Andrew Porter is the principal of Porter Litigation, a Toronto-based trial and appeals litigation firm providing strategic advice and representation in complex civil, regulatory and public law matters. Prior to founding his own firm, Andrew was a partner at Lenczner Slaght LLP.

JD (Osgoode), Law Society of Ontario

Karen Lau-Po-Hung is a Criminal Defence Lawyer who practices in the Greater Toronto Area. She is a partner at Rusonik, O’Connor, Robbins, Ross, Gorham & Angelini, LLP, Canada’s largest criminal defence firm.

Ms. Lau-Po-Hung has focused her entire academic and professional career in Criminal Law. In university, she studied criminology and graduated with highest distinction. She continued in criminal law at Osgoode Hall Law School. During law school she worked closely with Toronto judges on a number of criminal court cases. She has a strong interest in cases where police have violated an individual’s rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom.

Ms. Lau-Po-Hung has been counsel for all type of cases in the Ontario Court of Justice & Superior Court of Justice including charges of First Degree Murder, Second Degree Murder, Attempt Murder, Narcotic cases – Trafficking & Possessing for the Purpose, Firearms, Robbery, Sexual Assault, Domestic Assault, Dangerous Driving, Break and enter, etc.

Ms. Lau-Po-Hung has successfully negotiated withdrawals for all types of offences and has secured jury acquittals for various offences including First and Second Degree Murder.

NIMALI GAMAGE is the Managing Partner of Goddard Gamage LLP in Toronto. She is recognized in Best Lawyers in Canada (2014- 2024) in Trusts and Estates. Nimali was called to the bar in 2001 and worked as a lawyer for the Walkerton Inquiry with then Associate Chief Justice Dennis O’Connor. In 2002, she joined Jan Goddard as Jan’s first associate and became partners with her in 2012.  Goddard Gamage LLP has been chosen six times as one of the Top 10 Trusts and Estates boutique firms in Canada by Canadian Lawyer Magazine. In 2014, Nimali received the Hoffstein Prize, an award of excellence in Trusts and Estates from the Ontario Bar Association.

Nimali’s practice of both litigation and solicitor’s work focuses on guardianship, powers of attorney, capacity, elder law, estate planning, estate litigation, and Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) legal issues. Since 2009, she has been a member of the Estates Subcommittee of the Civil Rules Committee for Ontario, which makes recommendations to the Attorney General for rules in relation to civil court procedures. Nimali is frequently asked to present at programs hosted by the Ontario Bar Association, the Law Society of Ontario, and other organizations. In 2021 and on-going, Nimali was invited to create and teach the inaugural Elder Law course at Osgoode Hall Law School as an adjunct professor.

Aaron Atkinson is a partner with Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP in Toronto. His practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, shareholder activism, capital markets and securities, and corporate governance. He works with Canadian and international businesses, underwriters and investors spanning a wide range of industry sectors – including mining, life sciences and financial services.

Mr. Atkinson has advised on some of the country’s most high ­profile domestic and cross­-border transactions, including contested matters such as unsolicited takeover bids and proxy contests, as well as financing transactions, negotiated acquisitions, joint ventures and partnerships. Well versed in corporate governance, he is regularly called upon to advise boards and board special committees on transactional matters as well as internal investigations and complex governance issues.

Mr. Atkinson previously taught Corporate Finance and M&A for eight years at the University of Windsor Faculty of Law and has served as a lecturer in the Corporate Remedies LLM course at Osgoode Hall Law School. He also taught “Mergers and Acquisitions: Emerging Strategies and Regulatory Issues” for the Intensive Course in Canadian Securities Law and Practice, part of Osgoode’s Professional Development Program.

LLB (Osgoode), of the Law Society of Ontario

Lonny Rosen is a founding partner of the Toronto, Ontario health law boutique Rosen Sunshine LLP. He has been certified by the Law Society of Ontario as a Specialist in Health Law.

Mr. Rosen advises on a wide variety of health and regulatory law issues. His clients include health care professionals, administrators of health care facilities, professional associations, and individuals. He represents clients in a wide range of civil and administrative proceedings, and regularly represents health professionals in complaint and discipline matters, investigations, audits and peer reviews, hospital privileges disputes and in hearings before various health tribunals. He also serves as independent legal counsel to Discipline Committees of professionals’ governing bodies.

Mr. Rosen is a Senior Lawyer Member of the Consent and Capacity Board, and a member of the Editorial Bard of the Risk Management in Canadian Health Care newsletter. He has served as Chair of both the OBA and CBA Health Law Sections and was a Director of The Advocates’ Society and of the governing council of the Medico-Legal Society of Toronto. He frequently writes and speaks on health law issues and is an Adjunct Professor of Osgoode Hall Law School, teaching Health Law.

Mr. Rosen was named to “Best Lawyers in Canada” for Health Care Law every year since 2014 and in 2020 was included in Who’s Who Legal as a Global Leader in Health Care Law, receiving the ranking of “Recommended”.

In June 2016, Mr. Rosen was named the inaugural recipient of the OBA Susan Hilary Davidson Memorial Award for Excellence in Health Law.

