Real Estate Law Update: Risks, Trends and Strategies

For more than 135 years, the Toronto Lawyers' Association, located within the Courthouse Library, has represented the interests of lawyers practising in the City of Toronto. The association was founded to support its members in three key areas: Knowledge, Advocacy, and Community. To uphold these pillars, the association offers a year-round mix of online and in-person education programs for lawyers, hosts both free and paid events to foster in-person networking, and submits advocacy pieces on behalf of its members to the Ontario bench and bar, all levels of government, and the broader public.

A partner in Torkin Manes’ Litigation & Dispute Resolution and Commercial Real Estate Groups, Doug is an accomplished trial lawyer, having conducted many trials before the Superior Court of Justice as lead counsel. Equally experienced in appellate advocacy, Doug has numerous appellate level decisions to his name before all levels of court, including the Ontario Court of Appeal and Supreme Court of Canada. Doug is highly renowned for his experience in all aspects of commercial and residential mortgage remedies, including power of sale, receivership proceedings, foreclosure, and judicial sales. He is often retained by private lenders to assist with complex subordinate mortgage disputes and enforcements. His experience in this area is unparalleled in Ontario. Doug is highly sought after by clients in all manner of real estate-related disputes, including ownership disputes, improvident sale allegations, contested closings, easements, rights-of-way and border disputes, commercial lease enforcement, and tenant disputes. In addition to real estate-related matters, Doug leverages his strong business acumen and vast knowledge of the corporate landscape when acting for clients on a wide range of commercial disputes. He has substantial experience in fraud-related litigation, including the injunctive relief that often accompanies such disputes, as well as Mareva injunctions, Norwich orders, certificates of pending litigation, and other interim forms of relief to support his clients. Doug is a skilled communicator and is a frequent speaker and author on litigation and real estate topics for the Law Society of Ontario, the Toronto Lawyers Association, the Ontario Bar Association, and various regional bar associations. He has authored and presented dozens of papers over the years and is recognized throughout the province for his unique and compelling speeches.

Rebecca Hockridge is the Director of Titles for the Province of Ontario. She carries out statutory responsibilities under the Land Titles Act, the Registry Act, the Land Registration Reform Act and the Condominium Act, 1998. She has the ultimate responsibility for the integrity of land registration records in Ontario. For seven years prior to being appointed as the Director of Titles, Rebecca held the position of Senior Counsel with the Ministry of the Attorney General and was appointed as a Deputy Director of Titles and Deputy Director of Land Registration. In that role she provided legal advice to the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement on land registration matters and acted as a tribunal, conducting hearings on title correction issues, title fraud, authorization to register documents in the Electronic Land Registration System and title upgrade applications. Prior to joining the public service, Rebecca worked for ten years as Counsel and Director – Claims Management at a national title insurer. She specialized in complex claims resolution, focusing on title fraud claims. Rebecca began her legal career in the Real Estate Section of a Toronto full-service firm.

Ray Leclair was appointed Vice President, Public Affairs in 2012. He provides input on, implements and reports on all government relations and public affairs-related functions. Ray started at LAWPRO in 2008 as Vice President, TitlePLUS. Prior to joining LAWPRO, Ray was General Counsel for the Kanata Research Park Corporation and has practised in both major national law firms and as a sole practitioner, and was a part-time professor at the University of Ottawa Law School and Cité Collégiale. Ray was called to the Ontario Bar in 1984 after completing an LL.B. at the University of Ottawa. He received the 2024 OBA Distinguished Service Award and the 2022 OBA Award of Excellence in Real Estate. Ray frequently speaks on risk management and other legal practice topics in French and English.