Founded as a construction boutique firm in 1982, Vancouver-based Singleton Urquhart amended its name and firmly established a second office in Toronto when it attracted Toronto construction luminaries Bruce Reynolds and
Sharon Vogel (who is now the Toronto-based co-Managing Partner) to its bench several years ago. The combined unit continues to gain traction and win the acclaim from clients in both markets. “Singleton is known for construction, but they also seem to be diversifying,” observes a peer. Another confirms, “They are in some of the biggest infrastructure disputes in the [Greater Toronto Area], with some local household names in the industry as clients.”
Reynolds has cultivated a celebrated reputation as counsel in the construction- and coverage-related litigation and arbitration spaces, as well as an in-demand neutral arbitrator. Reynolds represents Aviva Insurance Company of Canada in a mandate concerning the receivership of “The One” mixed-used condominium skyscraper at the intersection of Bloor and Yonge Streets in Downtown Toronto. The high-profile development, which was planned to accommodate luxury retailers, hotels, and residential units, has been bedeviled by uncertainty due to cost overruns and other variables. Reynolds was retained to provide strategic advice as well as representation in insolvency proceedings particularly with respect to navigating Aviva’s potential exposure in respect of its obligations as insurer of the deposits of persons having purchased residential units in the building. Vogel has been retained by Cherubini Metal Works to provide ongoing advice regarding Cherubini’s claim for unpaid invoices and lien claim (valued at approximately $CAD9 million) with regards to Cherubini’s fabrication, delivery and installation of three bespoke bridges for the Waterfront Toronto project. The name partners are far from the only star players in the Toronto office; two younger members of the team, Jesse Gardner and James Little, appear alongside Reynolds and/or Vogel in most of the firm’s highest-stakes mandates. “I’m actually starting to see more of each of them,” declares one Toronto peer in the infrastructure field on Gardner’s and Little’s behalf. “They learned from the best and are now running with it. They do a lot of their own business development and take active roles on these files, which has really paid off for them.”
