Steve Smith
(B.A., J.D.)
Contact Info
Objective
Retired Lawyer
Life Member -The Law Society of Upper Canada
Honorary Member- Canadian Bar Association
Professional Experience
| 2007 | A member of the Immigration Appeal Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board |
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| 1997 – 2007 | Martinello & Associates Immigration Counsel |
| 1992 – 1997 | Rekai and Johnson – associate Practice restricted to immigration, deportation, refugee matters and voluntary Federal Court matters of counsel only |
| 1886 – 1991 | Board member, Immigration Appeal Board and the Immigration Appeal Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board |
| 1982 – 1986 | solo practitioner Scarborough, Ontario |
| 1980 – 1982 | Partner, Sherman & Cosgrove Scarborough, Ontario |
| 1973 – 1980 | Solo practitioner Scarborough, Ontario |
| 1968 – 1973 | Associate and Partner, Bowman & Sherman Scarborough, OntarioExperience in general practice matters including wills and estates, real estate and mortgages, criminal law, family Law, business law and election law. |
Practice Areas
Mediations and Arbitrations
Jeff has acted in many complex mediations and arbitrations. He has been able to facilitate settlement for many of these cases. In addition, he has presided over many arbitration hearings and has rendered numerous decisions. Jeff through his experience has continually demonstrated an ability to affect significant change through simplifying complex challenges to meet desired outcomes. Throughout his career, this skill set has served him well; both in business and in the area of ADR.
Jeff has conducted over 500+ mediations throughout his ADR career and has achieved a settlement rate of over 70%. He has mediated cases on behalf of FSCO, conducted settlement conference mediations and has provided expert opinions related to various cases. Throughout his career, Jeff has also conducted over 200+ FSCO arbitration hearings and pre-hearings. In order to stay current of the latest decisions and legislation, Jeff subscribes to numerous RSS Feed updates in addition to reading decisions of cases once they are published.
Entrepreneurship and Technology
Jeff’s wealth of experience in entrepreneurship and technology, together with his dispute resolution experience has provided him the opportunity to write several papers, including: “Workplace Culture Influences in Settling Disputes”; “Promoting Mediation to Businesses as a Viable Alternative to Court”; and “The Role of Technology in Mediation.”
PUBLICATIONS AND LECTURES
- A paper submitted to the Ontario Bar Association – Citizenship & Immigration subsection Post-Hilewitz Practices and Trends
- Seminar on Immigration Law given to the RCMP Detachment, Windsor, Ontario given on April 7, 2005.
- Frounze v. Canada: Case Comment Ontario Bar Association: Citizenship and Immigration Newsletter: November 2004
- Participant in a panel discussion on “Leave Applications in the Federal Court” Canadian Bar Association –Ontario –Immigration Subsection.
- “The Right of Immigrant Children to Attend School” – an article that appeared in Volume 32, No. 2, 20001 edition of ORBIT –OISE/U of T’s Magazine for Schools
- “What’s New at the Federal Court” – member of a panel discussion on this topic at the OPIC Seminar – Toronto – December 13, 1999.
- “Appeals for judicial review offer two-tiered justice”- article which appeared in the November 15-21, 1999 edition of the Law Times.
- “Overcoming Inadmissibility” – Lecture delivered at the 1999 Institute of Continuing Legal Education – Canadian Bar Association – Toronto, Ontario, January, 1999.
- “Employment Authorizations” – Lecture delivered To Canadian Technical Recruiters Network – Toronto, December, 1998.
- “Update of Medical Inadmissibility” – Lecture delivered at OPIC Seminar – Toronto, December, 1998.
- “To Reason or Not to Reason: That is the Question” – Canadian Immigration and Citizenship Bulletin – September, 1998.
- “Canadian Passports” – Canadian Immigration and Citizenship Bulletin – July, 1998.
- “Judicial Review of Immigration Decisions in the Federal Court” – Lecture delivered at O.P.I.C. seminar – Toronto, June, 1998.
- “Practice before the Immigration Appeal Decision” – Lecture given to the Ontario Professional Immigration Consultant’s Course – Seneca College – Toronto, June 1998.
- “Transferring Key Personnel to U.S. Subsidiaries” – C.E.R.C. News – March/ April, 1998.
- “How to Handle a Refugee Claim” – Lecture delivered at a seminar sponsored by the Canadian Bar Association – Ontario, November 16, 1995.
- “Intensive Immigration Workshop” – Seminar leader sponsored by the Law Society of Upper Canada – November, 1994.
