Executive Summary
Rui Fernandes represents domestic and international clients involved directly and indirectly in private international trade, transportation, insurance and related industries. He is involved in all aspects of the supply chain (aviation, marine, trucking, rail, freight forwarding, logistics, customs and trade, and warehousing). He advises clients with respect to sale of goods, commercial contracts, employment and commercial matters including risk analysis and regulatory/compliance issues. He provides corporate and commercial advice to foreign clients setting up and doing business in Canada.
His insurance practice includes policy drafting, coverage issues, errors and omissions claims, professional liability claims, marine and aviation, inland marine, property and casualty liability defense, products liability, surety and subrogation. He also represents insurance brokers, insurance agents, managing general agents and marine surveyors.
Rui holds certificates from the University of Windsor for its ADR Workshop and for its Advanced ADR Workshop and Pepperdine University for its STAR program (Systematic Approach to Mediation Strategies). He is a qualified arbitrator and obtained his QArb. designation in 2019 and his FCIArb in 2020. Rui has conducted numerous mediations and arbitrations both as counsel and as a mediator or arbitrator.
Rui also brings experience to his practice from his business background in running a number of successful businesses including vessel chartering, biotechnology, small hydroelectric and publishing.
He has appeared and represented clients before: The Supreme Court of Canada, The Federal Court of Appeal, The Federal Court of Canada, The Ontario Court of Appeal, The Ontario Superior Court, The Nova Scotia Court of Appeal, The Nova Scotia Superior Court, The British Columbia Supreme Court, The Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench, The Canadian International Trade Tribunal, The Canadian Transportation Agency, The Transportation Appeal Tribunal of Canada, and before the Registered Insurance Brokers of Ontario Discipline Committee.
Expertise
- Transportation and Logistics
- Insurance & Claims
- International Trade/ Business/Corporate Commercial
- Mediation & Arbitration, Energy
Articles and Presentations
- Marine Insurance Law of Canada", Butterworths Canada, 1987
- Co-author of "The Annotated Canada Shipping Act", Butterworths Canada, 1988
- "Shipping and Admiralty Law", Carswell, 1995
- Contributing Editor "Canadian Encyclopedic Digest: Insurance- Part XIII Marine Insurance", Carswell 1995
- "Boating Law of Canada (2nd Edition)", Aerospark Press, 2004
- "Transportation: Carriage of Goods" Halsbury's Laws of Canada, 2011 to 2024
- "Railway Law" Halsbury's Laws of Canada, 2011 to 2024
- "Maritime Law" Halsbury's Laws of Canada, 2012 to 2020 (and new reissue)
- "Transportation Law", Aerospark Press, 1991-Present
- Co-Author of “The Law of Freight Forwarding and Freight Brokering in Common Law Jurisdictions”, Aerospark Press, 2022
My Blog
- Competition in the Transportation Industry and Recent Amendments to the Competition Act - November 20, 2024
- Mandatory Survey for Manufacturers, Importers and Users of PFAS - September 23, 2024
- Purchasing a Private Vessel: What You Should Know - September 16, 2024
- Transportation Broker Liability in the U.S.A. – Avoiding Nuclear Verdicts - August 26, 2024
- Federal Court of Appeal Upholds Canadian Transportation Agency Decision to Allow CN to Construct Railway Line in the Town of Milton - Halton (Regional Municipality) v. Canada (Transportation Agency), 2024 FCA 122 (CanLII) - August 23, 2024
- Letters of Credit and Fraud Exception - May 23, 2024
- CARM: The Digital Initiative for Importing Goods into Canada - January 31, 2024
- Federal Court of Appeal Permits a Novel Climate Change Action Against the Government of Canada to Proceed (La Rose v. Canada) - January 3, 2024
- Owner’s risk expanded by Supreme Court of Canada - December 4, 2023
- Bill C-47 Increases Limits of Liability for Marine Accidents - September 6, 2023
- Forced or Compulsory Labour Laws in Canada - September 6, 2023
Board Memberships
- Canadian Maritime Law Association (Current President)
- Advocates’ Society
- Canadian Board of Marine Underwriters
- Association of Average Adjusters of the United States and Canada (Past President, Canada)
- Association of Maritime Arbitrators of Canada
- Canadian Transport Lawyers Association (Past President)
- Marine Club (Past President)
- Transportation Lawyers Association
- The Grunt Club
- CIFFA (Current Director and Legal Affairs Officer)
- The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport
- Passenger & Commercial Vessel Association
- ADR Institute of Ontario
- Toronto Commercial Arbitration Society
Recognition
Consistently recognized by:
- Best Lawyers in Canada (Maritime Law) 2006-2025
- Best Lawyers in Canada (Transportation Law) 2006-2025
- Lexology (Thought Leaders: Transport, 2025)
- Lexology (Global Elite Thought Leader, 2025)
- Chambers and Partners ( Transportation: Shipping – Nationwide Canada, Transportation: Rail & Road – Nationwide – Canada)
- Listed in Martindale-Hubbell with a peer review rating of AV Preeminent
Professional Involvement
- Included in The Legal 500 Canada – Leading Individual 2018
- Listed in Lexpert as a leading practitioner and most frequently recommended lawyer in Transportation (Rail & Road) and Shipping and Maritime Law, as well as Commercial Insurance
- Doyles Guide – Leading Transport Lawyers – Canada: Preeminent