Michael Rankin

Representative Work

• Lead counsel for over three decades in complex family law matters, involving shareholder disputes, business valuation, tax and forensic accounting issues.
• Lead counsel before the Canadian International Trade Tribunal in the defence of procurement challenge under the NAFTA - represented the successful bidder in protecting its contract award with Canada Post Corporation.
• Lead counsel in complex tort, tax and pension litigation before the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, Court of Appeal for Ontario, Federal Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada involving claims pertaining to wrongful criminal charges and the impact of deregistration of a pension plan under the Income Tax Act
• Lead counsel for Carleton University for many years on a wide array of litigation and advisory matters including procurement, construction law, commercial disputes, class action litigation, intellectual property protection, academic & fraud and discipline, gifts and advancement and governance issues
• Lead counsel for an oil tank manufacturer in the defense of numerous actions across Ontario involving product liability and negligence claims.
• Lead counsel in complex insurance litigation involving claims pertaining to excess liability coverage and insurance broker negligence
• Lead counsel in shareholder oppression and winding up actions under the Ontario Business Corporations Act.
• Lead counsel for the City of Ottawa in the successful defense to the challenge to the Smoke Free Bylaws, which banned smoking in public places and workplaces. This included the jurisdictional and constitutional challenge to the legality of the bylaws at both the trial and appeal level, injunction proceedings, and by law enforcement and prosecutions. The winning defence resulted in Ottawa being used as a national and international model for the implementation of smoke free bylaws and legislation.
• Lead counsel for many years to the City of Ottawa and to other municipalities in a wide range of civil and commercial disputes, including procurement litigation, construction contract, personal injury, tort and libel and slander actions.