Mark van Zandvoort

Mark is a dedicated advisor and tireless advocate who ensures conflicts are dealt with effectively and economically for his clients. Whether through litigation or negotiation, he will do whatever it takes to deliver the best possible solutions, in the time frames required by his clients to best meet their needs and objectives. Mark provides comprehensive support to guide his clients to satisfactory outcomes when disputes arise, and to best position his clients for litigation if an agreeable resolution cannot be achieved prior to litigation.

Mark is a member of the firm's Litigation and Financial Services Groups, practising a broad range of civil litigation, primarily concerning disputes in the corporate, commercial and financial services sectors. Mark’s clients have included individuals, directors and officers, shareholders, corporations (including not-for-profit corporations), charitable organizations, financial institutions, court-appointed receivers, and small and large businesses, both privately and publicly owned, across a wide array of industries.  Mark has served in the capacity as court-appointed Representative Counsel for a body of unit holders in receivership proceedings commenced under the Ontario Securities Act.

Mark has extensive experience litigating matters involving tort, contract, negligence and allegations of oppression.  Over the years, Mark has also developed a niche for obtaining urgent injunctive relief from the Ontario Superior Court of Justice on behalf of his clients, often in cases involving fraud, and in other circumstances where his clients require immediate relief from the court. This can include enforcing the terms of an existing contractual arrangement, to prevent a cessation of services by the defendant which would cause irreparable harm to a client’s business, or freezing the assets and accounts of defendants who are alleged to have been the beneficiaries of misappropriated funds.  Mark also has experience acting as the Independent Supervising Solicitor with respect to the execution of an Anton Pillar Order.  In addition to his extensive civil litigation practice, Mark has also successfully represented University students in academic appeals and disciplinary proceedings under University policies in Ontario.

As part of his litigation practice, Mark regularly attends to argue motions before the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (including the Commercial List Court). Mark has conducted trials at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, appeals at the Ontario Court of Appeal, and has prepared leave to appeal applications to the Supreme Court of Canada. Mark is a regular participant in private and court-mandated mediations, and also has experience successfully litigating disputes through private arbitration.  

Throughout his career, Mark has served as a firm-appointed mentor to summer and articling students who aspire to practise in the area of corporate and commercial litigation, as well as to associate lawyers in the firm’s Litigation Group. Mark is a longstanding member of the firm’s Student Recruitment Committee.