Universities and colleges in Canada may not share identical needs for legal advice and assistance, but all Canadian higher education institutions know where to turn for unparalleled legal support.
BLG’s higher education clients rely on our team’s dedication to education law, and benefit from entrusting a full-service firm with their most complex legal issues. Our cross-practice excellence sees us assist top Canadian universities and colleges with governance reviews and compliance, complex litigation, cybersecurity and data protection, academic and non-academic misconduct, real estate transactions, charitable matters, and much more.
BLG lawyers are known as thought leaders, providing trusted, system-wide advice on matters such as freedom of expression, sexual violence, campus safety and security, and data protection. Our education lawyers routinely feature among the speakers at the Ontario Higher Education Summit, and are active contributors to the Canadian Association of University Solicitors (CAUS). We can help you address the many sensitive and complex matters that are unique to higher education, yet different between universities and colleges, because we understand your unique governance, stakeholders and constraints. With top-notch lawyers in every relevant field and 200 years of experience under our belt, BLG will have a tailored, strategic, actionable solution for you.
Unlock the endless possibilities of a full-service law firm
As you look for legal assistance in fulfilling your mandates and even surpassing your key objectives, note that BLG helps other universities and colleges with:
- Academic and non-academic misconduct and disciplinary proceedings
- Administration and business operations
- Bylaw and policy reviews
- Charitable foundations and not-for-profit initiatives / Maintaining charitable status
- Construction and procurement
- Crisis management
- Cyber security and incident response
- Development, financing and operation of student residences
- Disability accommodation
- Discrimination, sexual violence and workplace harassment
- Employment and labour
- Funding and project financing
- Freedom of information
- Governance and compliance matters
- Human rights policy and defence
- International student policy
- Intellectual property
- IT and license agreements
- Litigation, including judicial reviews
- Municipal planning, including zoning and environmental regulation
- Online education and virtual learning
- Privacy protection
- Public College Private Partnerships (PCPPs)
- Public health, including vaccine policies and other COVID-comparable issues
- Real estate, including lease negotiations and public asset management
- Research policy and agreements
- Risk assessment and management
- Safety and security
- Student services
- Tax structuring and disputes
- Technology, including contracting and governance
- Tenure, promotion and discharge
- White collar defence and workplace investigations
BLG believes in alternative dispute resolution, and our lawyers use a wide range of approaches as early as possible, including partial settlements, to avoid multi-party litigation. When litigation is unavoidable, we have earned a solid reputation for the quality of our pleadings before various courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada, in addition to arbitrators, human rights tribunals, labour relations boards, and student appeals bodies.
