Executive Summary
Gavin Tighe K.C., is a senior partner with Gardiner Roberts LLP and chair of the firm’s Litigation and Dispute Resolution Group. Mr. Tighe has been certified by the Law Society of Ontario as a Specialist in Civil Litigation since 2003 and has appeared as lead counsel at all levels of Canadian Courts including the Supreme Court of Canada. He has significant experience successfully representing clients in several Canadian provinces and before tribunals in both Canada and the United States. Mr. Tighe also acts as counsel to clients in arbitrations, mediations and other forms of Alternative Dispute Resolution. Mr. Tighe’s diverse litigation practice focuses on advocacy. He has acted in numerous high profile matters and court proceedings and is a lawyers’ lawyer having represented numerous other lawyers in Ontario and across Canada. Mr. Tighe has also successfully argued some of the leading Canadian cases in both trial and appellate Courts in such diverse areas as defamation, corporate restructuring, municipal conflict of interest, adverse possession of real property, solicitor’s negligence, financial advisor liability, auditor and accountant liability, title insurance, and election law in addition to numerous other areas of law.
Mr. Tighe is very active in the community and a well-known supporter of many worthy community and charitable organizations. He has published numerous legal articles, been an instructor at the bar admission course Law Society of Ontario, lectured at Canadian law schools, presented at numerous conferences including conferences sponsored by the Law Society of Ontario, Canadian and American Bar Associations and has been cited as an authority on Civil Practice in Ontario. He has repeatedly been selected by his peers as one of “The Best Lawyers in Canada” as well as being ranked in Lexpert and Martindale-Hubbel. In 2022 Mr. Tighe was named “Lawyer of the Year” by Best Lawyers. In 2023 Mr. Tighe was inducted as a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America a peer-selected, invitation-only and aggressively diverse honorary society of 3,500 of America’s best trial lawyers representing less than one-half of one percent of American lawyers, vigorously vetted for skills, expertise, and service. Also in 2023 Mr. Tighe was awarded the designation of King’s Counsel (K.C.) by the Attorney-General for the Province of Ontario in recognition of his commitment to the pursuit of legal excellence in service to the Crown, the public and his community.
Expertise
Articles and Presentations
- A Practical Guide to the Law of Defamation, LexisNexis - 7/12/2024
- Personal Costs Awards against Lawyers: Advocating for Extreme Caution and Mala Fides, The Advocates’ Quarterly [Vol. 54, Issue 1] - 5/7/2024
- Administrative judges in small claims court have no jurisdiction on anti-SLAPP motions: ONCA, Law Times - 2/2/2022
- Decision ‘finally closes the chapter’ on jurisdiction to hear anti-SLAPP motion, counsel says, The Lawyer’s Daily - 1/31/2022
- Ontario’s top court dismisses defamation appeal by ex-OPP deputy commissioner Brad Blair against Ford, CBC News - 11/25/2021
- Ontario court dismisses libel suit against Doug Ford, The Globe and Mail - 1/27/2021
- Watchdog finds no wrongdoing by ex-councillor Giorgio Mammoliti in land deal involving giant flagpole, The Star - 6/19/2019
- Solicitor-Client Privilege: Claim for breach denied and argument to preserve upheld - 12/9/2019
- It's Game Day!: The Summary Dismissal of a Misfeasance Claim - 10/16/2019
- Star Chamber v. Equity: Politicians Beware - 8/22/2019
- Premier Ford Vindicated - 4/17/2019
- Dismissal of abusive proceeding upheld; Home buyer who got more land than he bargained for not entitled to damages for lost secondary transactions - 4/2/2019
- Time period expired: Claim for contribution and indemnity dismissed - 1/30/2019
- Is Partial Summary Judgment Dead - 12/7/2018
- The End of the Charter? - 11/19/2018
- The Unforgiving Forgivable Loan - 9/21/2018
- Lawyers Owe Duty to Their Own Clients, Not the Opposite Side - 6/15/2018
