Paliare Roland Rosenberg Rothstein earns a pride of place amongst Toronto firms for its litigation pedigree. Peers (throughout Toronto and beyond) are nearly unanimous in their praise and appreciation of its practitioners. One peer – who is also a source of referral work – states, “Paliare Roland lawyers are professional, extremely knowledgeable, and results oriented. I appreciate that as a referring lawyer and also as co-counsel when we are working on files together.” Another contemporary sings the team’s praises for being “exceptional colleagues at the bar and also just very good people, which is not always the case. Sometimes in these matters people can be excellent advocates but also have elbows up, but that’s not the case with the Paliare group. They are a lot like [fellow revered Toronto litigation boutique] Stockwoods in that way – although both firms do different type of work, they are both thoroughly a class act.” It is also noted that “Paliare has some young people who are just awesome, really strong at their vintage. One such partner who exemplifies this testimonial,
Glynnis Hawe is singled out by a number of contemporaries. One ventures, “You’re going to hear more about her, she is a six-year lawyer, and a new partner, who is already getting a lot of traction.”
The firm has elevated its profile in the aboriginal law space significantly this year, which is largely credited to
Andrew Lokan, who, along with Hawe, acted for the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples in an intervention before the Supreme Court about the constitutionality of an act respecting First Nations, Inuit, and Métis children, youth and families, which considered whether Indigenous groups have an inherent right to self-government protected by s.35 of the
Constitution Act, 1982, and whether that right extends to jurisdiction over Indigenous children, youth and families. The Congress supported self-government rights but cautioned that Indigenous governments exercising jurisdiction over child and family services should be accountable for their laws and decisions and subject to meaningful review under the
Charter. In February 2024, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled the Act constitutionally valid, emphasizing that the Act
enables collaboration between Indigenous governing bodies and the Canadian government to address past harms and build a strong nation-to-nation relationship in child and family services. Hawe also acted with
Linda Rothstein for the Royal College of Dental Surgeons as prosecution counsel in a disciplinary hearing that combined five separate notices of hearing against a single dentist. The allegations included sexual abuse of multiple patients/employees, fraudulent insurance submissions, and a number of clinical failings including overprescription of opioids. “Linda Rothstein is very strong on the plaintiff class-action side of things,” confirms a pee. “She’s also very respected as a mediator or arbitrator, even though she’s still practicing.” Megan Shortreed also routinely places as a firm favorite. Shortreed’s practice has also been consumed by medical professional liability cases, acting for various regulatory bodies, as well as an intersection with the employment law practice. While this area is touched upon by most Paliare Roland partners,
Lindsay Scott in particular has developed a profile as one of the most prominent young players dedicated to this specialty. “Lindsay has already done great and is very active in employment law,” extols a peer, “and she’s young enough that she’s got plenty of headroom to work with to build it out further.”
