LORNE GROSS

MA, LLB, MBA MANAGING LAWYER

Lorne’s practice spans a broad scope of corporate/commercial legal practice.  Lorne advises on matters including business acquisitions and sales, private equity investment, partnerships and other business entities, financings, business establishment and contracting, real estate as well as cross-border transactions.    An effective lawyer is one who understands both the legal issues of a client as well as the relationship of these issues to a client’s business objectives. Lorne’s facilitates both in depth.

Lorne possesses a law degree from Osgoode Hall, an MBA from Oxford University, a Masters degree in China Area Studies from the University of London, was a Visiting Undergraduate at Harvard University and possesses a BA from the University of Toronto. In addition to his native English, Lorne speaks Mandarin Chinese and Spanish.  Lorne was called to the bar in 2000.

Previously, Lorne was a partner in a Toronto-based law firm, has served as Associate Vice President of a $120 million hedge fund and has worked as a partner with a major Toronto law firm, as well as holding positions with Desjardins Securities and Reichmann International (the Reichmann family of Toronto).

With a master’s focusing on Chinese language and philosophy, and speaking Spanish, Lorne has additional experience with cross-border transactions and foreign investment.   Lorne has written on, and lectured in, the application of Chinese philosophy to business strategy and negotiation, writes the column “The Thoughtful Warrior” for Asianwave magazine and has appeared on Television and in newspapers on legal and strategic topics.  Lorne’s book, “The Thoughtful Warrior”, based on his column, will be published in 2015 by Asianwave.

Lorne has additional experience in litigation and has undertaken securities defence work as well as other white-collar criminal matters at all levels of court in Ontario.

FIONA ZENG

Office Manager

MORTON GROSS

COUNSEL

Morton’s practice includes a wide range of commercial real estate transactions, office building acquisitions and dispositions, hotels and retail centres; corporate transactions involving shares and debt financings of real estate related corporations; joint ventures; pension fund vehicles investing in real estate; financing; and long-term land lease arrangements.

Morton has further significant experience in public/private partnerships, representing government agencies and private sector entities in a number of major transactions.

Morton is a part-time lecturer at Osgoode Hall Law School at York University. Morton is a also a frequent speaker at seminars, including those hosted by the Law Society of Upper Canada and the Canadian Bar Association.

 

Rankings & Recognitions

  • Recognized as a leading real estate lawyer of The Legal 500 Canada.
  • Recognized as a leading infrastructure lawyer in Lexpert® Special Edition on Infrastructure.
  • Selected by peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in Canada® (Real Estate Law).
  • Recognized in the Chambers Global – The World’s Leading Lawyers for Business (Real Estate).
  • Recognized in the Who’s Who Legal: Canada (Real Estate) and The Lexpert®/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada (Property Development).
  • Recognized in the Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory (Property Development)
  • Recognized in the Euromoney Legal Group’s Guide to the World’s Leading Real Estate Lawyers and in the International Who’s Who of Real Estate Lawyers.
  • Martindale-Hubbell® AV® Preeminent™ 5 out of 5 Peer Review Rated.

Representative Work

Acted for the developer in connection with the creation of Terminal 3 at Pearson International Airport in Toronto, in transaction with the Federal Government, being the first privatization of an airport in Canada.Acting for the City of Ottawa in connection with the establishment of a Light Rail Transit system through a Design/Build/Finance/Maintain arrangement. Acting on all aspects of projects including arrangement with Infrastructure Ontario Funding Agreements with provincial and federal governments, RFP and the Project Agreement. Acted for the City of Toronto and the Hummingbird Centre for the Performing Arts in connection with a public-private partnership arrangement on the Hummingbird Theatre site at Yonge and Front Streets in Toronto, involving a theatre and residential tower project. Acted for the City of Toronto in developing a concept for a legal structure to be the platform for development of the City’s surplus real estate assets, P3 projects for such assets and creation of several municipal service corporations and a subsidiary corporation (Build Toronto and Invest Toronto). Acted for McGill University Hospital in Montreal (“MUHC”) in providing advice to MUHC in connection with the creation of a new hospital campus to replace the present central group of downtown hospitals. Advice included arrangements relating to the design, building, finance and maintain elements; advice did not include procurement matters. Acting for Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital in connection with new facilities, including negotiations of Memorandum of Understanding with IO and Funding Agreement.

Professional Involvement

  • Trustee, InnVest REIT (a hotel REIT); Chair, Corporate Governance and Human Resources Committees, 2002-201
  • Director and Chair of Corporate Governance and Human Resources Committee, Cadillac Fairview Corporation, 1996-2002
    Member, National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy relating to public-private partnerships involving municipalities, particularly related to water and waste water.
  • Part time lecturer at Osgoode Hall Law School York University in a course entitled “Land Development and Commercial Real Estate Problems”.

MARTHA CORBETT

LAW CLERK

Martha is a highly experienced senior law clerk with over 30 years of practice. Martha is a law clerk as well as a conveyancer who has had extensive experience in commercial and residential real estate, mortgage transactions, and corporate law.

Previously, Martha has served as the manager of the real estate department of a major Toronto law firm. Martha completed both the Law Clerk’s course and Title Searching and Conveyancing with honours.