- Defamation and Social Media: An Update - 2/7/2018
- An Online Date to Forget - 10/31/2017
- Failure to Respond to Foreign Litigation Can Be Risky - 10/19/2017
- Provisions of whole contract make seller responsible for severance costs - 8/4/2017
- Plaintiff’s “Kicks at the Can” are limited - 5/23/2017
- Bank not responsible for fraudulent instructions delivered via customer’s email account - 5/12/2017
- Mortgage proceeds paid to fraudster’s lawyer, in trust, covered under title insurance policy - 2/23/2017
- GR Lawyers Obtain Dismissal of Municipal Conflict of Interest Case Against Ford Brothers - 4/21/2016
- Dealing With Corporate Disputes - Planning To Avoid Disputes - 2/23/2016
- Unpermitted Removal of Support Walls Covered by Title Insurance Policy: Title Insurer Obligated to Pay Future Repair Costs to Remedy Dangerous Condition - 12/7/2015
- Conflict of Interest in the Era of Multi-national Law Firms - 11/12/2015
- The Throwback Heard Around the (Baseball) World A Legal Perspective - 10/21/2015
- Court Refuses to Enjoin Use of Controversial Ride Service Uber Drives On in Toronto - 8/21/2015
- Family Law Act Remedy Trumps Professional Liability Claim - 8/18/2015
- Municipal Election Victories - 5/28/2015
- Controversial Practice of Carding Hits Court - 5/13/2015
- Collection of Unpaid Legal Fees - 5/13/2015
- Record Retention eDiscovery Spoliation - 4/1/2015
- Speaking to the Media - 10/28/2014
My Blog
- Ontario action against national law firm stayed in favour of Alberta - June 23, 2023
- Another negligence claim against lawyer dismissed for being a collateral attack - June 1, 2023
- Negligence claim against lawyer who obtained restraining order against a non-party dismissed - October 27, 2022
- Inadvertent disclosure and improper use of privileged communications - August 4, 2022
- Jurisdictional Door on the Small Claims Court Slammed Shut for Anti-SLAPP Motions - January 28, 2022
- Ford wins again! Court of Appeal for Ontario upholds dismissal of defamation action against him - November 26, 2021
- Ontario Court of Appeal upholds setting aside of a notice of discontinuance - November 1, 2021
- Supreme Court of Canada upholds reduction in size of Toronto's City Council - October 4, 2021
- "Enough is Enough" - frustration expressed by Ontario Courts over litigation misconduct during the pandemic - February 23, 2021
- Defamation action against Ontario Premier dismissed under Courts of Justice Act - January 28, 2021
- Ontario Suspends Commercial Tenant Evictions - June 19, 2020
- A Litigation Update: The Small Claims Court and Short Motions or Applications - June 9, 2020
- Ontario re-opening for business: A gradual approach - May 7, 2020
- House Party Drunkenness: Should Parents Be Liable For Catastrophic Injuries Suffered By Guests? - March 22, 2017
- It's The Little Things In Life That Count - June 15, 2016
Recognition
- Named King’s Counsel by the Attorney General for the Province of Ontario
- Fellow of Litigation Counsel of America
- Appointed by Order in Council as Chair of the Public Accountants Council for the Province of Ontario
- Lexpert Ranked for Professional Liability
- Best Lawyers in Canada – 2013-2024 (Legal Malpractice Law)
- Best Lawyers in Canada – 2021-2024 (Insurance Law)
- Best Lawyers in Canada – 2022 Lawyer of the Year in Legal Malpractice Law
- Recognized by Post City Magazine as one of Toronto's Best Civil Law Litigation Lawyers in 2022 and 2023
Professional Involvement
- Advocate, Order of Certus
- Member, Trial Law Institute
- Member, Diversity Law Institute
- Law Society of Ontario
- Ontario Bar Association
- Advocates’ Society
- Osgoode Society
- Toronto Lawyers Association
- Honorary Overseas Member - COMBAR
(The specialist association of the English and Welsh Commercial Bar)
Community Involvement
- St. Patrick’s Parade Society – 2020 Grand Marshal
- Co-founder Annual ‘Halloween Jam for Cancer Research’ in support of the Leukemia Lymphoma Society of Canada
- Regular Contributor Bell Media Newstalk 1010 and frequent guest on radio and television