- “Appealing Deportation Orders Made Against Entrepreneurs to the Immigration Appeal Division” – Participant in a panel discussion and mock trial – seminar on immigration law – Canadian Institute – April, 1994.
- “Deportation Law – An Overview” – Lecture given to (and Co-Chairman of) a seminar on deportation law sponsored by the Canadian Bar Association –Ontario, October, 1992.
- “A Walk along the Boardwalk” – Lecture given to (and Co-Chairman of) a seminar on “Administrative Law for the Non-Specialist” – Canadian Bar Association – Ontario, October, 1991.
- “Standing and Charter Remedies” – Lecture given to the Canadian Immigration Law and Policy II Conference – Canadian Bar Association – Ottawa, May 1991.
- “Bureaucratic Delay and Immigration Matters” – Lecture given to the Canadian Bar Association – Immigration Subsection – Ontario, 1990.
- “Dust to Dust” Policies for the Preservation of Library Materials” – Focus – Spring, 1989.
- “Charter Law and Immigration” – Lecture for the Canadian Bar Association – Immigration Subsection – Ontario, 1988.
- “The Political Role of the Library Trustee” – Lecture given to a seminar for the Faculty of Library and Information Sciences, University of Toronto, 1987 & 1988.
- “What Makes a Library Well Run”, Canadian Library Journal, 1984.
- “Standard of Care in Malpractice Cases”, Osgoode Hall Law Journal, 1966.
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
| 2006 | Honorary Counsel, Toronto Chapter, Magen David Adom |
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| 2004 – 2007 | Member of the Board of Governors of the Jewish National Fund |
| 2004 – 2005 | Member – Executive Committee Beth Tikvah Synagogue |
| 2003 – 2007 | A Vice-Chair of the License Appeal Tribunal |
| 2003 – 2005 | Member of the Board of Governors- Beth Tikvah Synagogue Chairman, Legal Committee – Beth Tikvah Synagogue |
| 2003 | Member- Fitness and Wellness Committee – Bayview Golf and Country Club |
| 1998 – 2005 | Member – Ontario Professional Immigration Consultants |
| 2002 | Member – Health Professions Board – now known as the Health Professions Appeal and Review Board |
| 1997 | Membership Chairman – Canadian Bar Association – Citizenship And Immigration Subsection – Ontario Member – Continuing Legal Education Committee – Canadian Bar Association – Ontario |
| 1995 -1999 | Member – Board of Trustees – Scarborough General Hospital |
| 1995 | Member – Quality Assurance Committee and Human Resources Committee – Scarborough General Hospital |
| 1994 | Member – Canadian Bar Association – Citizenship and Immigration Subsection – Canadian Bar Association – Ontario Arbitrator – Canadian Motor Vehicle Arbitration Plan |
| 1993 | A Chairperson, Superintendent of Insurance Advisory Committee Arbitrator – Ontario Motor Vehicle Arbitration Plan |
| 1992 | Instructor in Public Law – Bar Admission Course – Toronto, Ontario |
| 1991 | Member, Metropolitan Toronto Library Board |
| 1987 | Chairman, Metropolitan Toronto Library Board |
| 1986 | Arbitrator, Better Business Bureau, Motor Vehicle Arbitrator Program – Toronto, Ontario Member, Board of Trustees of the Ontario Science Centre
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| 1984 | Member, North York Public Library Board |
| 1983 | Vice Chairman, North York Public Library Board |
| 1981 | Member, The Court of Revision, Scarborough |
| 1971-1981 | Lecturer, Law Clerk Programme Centennial College, Scarborough, Ontario |
| 1971 | Vice-President – Steelesview Heights Ratepayers Association |
Education
| 1975. 1976. | Master of Laws degree Osgoode Hall Law School York University, Downsview, Ontario |
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| 1968. | Call to the Bar of Ontario as a Barrister & Solicitor |
| 1966. 1967. | 1966. Bachelor of Laws degree Osgoode Hall Law School Toronto, Ontario (now J.D. degree) |
| 1963. 1964. | Bachelor of Arts degree Dalhousie University Halifax, Nova Scotia |
AWARDS AND HONOURS
| 1999 | Certified by the Law Society of Upper Canada as a Specialist in Immigration Law |
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| 1989 & 1991 | Volunteer Service Award, Province of Ontario |
| 1980 | Appointed Queen’s Counsel |
REFERENCES
Excellent references furnished upon request.
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