Counsel to the law firm of Cozen O’Connor LLP and Certified as a Specialist in Real Estate Law by the Law Society of Upper Canada.  Called to the Bar of the Province of Ontario in 1979.  Juris Doctor (Bachelor of Laws) from Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, 1977.  Recipient of the 2019 Ontario Bar Association Award of Excellence in Real Estate.  Adjunct Professor at Osgoode Hall Law School, York University.  Past Chair of the executive of the Real Property Section of the Ontario Bar Association. Member of the editorial board for Falconbridge on Mortgages, Fifth Edition.  Noted in The Best Lawyers in Canada in the area of Real Estate Law and in the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory as Frequently Recommended in the area of Property Development (Real Estate).  Chaired and participated in various Continuing Education Programs for the Law Society of Ontario, The Ontario Bar Association as well as for many financial institutions and business organizations.  Also appears as an expert witness in the courts of the Province of Ontario where he has been qualified as an expert in real estate law and practice.

Rob Murphy is a partner at Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP. Rob advises clients on a broad range of transactions, including public and private offerings of equity and debt securities and structured products, asset acquisitions and divestitures, joint ventures, equity monetizations, corporate governance and loan financings.

Known for his expertise in securities law, Rob is regularly consulted by public companies – including mining and oil and gas companies – on disclosure issues and general commercial matters. He also acts for issuers and underwriters in major cross-border transactions and advises major U.S. investment banks on securities law compliance issues concerning Canadian offerings.

He is a former member of the Ontario Securities Commission’s Continuous Disclosure Advisory Committee and Small Business Advisory Committee.

Since 2018, I have worked as a legal content writer for STEP Canada on Law of Trusts course and volunteered as Deputy Chair of STEP Canada Education Committee.  As well, I have been an Adjunct Professor at Osgoode Hall Law School for Trusts, Estate Planning and Wills and Estates

Until 2018, I was Senior Advisory Counsel at Royal Bank of Canada (senior legal specialist role within RBC Law). There I provided legal advice to RBC companies in the following areas: all registered plans (such as RRSP’s); estate administration, both domestic and foreign, for release of estate assets and collection of debt owed by the deceased; specific legal requirements related to new technology; succession issues including distribution of assets (such as through trusts, beneficiary designations, joint ownership, and court proceedings); elder law including reduction of financial abuse. I worked closely on both policy development and input to law reform with Compliance, Regulatory Affairs, and Tax both internally and in conjunction with industry stakeholders.

Prior to RBC Law, I was in private practice in Mississauga with a focus on incapacity and estate planning and administration.

Throughout my career, I have been passionate about championing the concerns of seniors and vulnerable Canadians including the reduction of financial abuse, the development of financial products, and the reform of federal and provincial laws to better meet their needs.

BA (Manitoba), LLB/BCL (McGill), of the Bar of Ontario

Richard Swan is Co-Head of the Litigation Department at Bennett Jones LLP and Co-Head of the firm’s Commercial Litigation Practice Group and carries on a focused litigation, arbitration and dispute resolution practice. He co-heads the firm’s dispute resolution practice and maintains a broad caseload. He has comprehensive and extensive trial and appellate experience, regularly appearing before a range of tribunals, arbitral bodies and courts, including all levels of court in Ontario and the Federal Court.

Mr. Swan was named by Benchmark Canada as its 2015 Ontario Litigator of the Year. He was a successful counsel in the Waxman litigation, one of the best known, most extensive and factually complex commercial proceedings in Ontario.

His practice focuses on corporate, commercial and public law disputes. He has experience in matters pertaining to corporate, shareholder, oppression, securities, partnership, commercial contract, real property, injunction, domestic and international arbitration, technology, intellectual property, licensing, restructuring, project development, fiduciary duty, and professional negligence disputes, among others.

Mr. Swan is recognized for his expertise and standing in the areas of corporate and commercial litigation and dispute resolution by Chambers Global: The World’s Leading Lawyers for Business, The Best Lawyers in Canada, Benchmark Canada, Euromoney Litigation Expert Guide and Lexpert (Canada’s Leading Litigation Lawyers). Chambers Global observes that his courtroom presentation “leaves judges and even opposing counsel wide-eyed with admiration”. In 2002, he was named by Lexpert as one of the Top 40 Under 40 Lawyers in Canada. As well, he regularly speaks on corporate, civil, administration and regulatory law at professional conferences.

Mr. Swan joined Bennett Jones LLP from another leading national law firm. Previously, he clerked at the Federal Court of Appeal in Ottawa.

Christopher McKenna is a Director with Bennett Jones LLP in the Professional Development Department. He is responsible for the operation and administration of junior associate and student programming in Toronto. He is actively involved with in-firm orientation and training, performance reviews, mentoring and recruitment of junior associates and summer and articling students, and also participates in law school recruitment events and pro bono activities. Christopher is also a member of the National Associate of Law Placement (NALP), current Chair of the OCI Advisory Committee, and has previously both written for the NALP Bulletin and presented at Annual Education Conferences.

In addition, Christopher also has a general litigation practice focusing on corporate commercial, estate, regulatory and class action litigation. He is also an active volunteer for Law Help Ontario and is responsible for the firm’s pro bono, including the Osgoode Investor Protection Clinic, where he acts as supervising lawyer and assists with training IPC Clinicians.