Mark Polley

416.365.1603
mpolley@polleyfaith.com
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Mark is the Managing Partner of Polley Faith. He acts for corporations, other organizations and individuals engaged in complex and high-stakes litigation, arbitrations and appeals. He has experience dealing with a wide range of litigation including commercial, proxy battles, investigations, special committee investigations and corporate governance, professional liability, white collar crime, libel, insolvency, competition, administration and regulatory, class actions, securities, and public inquiries.

He has represented clients based in Canada and internationally, as well as in cross-border litigation, across many different industry sectors including accounting, automotive, cannabis, chemical manufacturing, construction, finance, health, entertainment, energy, hospitality, insurance, professional sports, transportation, and universities, colleges & schools.

Mark has received numerous recognitions over his career including being named Litigation Star by Benchmark Canada and being listed in Best Lawyers in Canada and Chambers Global Canada. Mark teaches as a guest instructor at the Osgoode Hall Intensive Trial Advocacy Workshop, and is a member of the Ontario Bar Association, the Criminal Lawyers’ Association, the Advocates’ Society, and the Toronto Lawyers’ Association. He is a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, the Trial Lawyer Honorary Society, and a member of the Trial Law Institute and Diversity Law Institute. He is also a member of the International Association of Defense Counsel and a Fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers.

Andrew Faith

416.365.1602
afaith@polleyfaith.com
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Andrew is regarded as one of the leading trial lawyers in Canada. He is a Fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, rated by Martindale-Hubbell as AV Preeminent in litigation, commercial law and regulatory law, and recognized as a top commercial litigator by Chambers Canada, Lexis Nexis, Best Lawyers, and Benchmark Litigation. Andrew has extensive trial and appellate experience before all levels of court, including the Supreme Court of Canada.

Andrew is regularly chosen by corporations, institutions and individuals to assist in complex commercial, regulatory, insolvency and white-collar criminal litigation and appeals.

In addition to his commercial litigation practice, Andrew has particular experience both prosecuting and defending allegations of civil, regulatory and criminal wrongdoing. He has acted as external prosecutor to the Ontario Securities Commission, Financial Services Regulatory Authority, Law Society of Ontario, Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario, and Professional Engineers of Ontario, is general counsel to a national police service, and has been appointed by the Superior Court as Independent Supervising Solicitor in Anton Piller (“civil search warrant”) matters. He has also defended corporations, employees, and individuals in Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and Corruption of Foreign Public Officials Act investigations, federal regulatory investigations, Securities Act prosecutions, white-collar civil and criminal litigation, and corporate internal investigations.

Andrew began his career in the International Arbitration and Litigation group of Shearman & Sterling in London, England and later joined the litigation group at McCarthy Tétrault in Toronto. In 2006 he became an Assistant Crown Attorney, conducting hundreds of jury and non-jury trials and hearings, including white collar, cyber-crime, firearms, and murder cases. In 2010, Andrew was awarded the Excelsior Award for excellence by the Ministry of the Attorney General.
Andrew received his BCom from McGill University and his LLB from UBC. In 2001, he was designated a Wesbrook Scholar, one of the University’s highest distinctions. He was called to the Ontario Bar in 2003. Following law school, Andrew served as clerk to the Hon. Justice Robert Décary of the Federal Court of Appeal.

In 2019, Andrew was elected to a four-year term as a Director of the Advocates’ Society. He is also a Fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, the Litigation Counsel of America, and the International Association of Defense Counsel, and a member of the Ontario Bar Association, the Toronto Lawyers’ Association, and the Criminal Lawyers’ Association.

Jeffrey Haylock

416.365.0404
jhaylock@polleyfaith.com
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Jeffrey is a partner at Polley Faith, practising corporate/commercial, civil and regulatory litigation. He regularly acts corporations and individuals in complex, high-stakes commercial disputes and internal investigations. He has acted in matters before all levels of court in Ontario, and before the Supreme Court of Canada.

