Description of field of expertise

Andrew is Co-Leader of the firm’s National Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT) Group and Vice-Chair of the Business Law Department and Leader of the Technology Law Group for the Ontario region. His practice encompasses numerous aspects of corporate and commercial law, with a particular emphasis on the technology sector and technology related matters.  Andrew represents large and small technology providers and technology users in a wide range of industries, including financial services, healthcare, real estate, manufacturing and electronics, as well as government agencies and broader public sector clients.  

Andrew routinely assists with establishing, growing and exiting technology-driven businesses, while helping organizations navigate corporate/commercial and technology-related operational, transactional, governance and compliance issues.  In addition to buying and selling technology businesses, Andrew’s in-depth knowledge is regularly sought by technology providers and technology users on the development, protection and commercialization of technology products and services, including complex technology outsourcings and system acquisitions, implementations and hosting arrangements.  He also provides key insights into the Canadian legislative and regulatory regimes related to information technology, e-commerce, consumer protection, data protection, cyber security, anti-spam, artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies.

An active leader in the wider technology law community, Andrew is Past Chair of the Ontario Bar Association IT and E-Commerce Section and a current Officer of the International Bar Association (IBA) Technology Law Committee.  He serves as an adjunct faculty member for the McGill/Intellectual Property Institute of Canada (IPIC) Copyright Course and the Osgoode Professional Development Certificate in Negotiating and Drafting IT Agreements. He is consistently recognized by Chambers Global, Chambers Canada, Lexpert, Legal 500 and Best Lawyers.  In 2023, Andrew was appointed to the IBA Artificial Intelligence (AI) Presidential Task Force, an initiative that forms part of the IBA Presidential Priorities identified for the 2023/2024 term.

 

What advice would you offer to new attorneys interested in your field?

Stay abreast of business, technical and legal developments in the technology space.  Things move quickly and keeping up to speed is critical.  

Understand that different companies have different cultures and different risk tolerances.   You need to adapt your approach to ensure that you are being helpful to the business and not seen as a roadblock.  Everything in context.

Get comfortable with navigating unknown territory that is void of clear legal requirements. Technology will always be ahead of the law.  Your job is often to help clients get to a solution despite the uncertainty.  Focus on helping them to achieve their business goals with thoughtful and appropriate risk mitigation.