Robert Sheahan
Robert Sheahan is a partner at Gowling WLG practising in health law and solicitors' negligence. He acts as General Counsel to the Canadian Medical Protective Association (CMPA), assisting physicians in the context of professional discipline matters and professional negligence. He also manages solicitors' negligence claims and errors & omissions matters for the Ottawa office of Gowling WLG.
Robert is certified by the Law Society of Ontario as a specialist in health law and has consistently been recognized by Best Lawyers in Canada and Lexpert as a leader in the fields of health care law and medical negligence, including being distinguished as Lawyer of the Year in Health Care Law for Ottawa in 2017.
He is currently an Honorary Member of the Executive of the National Health Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association. He has been an active member of the Executive since 2009 and served as Section Chair in 2011-2012. Previously, he served on the Executive of the Health Law Section of the Ontario Bar Association, including as regional representative for the East Region.
A passionate and enthusiastic speaker, Robert is an instructor at the Osgoode Hall LL.M Health Law Program and has been a guest lecturer at the University of Ottawa Faculties of Law and Medicine. He regularly presents on health law before groups, including the American Bar Association, the International Bar Association and the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
Robert is an active supporter and coordinator of the firm's participation in events to support REACH Canada, a national non-profit charitable organization for persons with disabilities. Having been bless with wonderful mentors over the years, Robert is committed to mentoring associates and students, and actively participating in the firm's student recruitment initiatives.
In addition to serving on the editorial board of the Electronic Healthcare Law Review, Robert has authored a number of papers, including "Liability and Privacy Considerations with Personal Health Records," "Unbundling Healthcare: The Changing Nature of the Practitioner-Patient Relationship As a Result of Electronic Health Records," "Limiting Non-Pecuniary Damages: The Effectiveness of Caps," "Expert Immunity: Canadian Implications of Jones v. Kaney" and "The Value of a Trusted Advisor."
Robert has appeared before the Ontario Provincial Court, Superior Court of Justice, Court of Appeal, as well as various administrative boards and tribunals, such as health professions boards and commercial tribunals. He is also an active member of The Advocates' Society, the International Bar Association, the County of Carleton Law Association, and a volunteer judge at moot competitions and other legal education initiatives, including serving as co-chair of the annual Courthouse Series in Ottawa from 2009 to 2015.