Jeffrey holds a BA (Hons) from Trinity College, University of Toronto; an MPhil in linguistics from Queens’ College, University of Cambridge; an LLB from Dalhousie Law School; and an LLM, also from Queens’ College, University of Cambridge. While at law school he held the Borden Ladner Gervais research fellowship, served as a Co-Editor- in-Chief of the Dalhousie Journal of Legal Studies, represented Dalhousie at the Gale Cup national criminal moot and won several awards. He has also published articles in the fields of legal history, private international law and administrative law.

After finishing his legal education Jeffrey served as clerk to the Hon. Justice Eleanor Dawson of the Federal Court of Appeal. He subsequently served as clerk to the Hon. Justice Thomas Cromwell of the Supreme Court of Canada. 

Jeffrey was called to the Ontario bar in 2012. He is a member of the Advocates’ Society, the Law Society of Upper Canada, the Canadian Bar Association, the Toronto Lawyers’ Association and the Ontario Bar Association. Jeffrey teaches in Osgoode Hall Law School’s international LLM program.

Andrew Max

416.365.0101
amax@polleyfaith.com
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Andrew Max is an experienced trial lawyer with a record of success. Clients trust Andrew with high-stakes commercial disputes and crises of all kinds. Named Prosecutor of the Year by the International Association of Financial Crimes Investigators, Andrew brings the courtroom experience and instincts he honed trying cases as a criminal prosecutor to his commercial litigation practice. That background also gives him expertise in cases and investigations involving fraud, wrongdoing, and white-collar/corporate crime. 

Andrew clerked for the judges of the Ontario Superior Court, focusing on the Commercial List and class actions. He then joined Polley Faith, working on some of the firm’s most complex and significant commercial cases.

From 2017-2019 Andrew served as an Assistant Crown Attorney prosecuting criminal cases in Toronto. Andrew conducted dozens of trials with and without juries in cases involving financial crimes, sexual assault, cyber crimes, criminal negligence causing death, and firearms. Andrew was a member of the prosecution team in the case of R v Bruce McArthur which resulted in eight convictions for first degree murder. Andrew also argued summary conviction appeals, regularly provided advice to the police, lectured on financial crimes to other prosecutors, and served as representative to the Ontario Crown Attorneys’ Association.

Brookelyn Kirkham

416.306.6451 
bkirkham@polleyfaith.com 
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Brookelyn is a litigator who acts for institutional clients and individuals in professional liability, corporate-commercial, and civil disputes. She has appeared at all levels of court in Ontario, as well as in arbitrations and administrative tribunal proceedings. 

Brookelyn regularly works on health litigation, representing healthcare professionals and organizations in civil, regulatory, and criminal matters. She was counsel to a party that appeared before the Long-Term Care Covid-19 Commission. 

Beyond health law, Brookelyn acts in many other areas of litigation including complex contract interpretation, shareholder disputes, public inquiries, criminal investigations, class actions, academic and professional discipline, and regulatory prosecutions. She also has extensive experience managing legal risk on behalf of clients facing public investigations and reputational crises. 

Before joining the firm, Brookelyn served as a judicial law clerk at the Federal Court of Appeal for the Honourable Justice David G. Near, where she focused on administrative and regulatory law, as well as judicial and appellate review. Brookelyn summered and articled at the Crown Law Office-Civil of the Ministry of the Attorney General, working closely on civil, commercial, and public law litigation matters.

Sandy Lockhart

416.306.6450
slockhart@polleyfaith.com 
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Sandy is a litigator whose practice centres on complex commercial disputes and fast-moving crises management.

Sandy has acted on half-billion-dollar insolvency claims, multi-hundred-million-dollar shareholder disputes, class actions, corporate governance disputes, internal investigations, and major professional negligence claims, to name just a few. Beyond commercial litigation, his work has included preparing executives to testify at parliamentary hearings, prosecuting and defending criminal and regulatory matters, and advising clients on how to prepare for, or respond to, summonses and warrants.

Sandy received a J.D. with honours from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law where he received the W.P.M. Kennedy Silver Medal and was a Junior Fellow at Massey College. During law school he won prizes in tax, tort, criminal, labour, and property law. Sandy completed his first year of law school at the University of Alberta.

Prior to law school Sandy studied Economics at the University of British Columbia and Criminology at Simon Fraser University.

