Marie’s practice extends to all facets of branding and advertising law, and her expertise lies in helping businesses acquire, manage and defend their trademarks in Canada and abroad.
Marie has worked with and managed the international trademark portfolios of many of Canada’s largest corporations and the Canadian portfolios of some of the world’s largest trademark owners. She is ranked as a leading trademark lawyer by both World Intellectual Property Review and WTR 1000 – the World’s Leading Trademark Professionals.
Marie is a member of the Institute of Intellectual Property of Canada (IPIC). She served for several terms as an instructor in its trademark agent training course and for two terms on the committee charged with administering the trademark agent examination. She is also the former Director of the McGill-IPIC course on Managing Trademark Disputes. Marie is also actively involved with the International Trademark Association (INTA). She has worked on several of its committees, including the Trademark Reporter Committee, the Building Bridges Committee, and is a former co-chair of the Law and Practice North America Subcommittee of the INTA Bulletin. In 2021, she was appointed to the Trademark Examining Board of the newly created College of Patent Agents and Trademark Agents.
Marie is fluent in both French and English and has studied and worked in both languages. She received a B.Sc. in 1987 from Queen’s University, specializing in Life Sciences. She then attended McGill University and obtained her common and civil law degrees in 1991. While at McGill, she was Comments Editor of the McGill Law Journal. Subsequently, as part of her articles, Marie clerked with Madam Alice Desjardins of the Federal Court of Appeal.
Paul has extensive experience in employment related litigation, grievance arbitrations, labour board hearings and human rights applications. He regularly appears before the courts, administrative tribunals and arbitrators. Paul also provides sound strategic advice tailored to clients seeking to avoid litigation. Paul takes a practical, customary and creative approach to his practice in ensuring that his clients achieve their desired outcome.
Paul is consulted daily to provide prompt and sage advice on all human resources matters affecting the workplace. In addition, Paul is regularly retained as counsel in connection with labour and employment implications arising out of complex corporate transactions.
Paul is a graduate of Queen’s University’s joint Master of Industrial Relations/Juris Doctor (MIR/JD) Program. Prior to law school, Paul obtained a Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University where he graduated with “distinction” and pursued a concentration in labour-management relations.
Julien is a partner in our tax department.
Julien’s practice consists of corporate and personal tax planning, estate planning, corporate reorganizations, cross-border structuring, and the taxation of trusts. Julien also has experience with voluntary disclosures and regularly advises clients on departure tax.
Prior to joining the firm, Julien was an associate in a Montreal law firm specializing in taxation law.
Michael practices in all areas of estates, trusts, incapacity, and not-for-profit law.
His expertise includes the planning and drafting of wills, trusts, and powers of attorney, estate and trust administration, and business succession planning. He also strategically advises clients in both contentious and non-contentious estate matters, including mental capacity matters, guardianship application, passing of fiduciary accounts and disputed wills. He delivers clear, practical, and compassionate guidance that helps clients navigate complex legal matters confidently and efficiently.
Michael works in the not-for-profit and charities area, advising charities, not-for-profit organizations, and donors regarding the establishment, governance, and regulation of charities and not-for-profit organizations.
Michael’s experience in estates, trusts, and incapacity law includes:
Creating and implementing practical and solution-oriented estate plans for individuals, families, business owners, and professionals
Drafting wills, powers of attorney and trusts
Advising on cross-border and international estate and trust matters
Assisting clients with planning for incapable family members
Providing expert guidance to financial institutions on complex estate, trust and incapacity issues, and advising on best practices
Counselling executors and estate trustees on how to efficiently manage the estate administration process from beginning to end
In the not-for-profit and charity law space, his experience includes advising a range of individuals and organizations with:
Governance, compliance, and operational matters
The formation and dissolution of charities and not-for-profit entities
Charitable giving and major donations
Michael is a designated Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP) from the Society of Estate and Trust Practitioners, and is a member of the Estate Planning Council of Toronto. He is also a member of the Trusts and Estates Law, Charity and Not-for-Profit Law, and Elder Law sections of the Ontario Bar Association.
Michael previously held positions as a lawyer at a national law firm, in the estate and trust group of a major financial institution, and as a lawyer at an estate and trust litigation firm.
Debra is a dynamic lawyer and natural storyteller who has passionately advocated for children and families throughout her 30 year career. Debra is a Partner with the firm’s Indigenous Practice Group. She is a working with various Indigenous Governing Bodies and First Nations in recovering, revitalizing and drafting their child wellbeing laws in their reassertion of Inherent Jurisdiction over their children and families.
In addition to legislative drafting of First Nations’ laws, Debra also appears in various levels of court representing First Nations pursuant to provincial and federal child welfare statutes. She will also be working with First Nations in relation to unmarked burial investigations and other forms of investigation, employment matters, and other litigation.
Prior to joining Fogler Rubinoff, Debra was a self-employed sole practitioner practicing criminal, family and child protection litigation, including high conflict and complex litigation. Debra has also represented children as a Children’s Lawyer with the Office of the Children’s Lawyer in family court proceedings and in child protection proceedings. Throughout her career, her clients appreciated her practical, commonsensical and purposeful approach with an emphasis in moving their matters out of litigation and into restorative family healing through alternative forms of resolution.
Debra has been involved as a volunteer with the Lawyers Feed the Hungry Program, serving breakfast to those who are hungry and in need of a hot nutritious meal. She also volunteered her time with the Flemingdon Legal Clinic providing pro bono legal advice and services. In addition, Debra has frequently presented seminars involving criminal, family and child protection cross over issues as well as being a member of the Cross-Over Youth Project Committee with an emphasis in keeping youth in care out of the criminal justice system.
