R. Seumas M. Woods Partner | Toronto

About Seumas

Seumas has a varied corporate-commercial disputes resolution practice. He has appeared as counsel before all levels of courts in Ontario, as well as before securities commissions across Canada and in numerous arbitrations and mediations. He brings with him a strong knowledge of the law, as well as a practical, common sense approach to legal problems.

Seumas' practice encompasses many areas, including international dispute resolution, transactional securities litigation, construction litigation, gaming-related claims, commercial disputes, investigations, shareholder litigation, personal injury and occupier's liability claims on behalf of companies in the hospitality industry, product liability claims for both consumers and manufacturers, franchise and distributorship disputes, and estate litigation.

Seumas is co-chair of the Firm's International Dispute Resolution group.

Select Experience

Among the more notable cases in which Seumas has been involved are:

A series of applications to Canadian securities regulators to cease-trade shareholder rights plans in connection with contested take-over bids, including Suncor Inc.'s bid for Canadian Oil Sands, BHP Billiton's bid for Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan, Cliffs Natural Resources Inc.'s bid for Spider Resources Limited, Research in Motion Limited's bid for Certicom Corp., and others
Proxy fights for the control of the boards of directors of Canadian public companies including Agrium Inc., Maudore Minerals Limited, Forbes and Manhattan Coal Corp. and Bioniche Life Sciences Inc.
Injunction proceedings seeking to restrain take-over bids, including bids by Research in Motion Limited and Rusoro Mining Limited
Construction and breach of contract claims against the public and private company owners of a number of renewable energy projects
Claims for over C$500-million against Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation by members of a joint venture involved in the design and construction of the Windsor Energy Centre
A C$17-million construction delay claim against the City of Mississauga in connection with the renovation of a project to renovate a historic building, which resulted in a trial judgment in the City's favour, subsequently upheld on appeal to the Court of Appeal
A negligent performance/product liability claim by the constructor of the Confederation Bridge between New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island against the company that supplied the bridge's post-tensioning system
An ad hoc UNCITRAL Model Law arbitration by a software developer that resulted in a C$100-million award against Xerox Corporation
Ad hoc international arbitrations involving issues arising from the acquisition of a Canadian company by an Italian entity, and the modernization of a cold-rolling steel mill in Hamilton, Ontario
Ad hoc and ICC international arbitrations involving mining properties in Spain and Colombia
Procurement and construction disputes relating to a power generation company's ongoing operations, including an outsourcing project, a biomass conversion project, and projects relating to the refurbishment of one of its nuclear generating stations
Commercial disputes between the manufacturer and distributor of consumer products and services and their retailers, including franchise disputes
A sponsorship dispute between a global sports apparel company and a Canadian sports federation
Investigations relating to possible individual or corporate misconduct
Disputes arising from the gaming operations of commercial gaming establishments, including all of Ontario's resort casinos
Class actions, including class actions by guests of a Caribbean resort against the resort's owner and by purchasers of the vitamin methionine against manufacturers of the product
Challenges to the validity of wills and the conduct of estate trustees and guardians of persons and property

Awards & Recognition

Seumas is certified as a specialist in Civil Litigation by the Law Society of Ontario and is recognized as a leading lawyer in the following publications:

Benchmark Canada: The Definitive Guide to Canada's Leading Litigation Firms and Attorneys – 2018 Edition (Litigation Star – General Commercial, International Arbitration, Securities)
The Best Lawyers in Canada 2018 (Alternative Dispute Resolution, Construction Law, Corporate and Commercial Litigation, Gaming Law, International Arbitration; Toronto International Arbitration Lawyer of the Year)
The 2017 Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory (Repeatedly Recommended: Litigation – Corporate Commercial)