on your dispute and will stop at nothing to get it resolved. If you would like to book Charlie for a mediation, please contact his assistant Melanie to obtain his available dates.

In his spare time, Charlie volunteers at the Employment Law Clinic run by Pro Bono Law Ontario and is a member of a variety of organizations that tend to have civil litigators as members.  He is an excellent hockey player. Just ask him.

Notable Cases

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