Areas of focus
Sahil Shoor is a nationally recognized construction and infrastructure disputes partner at Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP. He advises on major projects and leads complex, high-stakes claims and disputes, including through arbitration and litigation, with strategies grounded in a detailed understanding of project delivery, technical evidence and each client’s broader commercial objectives.
Called to the Bar in Ontario and British Columbia, Sahil’s practice spans sectors central to Canada’s economic development. His experience includes commercial construction and real estate development; transit and public-private partnership projects; bridges, tunnelling and other civil works; and power and energy projects, including nuclear and hydroelectric facilities. He has appeared as counsel before courts, domestic and international arbitral tribunals and administrative bodies across multiple Canadian jurisdictions.
Sahil’s involvement often begins while construction is underway. As project counsel, he advises on contract administration, claims strategy, notices, change management, schedule and cost exposure, risk allocation and the development of the project record. He helps clients assess the legal, commercial and operational consequences of decisions as they are made, while work remains underway and practical options remain available.
“Sahil thinks very clearly; he sees the bigger picture with disputes and grasps strengths and weaknesses quickly. He reads the room very well and resolves disputes quickly and amicably.” (Chambers Canada)
When disputes arise, Sahil leads complex, technical and document-intensive matters involving delay and disruption; scope disputes, change claims and cost overruns; construction liens, breach of trust and priority disputes; design and professional liability; surety and bonding claims; construction insurance; insolvency and receivership; negligence; and breach of contract. He represents clients in litigation, domestic and international arbitration, adjudication, mediation and other forms of dispute resolution.
His mandates regularly involve extensive electronic project records, multiple expert disciplines, complex questions of causation and quantum, and urgent strategic decisions. His experience also includes time-sensitive injunction proceedings and disputes engaging issues of national security, national defence and international relations. One client described Sahil’s approach as follows:
“Sahil is a highly skilled litigator and has refined legal acumen in construction law. He grasps complex issues quickly and is focused on the wider picture through prudent and timely responses.” (Chambers Canada)
A distinguishing feature of Sahil’s practice is the breadth of perspective he brings from acting for owners, contractors and design professionals. Those participants can assess the same contract, project record or commercial problem through very different operational, financial and risk-management lenses. That experience informs how Sahil evaluates claims, tests strengths and vulnerabilities, anticipates the positions of other participants and develops strategies aligned with his clients’ broader commercial objectives.
“Sahil is a true star and deals with very high-stakes commercial disputes in the construction space. He is incredibly hard working, and he delivers results for his clients over and over again.” (Chambers Canada)
Sahil holds the Qualified Arbitrator (Q. Arb.) designation from the ADR Institute of Canada and serves as an arbitrator in ad hoc and institutional construction proceedings. His work is consistently recognized by leading legal directories, including Chambers Canada, The Legal 500 Canada and the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory. Lexpert also named him a "2022 Leading Lawyer Under 40: Rising Star." In 2024, he received the Ontario Bar Association’s Heather McArthur Memorial Young Lawyers Award for his contributions to continuing legal education and the development of construction law. In 2021, he was recognized by On-Site Magazine and Site Partners as Top 40 under 40 in Canadian Construction.
Sahil is a frequent speaker, writer and commentator on construction law, project risk and dispute resolution. He has contributed to programs and publications for the Law Society of Ontario, the Canadian Bar Association, the Ontario Bar Association, The Advocates’ Society, the Society of Construction Law North America, the International Bar Association, the American Bar Association Forum on Construction Law, The Canadian Institute, the ADR Institute of Canada and the Canadian Institute of Quantity Surveyors. He also serves on the faculty of Osgoode Professional Development’s Professional LLM in Construction Law at Osgoode Hall Law School, York University.
Through Shoor on Projects, his ongoing series, Sahil examines the decisions, governance structures, project records and commercial pressures that shape major construction and infrastructure projects and the disputes that emerge from them.
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