Professional Liability and Indemnity

We represent individuals and firms across a range of professional disciplines.

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• In the auditing and accounting domain we have clients ranging from sole practitioners to the big four firms, including clients engaged in assurance practice and financial statement preparation, tax, financial recovery, valuation, and forensic accounting.

• In the design professionals field we act for engineers and architects involved in residential and commercial development.

• We act for mental health and other healthcare practitioners, lawyers, insurance agents and brokers, financial advisors, and other professionals.

• We also have extensive experience advising and representing errors and omissions insurers.

 

Through years of experience we have acquired extensive knowledge of the standards and practices of the professions for which we act and the laws and regulations that govern them.  We regularly provide advice and representation in respect of the following:

 

Civil Litigation

 

We have acted for accountants and their liability insurers in the defence of negligence, breach of contract and fiduciary claims, ranging from minor client disputes to complex multi-party and class action claims by investors.

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We have acted for design professionals and their liability insurers in claims ranging from the installation of a single HVAC unit to the structural design of the roof of the Rogers Centre stadium dome.

 

We have acted both for and against professionals in a variety of other fields from boiler inspectors to commercial solicitors, psychiatrists to investment planners.

 

Disciplinary and Regulatory Proceedings

 

We have represented clients responding to complaints or charges by the Institute of Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario, the Law Society of Ontario, the Ontario College of Nurses, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, the College of Psychologists of Ontario, Professional Engineers of Ontario, and other professional bodies.  We assist clients regarding complaints and investigations before charges have been laid, defence of disciplinary proceedings where charges have been laid, as well as appeals, and membership applications.

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Government and Regulatory Compliance

 

We provide advice to professionals to ensure that intended business activities comply with applicable legislation, and with the rules and regulations of self-governing professional bodies.  Recently we have advised a number of accounting firms regarding entry into the regulated market for providing wealth management services.

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Professional Practice

 

We are frequently contacted by small practitioners, particularly in the accounting discipline, for advice on legal issues and disputes specific to professional practice.  We have advised on regulatory issues in the context of the merger, acquisition, sale, and dissolution of professional practices, and management of difficult client situations.  We have represented professionals in contesting the denial of insurance coverage for claims, and in the notification of difficult claim situations to professional liability insurers.