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smorrison@casselsbrock.com

Telephone: 416 860 6624
Fax: 416 640 3174

Toronto
Suite 2100, Scotia Plaza
40 King Street West
Toronto, ON M5H 3C2
Canada

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Profile

Stephen Morrison

Stephen provides legal counsel to all participants in the land development and construction industries, including governmental agencies, hospitals and other health care providers. As a partner in the firm's Construction Law Group, Stephen is primarily involved in providing advice and advocacy, including litigation and other forms of dispute resolution, to the development industry.

Stephen’s legal career began in criminal law, which he practiced until 1981. His legal training and experience has been buttressed by an extensive involvement in the corporate world. In 1982, Stephen co-founded The Rose Corporation, a land development and investment company. Stephen served as president and in-house legal counsel to the company until 1999. The Rose Group diversified its activities and, at various times, owned or controlled private and publicly-traded enterprises in automotive parts manufacturing, telecommunications, general insurance, oil and gas exploration, carpet manufacturing, adult living facilities, hotels, film studios, mini-warehousing, and financial services.

Having gained valuable practical and legal experience in all facets and dimensions of these activities, including land acquisition, development approvals, construction contracting, environmental matters, joint venture arrangements, and public/private partnership structures, Stephen brings a unique combination of legal skills and a practical business perspective to the negotiation of deals and the settlement of disputes. In addition to his efforts on behalf of private industry, Stephen regularly acts for public sector agencies and non-profit entities where he has been involved with major projects involving courthouses, correctional facilities, and hospitals.

Stephen speaks regularly to industry and professional groups and serves regularly as a mediator and arbitrator. As a result of his combined business and legal background, Stephen has a unique ability to fashion practical resolutions to complex disputes. He understands that the parties prefer workable solutions to protracted litigation. As a mediator, Stephen brings a facilitative and imaginative approach to the resolution of difficult conflicts. A good listener, he helps each party to identify and rank its needs. A creative thinker, he assists the parties to find inventive ways of meeting those needs. A persistent facilitator, he is unrelenting in his pursuit of an agreement. And, as someone who loves a challenge, Stephen especially enjoys cases involving complex, multi-party disputes. In his role as an arbitrator, Stephen understands that the parties are entrusting to him the fair resolution of a dispute that they have been unable to settle themselves. Second only to his determination to render an equitable and legally correct decision is Stephen's commitment to ensuring that, regardless of the outcome, all parties feel confident that they have been heard and understood. He delivers clear, well-reasoned, and timely written decisions.

Stephen joined Cassels Brock in 1999.