Natalia Sidlar is a Partner in the Commercial Litigation Practice Group at Fogler, Rubinoff LLP. Natalia maintains a broad commercial litigation practice, with an emphasis on contract, shareholder and partnerships, trademark and intellectual property, product liability and real property disputes.
Natalia represents a broad range of clients, from individuals to large corporations and institutions and small business owners.
Natalia has appeared before all levels of Court in Ontario, including the Court of Appeal, and the Federal Court of Canada, as well as administrative tribunals.
Prior to entering private practice, Natalia was Crown Counsel in the Advisory Services Group at the Ministry of the Attorney General, Crown Law Office – Civil. In this role she provided advice to various ministries on a wide range of issues including, crown liability, statutory interpretation, administrative and public law and general civil litigation.
Natalia completed her articles with the litigation department of the Crown Law Office – Civil. During her articles, she worked on complex litigation files before all levels of court, including the Supreme Court of Canada.
Natalia holds both a Canadian and American Juris Doctor after graduating from the University of Windsor Faculty of Law and Detroit Mercy School of Law in 2019. During law school, Natalia was a student representative on the Equity and Diversity Committee for two consecutive years and volunteered as a mentor with the Windsor Law Peer Mentorship Program.
Katherine is a citizen of the Secwepemc (Shuswap) Nation. Katherine has built a diverse practice providing advice and acting in disputes concerning the assertion of inherent jurisdiction and other Indigenous and treaty rights, the duty to consult, commercial matters, public inquiries (including as Assistant Commission Counsel to Ontario’s Ipperwash Inquiry, and counsel to a number of parties at Canada’s Missing and Murdered Women’s Inquiry), coroners’ inquests, employment law and workplace investigations, child welfare matters, and select criminal cases.
Katherine is the recipient of a number of awards for her innovative and passionate advocacy for human rights and the advancement of social justice, including the Minaake Award for Human Rights and Advocacy from the Native Women’s Resource Centre and the Arleen Goss Young Advocates Award from the Advocates Society.
Katherine is regularly asked by law faculties, professional associations and regulatory bodies, First Nations and Tribal Councils, and others to speak and teach in her field of practice. She served as an adjunct professor at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law from 2011 to 2019. Katherine was also a member of Ontario’s Judicial Appointments Advisory Committee from 2017 to 2020.
Prior to joining Foglers, Katherine founded and served Indigenous clients through her own firm, Hensel Barristers, from 2011 to 2021. During that time, she was repeatedly acknowledged by The Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory and The Best Lawyers ™ in Canada in their rankings. In 2021, the Globe and Mail recognized Hensel Barristers as one of the top 19 law firms in Canada practicing in the field of Aboriginal and Indigenous law. In 2023, she was named one of Canada’s Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers by Canadian Lawyer.
A persistent professional and gentle intervener, Ruth’s practice is centred on the rights of Indigenous communities in relation to raising their children.
This work is evenly divided into child protection litigation on behalf of First Nations in various parts of the country and the translation of Indigenous laws in the area of child and family wellbeing as communities reassert their inherent jurisdiction in this area. In addition, Ruth continues to build a general civil litigation practice on behalf of Indigenous clients.
Ruth is a first-generation settler on the traditional territories of the Anishinaabek and Haudenosaunee, originally from Central Europe. After a first career as a management consultant and a second raising a gaggle of kids, Ruth completed her legal studies at Osgoode Hall Law School in 2019 and was called to the bar in 2020. Ruth has appeared before various levels of court in several provinces.
Shirley’s practice encompasses all aspects of commercial real estate. She acts for landowners, developers, banks and surety companies on matters relating to acquisitions and dispositions, land development, commercial leasing, and real estate financing.
Shirley represents developers throughout the complete lifecycle of residential and commercial projects in the Greater Toronto Area and Golden Horseshoe—from land acquisition and development to sales, condominium registration, and final closings.
She also acts for landowner groups with respect to cost-sharing and infrastructure agreements. In addition, Shirley also practices transactional real estate, including the acquisition and disposition of vacant land, agricultural properties and commercial and retail properties. Clients appreciate her business background, which allows her to approach legal issues from a practical business perspective. She is also fluent in Mandarin.
Brian has a broad and varied business law practice. He represents clients across many different industries including energy, infrastructure, and technology. Brian is a partner in both the Corporate and Indigenous Practice Departments at Foglers.
He regularly acts on mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity financings, and other business transactions, as well as a range of corporate matters including structuring, governance and statutory compliance, shareholder and director meetings, and director duties and liability. He also advises on business ownership matters including shareholder and partnership structures and agreements, and succession planning.
Brian works with the firm’s Indigenous clients across Canada on a variety of matters. He frequently advises Councils and boards on the formation and governance of economic development structures, as well as evolving strategies for engaging and participating in capital projects and other commercial activity on Treaty and traditional territories. Brian has acted on numerous large infrastructure and energy generation, transmission, and storage projects throughout Ontario, Alberta, and Newfoundland and Labrador, seeking to maximize Indigenous ownership and participation in construction and other contracting opportunities. He has represented clients on community benefit agreements, impact benefit agreements, acquisition and financing transactions, and joint ventures, partnerships, and other commercial arrangements for a broad range of private and public sector contracts and projects.
Brian is also actively involved in the entrepreneurial communities of southern Ontario and elsewhere. He works with entrepreneurs and start-up companies to establish and grow their businesses by providing advice on business structuring, fundamental start-up contracts, shareholders’ agreements, intellectual property and rounds of financing. Having previously owned an early-stage company, Brian understands the unique challenges facing entrepreneurs as they work to fund and scale their businesses through strategic growth. Brian volunteers as a mentor for Futurpreneur’s Indigenous Entrepreneur Startup Program, helping Indigenous entrepreneurs develop and grow their businesses.
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