Joel Richler, FCIArb, LL.B., B.C.L.

Joel Richler has over 35 years of experience in commercial dispute resolution as a litigation counsel, arbitration counsel, mediation counsel, arbitrator (domestic & international) and mediator.

Before establishing his independent arbitration and mediation practice, Mr. Richler was a senior partner in Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP and was, for a number of years, co-chair of that firm’s Toronto litigation group.

QUALIFICATIONS
Mr. Richler obtained his Civil and Common Law degrees at McGill Law School in 1977-78 and was called to the Bar in Ontario in 1980. He obtained a Diploma in International Commercial Arbitration from the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators in 2008 and was, shortly thereafter, designated as a Fellow of that institute. In addition, Mr. Richler is a founding Fellow of the Canadian College of Construction Lawyers, and he has been inducted as a Fellow of Litigation Counsel of America.

Prior to retiring from Blakes, Mr. Richler sat on several arbitral tribunals as sole arbitrator, chair and party appointee, including appointment as sole arbitrator of an ICC arbitration seated in Texas. Also, Mr. Richler has been accepted as a member of the Canadian and International rosters of the International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR). He is a member of the International Arbitration Committee of ICC Canada, the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) and the ADR Institute of Canada (ADRIC). He has authored several arbitral Awards.

ACHIEVEMENTS/RECOGNITIONS
Mr. Richler has been recognized for many years in several professional directories and publications, in litigation, arbitration and other categories, including:

• Chambers Global
• Chambers Canada
• Lexpert
• Best Lawyers in Canada
• Guide to the World’s Leading Experts in Commercial Arbitration
• International Who’s Who of Commercial Litigation Lawyers
• Who’s Who Canada (Litigation)
• Who’s Who Commercial Mediation
• Benchmark Canada

Most recently, Mr. Richler was listed in:

• Best Lawyers Alternative Dispute Resolution Lawyer of the Year (Toronto)(2013)
• Best Lawyers International Arbitration Lawyer of the Year (Toronto)(2015)
• Best Lawyers Procurement Lawyer of the Year (Toronto)(2016)
• Lexpert Directory of Leading Litigation Lawyers
• Lexpert Guide to the Leading US/Canada Cross-Border Litigation Lawyers
• Lexpert Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada

SPECIALIZATIONS
While Mr. Richler has had broad commercial dispute resolution experience, his particular areas of practice include:

• general commercial disputes
• construction
• procurement
• shareholder and partnership disputes
• corporate remedies
• technology
• intellectual property
• professional negligence
• maritime law

EXPERENCE
Representative engagements as counsel and arbitrator include:

• dispute relating to adjustments in share purchase agreement (chair)
• dispute arising from termination of international product distribution agreement (ICC sole arbitrator)
• dispute relating to construction of two water treatment plants (chair of tribunal)
• dispute relating to oppression and accounting claims made between shareholders in real estate development company (sole arbitrator)
• dispute between a religious institution and a food catering service provider (sole arbitrator)
• dispute between co-shareholders in food franchise corporation relating to claim to rectify right of first offer provisions (sole arbitrator)
• dispute relating to fixing of rents under a commercial lease (sole arbitrator)
• dispute relating to terms of airline capacity purchase agreement between a national and a regional carrier (arbitration counsel)
• dispute relating to termination of helicopter services joint venture agreement (arbitration counsel at hearing and court applications to appeal)
• dispute between three oil pipeline companies and Ontario Hydro over easements agreements (arbitration counsel)
• dispute relating to calculation of royalties under multi-national software licensing agreement (arbitration counsel)
• dispute arising from copyright infringement of software code (arbitration counsel)
• dispute relating to termination of software development and installation contract between provider and a Crown Agency (litigation and then med/arb counsel)
• dispute relating to installation of defective manufacturing software (litigation counsel)
• dispute relating to shotgun provisions of a unanimous shareholder agreement (arbitration counsel)
• dispute relating to claims made under P3 contract for construction of hospital (arbitration counsel)
• dispute relating to interpretation of profit sharing provisions in real estate joint venture agreement (arbitration counsel)
• dispute arising from installation of manufacturing process software (arbitration counsel)
• dispute relating to claims made on fraudulent corporate debentures (litigation and appeal counsel, to Supreme Court of Canada)
• oppression claims made by debenture holders in context of hostile takeover bid (litigation counsel)
• judicial review relating to application of Tobacco Tax Act provisions to a casino (litigation counsel)
• injunction proceedings brought by professional sports league relating to illegal broadcast of blacked-out telecasts (litigation counsel)
• dispute arising from claims made by losing bidder in public procurement for health therapy services (litigation counsel)
• dispute arising from claims made by losing bidder in public procurement for construction services for regional municipality health therapy services (litigation counsel)
• maritime law claims made in relation to loading accident and loss of cargo (litigation counsel)
• dispute relating to delay and defect claims made under contract to build municipal centre and city hall
• delay claims made in respect of renovation of large museum in City of Toronto (litigation counsel)
• several procurement and construction/contract disputes made against and by municipal mass transit system (litigation counsel)
• delay claims made in relation to construction of Pearson airport (litigation counsel)
• dispute relating to procurement of naval vessel retrofit services (litigation counsel)
• dispute relating to retrofit of large manufacturing furnace (litigation counsel)
• disputes relating to fraud and theft by key employees (litigation counsel)
• product liability claim relating to retrofit of large steel plant (arbitration counsel)
• dispute relating to retrofit of manufacturing plant by Italian supplier (litigation counsel)
• international class action against fast food company in relation to promotional contest (litigation counsel)
• dispute relating to co-packing of national brand product and breaches of license agreement (litigation counsel)
• dispute relating to default on documentary letter of credit (litigation counsel)
• dispute relating to interference with commercial relations (litigation counsel)
• numerous professional liability claims against lawyers (litigation counsel)
• commercial claims made against a Superior Court Judge (litigation counsel)
• negligence claims made against a Superior Court Judge (counsel at non-binding early determination)

Mr. Richler has long been an advocate of the use of arbitration as an effective means of resolving construction disputes. In addition to his professional engagements, he has authored a number of articles and text chapters on this subject and he has lectured on arbitration matters in many conferences and professional programs in Canada and the United States. For a number of years, Mr. Richler participated as a judge at the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot in Vienna, Austria. Further, he was a founding member and later Board member of the Toronto Commercial Arbitration Society, an organization the mandate of which is to promote the use of commercial arbitration and the City of Toronto as a venue for domestic and international arbitrations.

Mr. Richler is committed to the creative, efficient and fair conduct of arbitrations and mediations, focused on working with parties and their counsel to achieve that result.

FOR APPOINTMENTS

Contact Marjorie Coe
Coe ADR Management
617 – 7 King Street East
Toronto, Ontario
M5C 3C5
Tel       416-363-2977
Toll Free   1-844-547-2977
Fax      416-703-4597
Cell      416-805-8555
[email protected]
www.coeadrmanagement.com