David is dedicated to understanding his clients’ businesses and creates and implements solutions to advance their objectives. He is experienced and comfortable working within complex regulatory environments to find and optimize achievable outcomes. With the ability to hone in on the most crucial and meaningful details amongst large amounts of information, David identifies opportunities for his clients that others may miss.
As Practice Group Leader of the firm's Litigation Group and member of the Energy Team, David practises in the area of regulatory and commercial litigation.
For more than 15 years, David has advised gas and electric utilities, and other participants in Ontario’s electricity market, on a wide range of regulatory and commercial issues, and regularly appears before the Ontario Energy Board (OEB). Among other things, he assists clients with ratemaking applications, policy consultations, compliance issues, licencing, Measurement Canada issues and regulatory strategy. David often works with energy services providers to ensure that their business practices and documentation are compliant with relevant legal requirements, including those imposed by the OEB and by other government agencies (such as Consumer Services and Measurement Canada).
David is a frequent contributor to and lead editor of energyinsider.ca, which features commentary, analysis and news about legal and regulatory developments in Canada's energy sector, with particular focus on regulated entities in Ontario.
As a commercial litigator, David has been involved with a wide range of matters, including contractual disputes, fiduciary duty cases, competition matters, construction disputes, class proceedings, lease disputes, injunctions and professional negligence matters. He also has expertise in matters relating to Ontario’s Consumer Protection Act, and the obligations imposed by that statute.
David has appeared before the OEB and all levels of Ontario courts, including the Superior Court, Divisional Court and Court of Appeal, as well as before the Supreme Court of Canada, the Federal Court Trial Division, the Competition Tribunal, the Ontario Securities Commission and the Commissioner of Mining and Lands (Ontario).
David leads the Aird & Berlis LLP United Way Committee, which was the recipient of a 2016 United Way Toronto & York Region Spirit Award.