About Simon Schneiderman
Simon Schneiderman, Barrister
Schneiderman Professional Corporation
Education:
Harvard Mediation Workshop 2006
Called to the Ontario bar 1980
LLB Osgoode Hall Law School, Toronto 1978
Languages Spoken:
English, French
A veteran trial lawyer, Simon Schneiderman now focuses his practice on commercial, family, and negligence litigation. A skilled litigator in shareholder, partnership, and contract disputes, as well as complex family law matters and personal injury cases, Simon has appeared before all levels of Ontario courts, the trial and appellate levels of the Federal Court of Canada, and a range of administrative tribunals.
Because of his experience as a trial lawyer, clients are frequently referred to Simon by other lawyers.
Having many clients in the South Asian community, Simon is comfortable working with different cultures, especially in relation to cultural aspects of business and family contracts.
Simon excels in determining the most effective path to a speedy resolution and ensuring that all involved stay on that path. In preparing for trial, his focus is always on a smooth and effective presentation, which is why he and his staff prepare cases down to the minutest detail. His clients and their other professional advisors appreciate his careful scrutiny of financial statements. Simon has an innate skill in translating the complex rules of law and its procedures for his clients, so that they are fully informed about the adversary process and the merits of their cases, enabling them to contribute fully to the process.
In keeping with his reputation as a skilled and experienced litigator, Simon's practice is guided by the following values:
Client Focus: Simon puts the interests of his clients first. He represents them with the highest level of integrity, with the result that clients come back to him decades after he first represented them.
Excellence: Simon is relentless in his pursuit of legal excellence. He combines hard work with original thinking and painstaking research to achieve superior results for his clients.
Ethics: Simon achieves results without compromising his ethical obligations to his clients, his profession, and opposing parties.
Representative Work
- Represented a holder of trade secrets whose ex-partner tried to start a competitive business using confidential information. The ex-partner was effectively stopped by the court from relying on the trade secrets and had to reimburse all the profits earned from improperly using them.
- Represented a shareholder in a joint venture when the venture's main asset was sold behind his back. The shareholder recovered 100% of his share of the sale proceeds and his legal costs.
- Represented a wrongfully terminated executive who was pursuing commissions owing to him for the deals initiated before, and that were completed after, his termination. The matter settled out of court with the executive receiving his share of the commissions earned even for deals completed after his employment.
- Represented the homeless heir of a large estate who was being denied his share of the inheritance by his siblings. The court forced the siblings to account for all of the assets in the estate, pay the heir the money he was owed and directed the estate to pay his legal fees.
- Represented the mother and father of twin fetuses where the obstetrician negligently aborted the healthy infant instead of the infant that was suspected of having Down syndrome. The doctor settled out of court, compensating the parents for their loss.
- Represented the grandchildren beneficiaries of a large real estate fortune who were being denied their interest in the estate. The grandchildren were not only recognized as beneficiaries by the court but the estate was directed to pay the legal fees the grandchildren needed to conduct the litigation.
- Represented a physician in a divorce matter that settled out of court where there were property and support issues plus a medical practice that had to be valued.
Recent Publications
- "Defendant's presence key in Anton Pillar reviews." Law Times, Sept. 12, 2011
- "Husband's atheism leads court to nix Muslim marriage contract". Law Times, July 25, 2011
Professional Affiliations
- The Advocates Society
- Toronto Board of Trade
Community Involvement
- 2002: Taught case workers at the Native Child and Family Services agency about the law, especially implementation of the Family Services Act
- 2001-2002: Board of Directors, Dunblaine School for Children with Learning Disabilities
- 2000-2005 Appeared on various radio and television programs to inform the public about the law
- 1999-2002: Governor on the Board of the Toronto East General Hospital
- 1998-2002: Volunteered for the Out of the Cold program for the homeless
- 1996: Developed an animated film series, "Understanding the Law", with the National Film Board
- 1993: Organized shipments of medical aid to the former Yugoslavia
- 1992-2001: Board of Directors, Cabbagetown Youth Centre
- 1990: On the fall of Communism in Czechoslovakia, proposed, organized and led contingent of Canadian lawyers to conduct seminars on specific areas of Canadian law as new legislation was being developed
Recently
some lawyers and judges have started testing draft spousal support advisory
guidelines. These guidelines provide a range of support amounts based on the
age of the spouse receiving support, the length of the marriage and the
presence or absence of child support. 
Suing
for your money in Ontario is a little easier for claims that are $50,000.00
or under. There is a way to get your day in Court that is cheaper and faster
than you'd expect. It is now possible to have a case go from start to finish
in under a year, with less procedural steps in between.