Sack Goldblatt Mitchell LLP
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Sack Goldblatt Mitchell LLP is one of Canada's leading labour law, civil litigation and criminal law firms. In addition to representing clients in all labour, civil and criminal defence matters, we specialize in public interest law, Charter of Rights litigation, human rights law, professional discipline, pensions and employee benefits and administrative law.
Founded in 1974, Sack Goldblatt Mitchell LLP is one of Canada's leading labour law, civil litigation and criminal law firms. We are a progressive law firm, committed to providing the highest quality legal services in a welcoming and accessible environment.
SGM is distinguished by the excellence of its work. Our lawyers are among the most respected litigators in their areas of practice. SGM's lawyers are frequent speakers at seminars and conferences, a number of our lawyers have taught at various law schools and we have written and published extensively within our areas of expertise. We strive to achieve the best results for our clients, delivering high-quality advocacy in a cost-effective manner. To better service our clients, SGM has a legal research team dedicated to assisting the firm’s litigators with all of their research, legal writing and litigation support needs.
In our labour practice, SGM represents a wide variety of trade unions, professional associations and employees in all labour and employment law matters.
Our civil litigators act for a variety of individuals, groups and institutions across a broad spectrum of civil law, including class actions, public interest and Charter of Rights litigation, professional discipline matters, pensions and employee benefits, and administrative and human rights law.
SGM's criminal defence lawyers represent individuals in all types of criminal and quasi-criminal law cases.
SGM is committed to the belief that the practice of law presents unique opportunities to serve the community. The firm is actively engaged in pro bono service across all of its practice groups. The firm's pro bono program serves a wide array of individuals, public service organizations and not-for-profit entities. The pro-bono program at SGM receives the full support of the firm and all of the resources of the firm are at the program's disposal. Every pro bono matter has the direct participation and supervision of a partner. This longstanding commitment of the lawyers at SGM goes back to the firms inception over 30 years ago. In the past, our pro bono work has included accepting briefs on behalf of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, the Criminal Lawyer's Association, the Canadian Conference of the Arts, welfare rights coalitions, poverty law coalitions, environmental groups, and equality-seeking groups.
With offices in both Toronto and Ottawa, SGM provides services to its clients in both English and French.
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[edit] Practice Areas
SGM has a broad labour law practice, representing trade unions, professional associations and employees in all labour and employment law matters, including grievance and interest arbitration, labour board matters, pay and employment equity cases, pension and benefits law, workers' compensation issues, disability claims, employment standards disputes, and occupational health and safety issues.
SGM also has an extensive civil litigation practice covering a wide variety of civil law matters, including contract disputes, professional liability, defamation, commercial litigation, wrongful dismissal and malicious prosecution claims.
SGM has a vibrant criminal defence practice, and one of the busiest constitutional and Charter of Rights practices in the country. We also have a burgeoning public interest litigation practice and an extensive administrative law practice, including judicial review, professional discipline, coroners inquests and public inquiries.
SGM also offers services in the areas of mediation and alternative dispute resolution, as well as business and real estate law.
Administrative Law Business Law / Real Estate Law Charter Litigation Civil Litigation Class Actions Criminal Law Disability Claims Employment Law Human Rights and Equity Law Labour Law Mediation / ADR Pension Benefits Law Public Interest Litigation
[edit] Lawyers
Steven Barrett Toronto 416-979-6422 Colleen Bauman Ottawa 613-482-2463 Fay Brunning Ottawa 613-482-2453 Dona Campbell Toronto 416-979-6401 Fiona Campbell Ottawa 613-482-2451 Jonathan Dawe Toronto 416-979-6447 Sean Dewart Toronto 416-979-6970 Kelly Doctor Ottawa 613-482-2464 Peter Engelmann Ottawa 613-482-2452 Margaret Flynn Toronto 416-979-4246 Andrew Furgiuele Toronto 416-979-6448 Eli Gedalof Toronto 416-979-4239 Tim Gleason Toronto 416-979-6971 Howard Goldblatt Toronto 416-979-6411 Daniel Iny Toronto 416-979-4247 Michael Kainer Toronto 416-979-6430 Stephen Krashinsky Toronto 416-979-6405 Cathy Lace Toronto 416-979-6413 Lindsay Lawrence Toronto 416-979-6408 Hugo Leal-Neri Toronto 416-979-6442 Lise Leduc Ottawa 613-482-2457 Doug LeFaive Toronto 416-979-6431 James K. McDonald Toronto 416-979-6425 Natasha Meissner Toronto 416-979-6432 C. Michael Mitchell Toronto 416-979-6417 Vanessa Payne Toronto 416-979-6419 Cynthia Petersen Toronto 416-979-6440 Emma Phillips Toronto 416-979-4240 Marisa Pollock Toronto 416-979-6441 Ethan Poskanzer Toronto 416-979-6423 Raija Pulkkinen Ottawa 613-482-2455 Lorne Richmond Toronto 416-979-6407 Amanda Rogers Toronto 416-979-4235 Heidi Rubin Toronto 416-979-6438 Jeffrey Sack Toronto 416-979-6415 Steven Shrybman Ottawa 613-482-2456 Vanora Simpson Toronto 416-979-6437 Charles Sinclair Toronto 416-979-4234 Louis Sokolov Toronto 416-979-6439 William Thompson Toronto 416-979-4244 Charlene Wiseman Toronto 416-979-4232 Amanda Wojcik Toronto 416-979-4230 Mark Wright Toronto 416-979-6420
[edit] Articling Student Info
SGM welcomes applications from students who are interested in working in a progressive, stimulating and collegial environment.