Sandy was called to the Ontario Bar in 2017. He is a member of the Advocates’ Society, and the Canadian Bar Association. Sandy is a past secretary for the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Law section of the Ontario Bar Association. He is currently a member of the Advocates’ Society’s Young Advocate’s Standing Committee.

Matthew Howe

416.306.8415
mhowe@polleyfaith.com
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Matt has a broad litigation practice which includes commercial disputes, professional liability matters, and regulatory and quasi-criminal law. He regularly acts for and advises public and private companies, regulatory agencies, and individuals in disputes before Ontario courts, arbitrators, and administrative tribunals. Matt was called to the Ontario bar in 2017 and joined Polley Faith in 2019. 

Before joining Polley Faith, Matt completed a pupillage at barristers’ chambers in London, UK, as a Harold G Fox Scholar. In this role, he assisted barristers in complex commercial and maritime law disputes before various UK courts and arbitral tribunals. 

In 2017 – 2018 Matt served as a judicial law clerk to the Honourable Justice Catherine Kane of the Federal Court of Canada, where he worked on administrative law, intellectual property, and national security law matters. He articled with the civil litigation division of Ontario’s Ministry of the Attorney General, the Crown Law Office-Civil, in 2016 – 2017. 

Matt obtained his JD from the University of Toronto in 2016. He also has an Honours Bachelor of Arts & Science degree from McMaster University. He is a member of the Advocates’ Society, the Canadian Bar Association, the Ontario Bar Association, and the Toronto Lawyers’ Association.

Diane Shnier

416.306.8098
dshnier@polleyfaith.com
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Diane first joined Polley Faith as a summer and articling student. Before returning to the firm as an associate, she clerked at the Court of Appeal for Ontario for Associate Chief Justice Hoy and Justice Feldman. She then clerked at the Supreme Court of Canada for Justice Rowe. Diane has worked on a broad range of civil, administrative, criminal, and constitutional matters. She has also volunteered as a caseworker with the criminal law division of Downtown Legal Services. Diane is currently an Adjunct Lecturer at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law.

Diane has a Juris Doctor from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law, where she graduated with distinction and won awards in contract law and health law. Diane also graduated with the Stephanie Fleur Couzin Medal for Mooting for outstanding performance in the mooting program as a participant and a coach. She was a finalist in the Callaghan Moot and was deeply involved in the mooting program as a member of the Moot Court Committee.

Prior to law school, Diane studied political science and philosophy at McGill University, where she graduated with First Class Honours.

Diane was called to the Ontario Bar in 2019.

Emily Young

416.306.8077
eyoung@polleyfaith.com
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Emily has a broad litigation practice that includes civil, commercial, regulatory, and public and constitutional matters. She has appeared at all levels of court in Ontario and at the Supreme Court of Canada. She served as Commission Counsel for the Ottawa Light Rail Transit Public Inquiry in 2022.

Before joining Polley Faith as an associate, Emily summered at the firm and completed her articles at the Court of Appeal for Ontario, clerking for the Honourable J. Michal Fairburn, Associate Chief Justice of Ontario; the Honourable Kathryn Feldman; and the Honourable Benjamin Zarnett. Emily then served as a law clerk to the Honourable Andromache Karakatsanis of the Supreme Court of Canada. 

Emily received her Juris Doctor (Honours) from the University of Toronto, earning distinction standing in each of her three years. Emily also holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts from Queen’s University, where she graduated with the gold medal in Philosophy.

During law school, Emily was a student caseworker at Advocates for Injured Workers, a legal researcher at the Industrial Accident Victims Group of Ontario, and a senior editor for the Journal of Law and Equality. Emily also mooted in the Kawaskimhon National Aboriginal Moot and the National Labour Arbitration Competition, volunteered with Pro Bono Students Canada, and co-chaired the Feminist Law Students’ Association. In her final year of law school, Emily spent a semester studying at the University of Amsterdam.

Prior to law school, Emily worked as a student guide at the Juno Beach Centre in Normandy, France, leading historical tours on the Canadian D-Day landing site for visitors from around the world. She is fluent in French.

Emily was called to the Bar of Ontario in 2019.

