Max Shapiro

Max has acted as counsel to:

Commercial Cases

• Canadian Pacific Railway Company in actions against the governments of Canada, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba to recover taxes paid in contravention of a provision of the Railway's 1880 Charter which states that its main line shall "be forever free from taxation"

• United States Steel Corporation in successfully asserting a US$2-billion claim against U.S. Steel Canada in which the court provided a revised test for the distinction between debt and equity

• Banks and other financial institutions on a range of commercial disputes and regulatory issues

• Operators of resort casinos in Ontario owned by the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation for disputes arising from gaming operations

• A global sports apparel company in a sponsorship dispute with a Canadian sports federation

• An investment management firm in a lawsuit arising from a "liftout" of a team of investment advisors and defamation claims concerning a press release reporting on events

Construction and Procurement

• Owners in delay and acceleration disputes relating to the construction of a multi-billion dollar light rail line and the rehabilitation of a highway

• A power generation company in dealing with procurement and construction disputes relating to ongoing operations and the refurbishment of a nuclear generating station

• A contractor in a dispute involving delay and disruption claims arising from the construction of a high voltage transmission line

• A global oil and gas producer in a multi-party construction dispute relating to a pipeline failure in Alberta

• A large food and beverage company in a procurement dispute relating to a request for proposals associated with a national fulfillment program

Max is a member of The Advocates' Society, the Toronto Commercial Arbitration Society and the Canadian and Ontario Bar Associations. He is an adjunct lecturer (mooting adviser) at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law and also volunteers with Pro Bono Law Ontario's Duty Counsel Project.

• Co-author: ACC Quick Overview: Canadian Litigation Issues - Key Considerations for Managing Cross-Border Disputes
  Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC), June 30, 2021.
• Co-author: Corporate Crime, Fraud and Corruption: Overview
  Practical Law Thomson Reuters, November 9, 2020.
• Co-author: Supreme Court Enforces Arbitration Clause and Stays Business Customer Claims in Class Action
  Blakes Bulletin on Arbitration, April 10, 2019.
• Co-author: Supreme Court Strikes Down Expatriate Voting Restrictions: No “Social Contract” Justification
  Blakes Bulletin on Litigation & Dispute Resolution, January 14, 2019.

• Co-speaker: Virtual Courts and Tribunals: Top Tips from the Front Line
  Blakes Seminar, Toronto, Ontario, April 22, 2021.
• Co-speaker: Trends and Developments in Arbitration
  Blakes Seminar, Toronto, Ontario, April 7, 2021.
• Speaker: Litigation Fever - Part II: Dealing with Delays
  Episode 5, The Blakes Continuity Podcast, May 8, 2020.
• Speaker: Critical Case Analysis of Frank v. Canada (AG) 2019 SCC 1
  Ontario Bar Association Constitutional, Civil Liberties and Human Rights Law Program, Toronto, Ontario, April 3, 2019.
• Co-speaker: The Cutting Edge of Compliance: Best Practices and Recent Developments in Anticorruption, Investigations and Responding to Government Enforcement
  Blakes Seminar, Toronto, Ontario, November 15, 2018.

• Quoted: Canadian Ex Pats in the U.S. Win Right to Vote Back Home
  Interviewed by Andy J. Semotiuk, Forbes, January 16, 2019.

Executive Certificate in International Arbitration, University of Ottawa - 2013
Admitted to the Ontario Bar - 2011
J.D. (Hon.), University of Toronto - 2010
Exchange Program, University of Hong Kong - Fall 2009
M.Sc. (with Merit), London School of Economics and Political Science - 2006
B.A. (Hon.), McGill University - 2005