Jonathan Speigel, a founding partner of Speigel Nichols Fox LLP, leads the litigation and construction practices.

His legal experience is a bit unusual – at least by today’s instant specialty standards. He initially started practice as a sole practitioner and, gradually, as more partners and associates joined the practice, moved into litigation, where he has been ensconced since about 1987. Accordingly, he has practised in the trenches as a solicitor and understands real estate, leases, commercial issues, and wills and estates; he has extensive experience in drafting documents. This experience gives him an insight that many litigators do not have. It is far easier to advocate for a position when one understands the disputes from a deal maker’s point of view and understands the relevant documents and financial statements.

Jonathan started to accumulate his construction expertise while working as a construction labourer for six summers, which he did to finance his education. He knows construction from the sub-ground up. He has been practising construction law since 1979 and deals with all facets of it. His construction practice is not confined to dispute resolution and litigation; he has negotiated and drafted construction contracts, up to 350M, with owners, subcontractors, consultants, and partners in P3 projects.

In 1996, realizing that the dispute resolution world was “a changin,” moving into arenas other than the courts, he took the Harvard mediation course and started acting as a mediator. He has mediated over 200 disputes since then. He mediates for the challenge and to keep his skills sharp; not to earn his living. His experience as a mediator gives him a significant advantage when attending mediations as counsel. He knows what the mediators are doing and why and he knows how to conduct himself to achieve the best results for his clients.

Jonathan’s greatest asset is his wife, a Superior Court Justice. Mentioning her (because she likes to be acknowledged) also demonstrates how smart he really is.

REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS

• extensive experience in the following areas of law:
  • construction liens and disputes
  • litigation relating to real estate transactions
  • professional negligence and breach of contract
  • commercial landlord and tenant disputes
  • general commercial litigation
  • disciplinary hearings
  • enforcement, collection and insolvency work for financial institutions and creditors
• lead counsel in over 60 reported applications, trials, and appeals
• appeared as counsel in arbitrations and hearings before administrative tribunals and disciplinary boards
• mediator in over 200 civil disputes
• appeared as counsel in the Ontario Court of Justice, Ontario Superior Court of Justice (extensively), Ontario Divisional Court, Ontario Court of Appeal, Federal Court of Canada, British Columbia Supreme Court, and Supreme Court of Canada (for leave to appeal)