Ryan Lapensee

416.306.8080
rlapensee@polleyfaith.com
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Ryan has broad experience dealing with complex securities and commercial disputes, such as regulatory investigations and prosecutions, proxy battles, shareholder disputes, special investigations, and white-collar crime.  Prior to joining Polley Faith, Ryan was a litigator at the Enforcement Branch of the Ontario Securities Commission, where he investigated and prosecuted securities offences such as fraud, insider trading, market manipulation, misleading disclosure, and compliance failures. 

Ryan completed the combined Juris Doctor and Bachelor of Engineering Science program at Western University, where he specialized in Software Engineering. During law school, Ryan volunteered as a caseworker at Western Law’s legal clinic, where he focused on criminal defence and civil disputes. 

Ryan was called to the Ontario Bar in 2019.

Emily Fraser

416.306.8079
efraser@polleyfaith.com
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Emily summered and articled with Polley Faith before joining as an associate. Emily obtained her Juris Doctor from the University of Toronto, where she received distinction standing in her final year. While at school, Emily served as a Senior Editor of the Critical Analysis of Law journal and volunteered for the Metropolitan Action Committee on Violence Against Women and Children’s public legal education program. Emily also competed in the Walsh Family Law Moot where she won the award for Best Respondent Factum. In her first-year summer, Emily worked at Downtown Legal Services in the Family Law Division, representing clients in high-conflict separation, child support, and custody matters. 

Before law school, Emily completed a Bachelors in English (High Honours) with a Specialization in Global Literature at the University of Waterloo. She also completed a Masters in English in the Field of Creative Writing at the University of Toronto, successfully defending her thesis in 2014. Emily was called to the Bar of Ontario in 2021.

Cori Goldberger

416.365.3223
cgoldberger@polleyfaith.com
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Cori summered and articled with Polley Faith prior to joining the firm as an associate. She received her JD with Distinction from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law, where she received the Angus MacMurchy Gold Medal and Gallant Ho Prize. During law school, Cori was an Articles Editor for the University of Toronto Law Review as well as a Division Leader at Downtown Legal Services where she represented clients before the Ontario Court of Justice. Cori also mooted in the Callaghan Cup where she won the second-place oralist prize, and won awards for her research paper on Medical Assistance in Dying. Cori was called to the Ontario bar in 2022.

Prior to law school, Cori obtained her BA from McGill University, graduating with First-Class Honours in Political Science. She also spent several years working as a Strategist, consulting on a range of brand and business initiatives for Canadian companies, including a leading financial institution.

Tabir Malik

416.306.8414
tmalik@polleyfaith.com
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Tabir summered and articled with Polley Faith prior to joining the firm as an associate. She graduated from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. At the law school, Tabir served as a research assistant in areas of criminal, trusts, and property law. She participated in the Warren K. Winkler Class Actions Moot, where her team won the moot, and she was awarded the Joan L. Lax Memorial Award for the Top Oralist. Tabir also represented the University of Toronto at the Arnup and Sopinka Cup National Trial Advocacy Competitions.

Tabir volunteered with Downtown Legal Services as a caseworker where she worked on criminal trials and appeals. She also worked at the David Asper Constitutional Law Centre as a working group leader and article contributor.

Prior to law school, Tabir completed an undergraduate degree, specializing in Mathematics, from the University of Alberta. She was called to the Ontario bar in 2022.

Jeffrey Wang

416.365.3113
jwang@polleyfaith.com
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Jeffrey is an associate at Polley Faith and previously articled and summered with the firm. He obtained his JD from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. While at law school, Jeffrey volunteered with the TransID Clinic, a free legal clinic helping transgender and non-binary clients change their government identifications. He also was a mooter in the Callaghan Memorial Moot and served as a student coach. Jeffrey has an avid interest in constitutional law. In addition to working as a research assistant on constitutional matters, he assisted with constitutional litigation at the Supreme Court of Canada and led a student working group during his time at the David Asper Center for Constitutional Rights. Jeffrey is also a fan of theatre, having acted in Law Follies in all three years of law school.

Prior to law school, Jeffrey obtained his Honours Bachelor of Arts at the University of Toronto, double majoring in Criminology and Linguistics with a minor in Psychology. He graduated with The Prince of Wales Silver Medal. He was called to the Ontario Bar in 2022.