Robert Sheahan

Robert Sheahan is a partner at Gowling WLG practising in health law and solicitors' negligence. He served as the Head of the Ottawa Advocacy Department and member of the Ottawa Office Management Committee from January 2020 until January 2025. 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 has experience managing solicitors' negligence claims and errors & omissions matters for the Ottawa office of Gowling WLG.

Robb is certified by the Law Society of Ontario as a specialist in health law and has consistently been recognized by Chambers, 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 (2017, 2023 and 2025) and Medical Negligence (2023).

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.

Robb is also 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.

He 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 blessed with wonderful mentors over the years, he 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, Robb 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."

He is 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.