[edit] Criminal Articles
The criminal law section of SGM offers articling students hands-on exposure to a diverse variety of cases. Counsel carry a mix of pro bono, Legal Aid and privately funded cases with an emphasis, in all cases, on thorough fact investigation, comprehensive research and conscientious representation. The articling student in the criminal section of SGM is taught these skills by example and through close and continuous supervision. An articling student can expect to work closely with all of SGM's criminal lawyers.
Articling in the SGM criminal section is intended to equip a law student with the practical and professional skills to assume carriage of any type of criminal case at any level of court. As set out in the criminal section's Education Plan, the articling student participates in every aspect of trial and appellate preparation from handling arrest scene calls from potential clients to assisting counsel in the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court of Canada. The student frequently participates in client interviews, including interviews of clients who are incarcerated pending trial or appeal, and is responsible for locating and interviewing potential witnesses, including expert witnesses. Legal research is the most significant aspect of the articling experience. The student is routinely asked to draft case specific legal memoranda and, as the year progresses, is assigned increasingly complex drafting tasks, from single issue memoranda to sentence appeals and, eventually, leave applications and conviction appeals to the Supreme Court.
SGM has an excellent general law library and the criminal law section has its own library containing all Canadian criminal law reports and an extensive collective of texts. In addition, the student will have access to Quicklaw and an archive of hundreds of facta filed by counsel on appeals they have argued since 1981.
Applicants for criminal law articles should include at least one letter of recommendation and the names, addresses and phone numbers of at least two further references (one academic and one other).
Applicants should also be prepared to supply a writing sample (related to criminal law or evidence) on request. In addition, applicants are encouraged to submit their applications at least two weeks prior to the official deadline.
Applications should be sent to the attention of Frank Addario. Applications are accepted by mail, fax or email.
Please note: students seeking an articling position in SGM’s Toronto office must apply either to the labour/civil law section or to the criminal law section; there are no combined articling positions.
[edit] Labour Articles
SGM’s labour/civil sections are interested in hiring students who are committed to the highest standards in the practice of labour and employment law from the union/employee perspective.
The primary focus of the articling experience in the labour/civil areas of practice is on all aspects of labour and employment law, including labour arbitration, proceedings before the Ontario Labour Relations Board, human rights and equity issues (including Charter litigation), collective bargaining, construction labour relations, pension and benefits law, workers' compensation, disability claims, employment standards, wrongful dismissal litigation and occupational health and safety. In addition, students will assist SGM’s civil litigators with cases arising outside the employment context.
As set out in our Education Plan, under the supervision and guidance of lawyers, articling students take an active role in all aspects of case preparation. Students interview clients, identify and interview witnesses and research the law. Students are also responsible for drafting opinion letters, legal memoranda, submissions, pleadings and facta.
The student rotation is designed to allow students to work with as many different lawyers as possible over the course of the articling period. Students are encouraged to attend both tribunal and court hearings with lawyers, in order to see cases through from start to finish and to witness a variety of styles of advocacy. On occasion, students may represent clients in minor matters.
SGM has an excellent law library containing numerous general, labour law and human rights law reports and digests, as well as hundreds of legal texts, periodicals and other resources. In addition, students have access to Quicklaw and other electronic research services.
Students articling in the labour/civil areas of practice have been organized for almost thirty years and their terms and conditions of employment are set out in a collective agreement between SGM and the Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union, Local 343.
SGM conducts all articling recruitment in accordance with the rules and guidelines of the Law Society of Upper Canada. Please check the LSUC website for information regarding application deadlines, scheduling of interviews and offers of employment.
Law students who wish to apply for a labour/civil articling position should send an application to Cathy Lace. Applications are accepted by mail, fax or email.
All applications must include:
- a cover letter;
- a resume;
- all law school and university transcripts; and
- a list of courses you intend to take in 3rd year.
Applicants may also wish to include written references in their applications.
For more information about Labour/Civil articles, contact Cathy Lace.
Please note: students seeking an articling position in SGM’s Toronto office must apply either to the labour/civil law section or to the criminal law section; there are no combined articling positions.
[edit] Notable Cases
[edit] Public Opinion
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