Geoff is a partner in the commercial litigation department where the main focus of his practice is the resolution of business disputes through trial, appeal, mediation or arbitration. Geoff has several specialties including: franchise litigation, professional liability for accountants and financial advisors, securities regulatory work, and income tax litigation. Geoff has over 40 reported decisions and rulings in these areas. A few of his notable cases include: · Clearing chartered accountants of liability to numerous clients for the failure to file. · Successfully acting for brokers and traders on investigations and hearings before the Ontario Securities Commission regarding alleged insider trading and non-registered trading in securities. · Acting for a number of franchisors to successfully restrict departing franchisees from doing franchise business in a restricted geographical region contrary to their non-competition covenants. · Defending franchisors in class proceedings. Geoff is a past instructor at the Bar Admission Course - Civil Procedures Section and Intensive Trial Advocacy Workshop - Osgoode Hall Law School in the area of expert testimony and cross-examinations. He is a guest lecturer at the Franchise Law Course of the University of Western Ontario Law School. Geoff is a member of the International Franchise Association (IFA) Legal Symposium Task Force, and regularly speaks and contributes articles in the area of franchise law. Geoff is an entirely "home grown" product having articled and practised at Cassels since his call to the bar in 1986. He completed three years of commerce and finance with distinction at the University of Toronto before graduating from law school at Queen's University in 1984. Geoff graduated from the LL.M. program at Osgoode in 2011, with a focus on alternative dispute resolution. Achievements · Who's Who Legal: Canada 2011 (Franchise) · The Best Lawyers in Canada 2012 (Franchise Law) · Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory 2011 (Franchising Law) · The Best Lawyers in Canada 2011 (Franchise Law) · Who's Who Legal: Canada 2010 (Franchise) · Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory 2010 (Franchising Law) · The Best Lawyers in Canada 2010 (Franchise Law) · Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory 2009 (Franchising Law) · The Best Lawyers in Canada 2009 (Franchise Law) · Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory 2008 (Franchising Law) · The Best Lawyers in Canada 2008 (Franchise Law) · Martindale-Hubbell, BV Distinguished™ rating · Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory 2007 (Franchising Law) · Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory 2006 (Franchising Law) Associations · The Advocates' Society · American Bar Association/Forum on Franchising · American Trial Lawyers Association · Canadian Bar Association · Canadian Franchise Association · Canadian Tax Foundation · Ontario Bar Association (Taxation Section Executive Committee Member 1995-1996) · Toronto Lawyers Association In The News 09/29/2011, 15 Cassels Brock Lawyers Recognized by Who's Who Legal: Canada 2011 09/20/2011, 23 Cassels Brock Lawyers Included in Best Lawyers® in Canada 2012 05/19/2011, 22 Cassels Brock Lawyers Named in Lexpert's 2011 Directory 02/07/2011, Geoff Shaw Interviewed by Financier Worldwide About Resolving Commercial Disputes in Canada 01/19/2011, Geoff Shaw Argues Perception of Franchisees as Underdogs in Some Franchise Class Action Lawsuits Not Reality 08/25/2010, 24 Cassels Brock Lawyers Included in Best Lawyers® in Canada 2011 08/03/2010, Geoff Shaw Discusses Effective Dispute Resolution in Financier Worldwide's Roundtable 07/27/2010, 14 Cassels Brock Lawyers Recognized by Who's Who Legal: Canada 2010 05/25/2010, 20 Cassels Brock Lawyers Named in Lexpert's 2010 Directory Bottom of Form Presentations 04/29/2011, Franchise Law and Class Actions 04/05/2011, The Future of Franchising - CFA 2011 National Convention 03/02/2011, Ontario Region Legal Day 02/16/2011, Problem Franchisees and Franchisee Associations 11/04/2010, The Future of Franchising 05/16/2010, How to Identify and Avoid Problems in International Master Franchising 10/14/2009, The Whole Nine Yards: Franchise Law 02/14/2009, Franchisee Associations - Strategies and Realities 11/25/2008, Major Issues that Keep Franchise Counsel up at Night 10/15/2008, Determining the Rules of Engagement in Litigation Here And Abroad 02/28/2008, Recent Developments in Franchise Injunctions 10/03/2007, Violence In Sport 03/08/2007, When the Dance is Over: Franchise Defaults and Terminations 02/20/2007, "Crystal Ball Gazing" on What to Expect in the Next Few Years! 11/16/2006, Checkmate: Obstacles to Litigating the Franchise Case 05/31/2006, Protecting the Trademark; Franchise Agreements; Pre-contractual (Mis) Representations 05/01/2005, The Right Direction - Follow the Signs for the Route to Success 10/29/2004, Franchising In a "New World" of Disclosure - The Advanced Course 02/22/2002, A New Act, A New Era of Disclosure One Year Later 11/20/2001, Franchise Law Articles Effective Dispute Resolution, 08/03/2010 Newsletter Articles A Canadian Perspective on the U.S. Supreme Court's Recent Ruling on Class Arbitrations, 05/11/2011 Welcoming Derek Ronde, the Newest Member of the Cassels Brock & Blackwell Franchise Law Practice Group, 02/09/2011 Materially Deficient FDD is no FDD at All; Franchisee Granted Rescission on Summary Judgment, 12/03/2010 Newsletters Franchise Law e-COMMUNIQUÉ - October 2011, 10/17/2011 Know When to Hold 'em, Know When to Fold 'em: Client Information You Can Be Required to Disclose to the CRA, 07/29/2011 Franchisors Should Remember Their Potential Disclosure Obligations When Dealing With Franchise Resales, 07/20/2011 Franchise Law e-COMMUNIQUÉ - May 2011, 05/12/2011 Franchise Law e-LERT - Seidel v. Telus Communications Inc., 04/08/2011 Franchise Law e-COMMUNIQUÉ - February 2011, 02/09/2011 Franchise Law Group e-LERT: Are you Ready? - New Brunswick Franchise Law Becomes Effective on February 1, 2011, 01/19/2011 Franchise Law e-COMMUNIQUÉ - December 2010, 12/03/2010 |