Neil McCormick Partner


Speaks:  English

Year of Call: 2008 - Ontario

Primary phone: +1 613-786-0274

Fax: +1 613-788-4484

Email: neil.mccormick@gowlingwlg.com

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Primary office:  Ottawa



Neil McCormick

Neil McCormick is a partner in Gowling WLG's Ottawa office, practising in the Business Law Group.

Neil's practice is focused on not-for-profit corporations and charities whom he regularly assists with a variety of governance, corporate, contractual, and compliance issues. Neil also provides similar assistance to unincorporated associations and joint ventures.

With respect to governance, Neil routinely provides advice on by-law interpretation questions, the fiduciary obligations of directors, conflicts of interest, the removal of directors, balancing different stakeholder interests, member management, and corporate best practices more generally. Neil is also well-versed in corporate meeting laws and rules, and helps his clients to navigate contentious and non-contentious meetings.

Neil is regularly involved in a variety of corporate transactions involving not-for-profit corporations and charities, including amalgamations, continuances, and dissolutions.

With respect to contracts, Neil regularly assists clients with their domestic and international contractual arrangements, including membership agreements, services agreements, agency agreements, joint venture agreements, and memoranda of understanding (MOUs).

From a compliance perspective, Neil has an extensive knowledge of the corporate statutes governing not-for-profit corporations in Canada, and provides advice to his clients on compliance issues relating to them. He also regularly assists clients to apply for charitable status and represents them in objections to revocation proceedings.

Neil brings a pragmatic, solutions-oriented approach to his practice. He has participated in secondments to the Law Departments of NAV CANADA, The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and a national telecommunications company.

Career & Recognition

Filter timeline:

Memberships

  • Canadian Bar Association
  • Ontario Bar Association - Charity and Not-for-Profit Section

Published Works

  • "ONCA v. OCA: What's the difference?", Gowling WLG, Dec. 13, 2021.
  • "Launch of the Ontario Not-for-Profit Corporations Act, 2010," Gowling WLG, Sept. 14, 2021.
  • "Annual general meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic for Canadian not-for-profit corporations," Gowling WLG, March 20, 2020.
  • Regulatory Transformation in the Empire State, Energy@Gowlings, 2014.
  • Contributed to The Electricity Industry in Canada, a comprehensive two-volume legal review written by Gowlings and published by Carswell in May 2009.
  • "A Survey of Solar Hot Water Heating Initiatives: Lessons for Policy-Makers", Journal of Energy and Natural Resources Law, Vol. 28, No. 2, 2010.
  • The Sale of New Brunswick Power to Hydro-Québec, Energy @ Gowlings Vol. 7, No. 12.
  • Ontario's Nuclear Procurement Project: Three Bids Received, Energy @ Gowlings Vol. 7, No. 4.
  • IESO Issues 18-Month Outlook, Energy @ Gowlings Vol. 7, No. 1.
  • OEB Disclosure Requirements for Proposed Corporate Reorganizations, Energy @ Gowlings Vol. 6, No. 10.
  • Contributed to "New Environmental Penalty Regime in Force", Law Times, October 15, 2007.

Representative Work

  • Counsel to a Canadian food producers' trade association with respect to advertising and marketing, product regulatory issues and government relations.

  • Counsel to one of the largest community fundraising charities in Canada with respect to charity law and tax law.

  • General counsel to the educational subsidiary of a Canadian professional liability organization, providing all legal services, including advising its Board of Directors on governance issues, the organization's education programs, and the incorporation of a new not-for-profit corporation subsidiary including negotiating a number of commercial agreements for the delivery of its services.

  • Developing inclusive meeting rules for a large national association.

  • "Transitioning" an unincorporated contractual joint venture of universities to a corporation.

  • Counsel to one of the largest community fundraising charities in Canada with respect to charity law.

Client work

Client work
01 October 2020 CFHI and CPSI complete amalgamation