INDIGENOUS & ABORIGINAL LAW • CIVIL & CRIMINAL TRIALS/APPEALS • MILITARY LAW • SUPREME COURT OF CANADA APPEALS

Gordon is the Senior Barrister of Aubry Campbell MacLean. With almost three decades of legal practice, he's successfully conducted hundreds of trials and appeals up to the level of the Supreme Court of Canada. He offers clients creative and effective solutions to their contentious legal challenges, both in and out of court, and advises on public law and professional conduct matters.

He's author of four law books: The Investigator’s Legal Handbook (Thomson Carswell: Toronto, 2006; 2nd ed. 2014; 3rd ed. forthcoming), Le manuel juridique de l’enquêteur (Les éditions Yvon Blais: Cowansville, 2010), and Doing Business In Canada (Matthew Bender/LexisNexis: Newark, NJ, 2019, 3 vol. looseleaf). You can find his blog posts of legal tips for his practice areas in the blog section of this website, and also at the other sites he writes for: defenceeast.com (appellate & trial criminal/regulatory defence).

The Indigenous & Aboriginal Law Practice

Gordon conducts an Indigenous and Aboriginal law practice throughout Canada focusing on Indigenous peoples’ litigation and negotiation issues, including s. 35 Constitution Act, 1982 Aboriginal and treaty rights cases, Comprehensive, Specific and Special claims, and consultation & accommodation involving development projects. His precedent-setting Indigenous rights cases and negotiations have attracted national attention. He served as an Indigenous claims negotiator with Indigenous & Northern Affairs Canada in British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Atlantic Canada, and as legal counsel with the Department of Justice Canada on Indigenous and Aboriginal rights, treaty and title issues. 

The Criminal & Regulatory Defence Practice

Gordon has acted on cases from first-degree murder, to drug importation conspiracies, to complex frauds. He built his criminal and regulatory courtroom experience serving as a Federal Crown Prosecutor in five provinces and one territory, as Criminal-Constitutional Issues Coordinator for Justice Canada's Ontario Regional Office, and as a provincial offences prosecutor. He’s author of The Investigator's Legal Handbook series of books and has spent many years training criminal and regulatory investigators on the legal requirements of their jobs. 

See www.defenceeast.com for the firm's criminal defence practice website,

The Civil, Property & Business Litigation and Appeals Practice

Gordon represents clients in civil litigation appellate and trial proceedings throughout Ontario, including for real property, estates, commercial contracts, bankruptcy, labour & employment, and Small Claims Court disputes. He also appears on federal matters throughout Canada for claims involving the Government of Canada, immigration, citizenship, aeronautics, marine, or other matters of Federal jurisdiction. He's results-oriented in achieving optimal outcomes for clients in settling their disputes at expenditures proportionate to the value of civil claims.

Gordon's extensive appeal and judicial review practice has included:

  • the Supreme Court of Canada;

  • the Federal Court of Appeal and Federal Court;

  • the Tax Court of Canada;

  • the Ontario Court of Appeal, Ontario Divisional Court, Ontario Superior Court of Justice & Ontario Court of Justice;

  • the Superior Court of Quebec & Court of Quebec;

  • the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal, Nova Scotia Supreme Court & Nova Scotia Provincial Court;

  • The Newfoundland and Labrador Court of Appeal, Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court & Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Court;

  • the Prince Edward Island Supreme Court;

  • the New Brunswick Court of Queen’s Bench & New Brunswick Provincial Court.

In addition to accepting appeal mandates from clients directly, he's called upon by trial counsel to assist their clients at appellate levels and respects all referrals.

The Military Law Practice

A veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces, Gordon has also served as counsel to the Military Police Complaints Commission, as Executive Secretary to the Military Judges Compensation Committee, and assists CF members and their families throughout Canada with administrative reviews, grievances, courts-martial defence, boards of inquiry, judicial reviews to the Federal Court, criminal and civil defence and other action in civilian courts.

The Supreme Court of Canada Appeals Practice

Gordon acts for clients as lead or co-counsel on Supreme Court of Canada applications for leave to appeal, motions, interventions and substantive appeals. He has appeared multiple times at the Supreme Court of Canada for both appellants and respondents and worked on numerous interventions and applications for leave to appeal. His skills in convincing the SCC on the public national importance (or lack thereof) of cases are based on his experience practicing in every province of Canada and serving with the Department of Justice Canada’s Ontario and Atlantic Regional Offices (including as Constitutional Issues Coordinator), as well as the Constitutional Law Branch of the Attorney General of Ontario.

Gordon's Team

Anne Ménard, Law Clerk - Civil & Administrative Litigation • Supreme Court of Canada Appeals - telephone extension “308”

Emma Moran, Law Clerk - Indigenous & Aboriginal Law • Military Law - telephone extension “305”

Marthe Diguer, Director of Operations for Firm - telephone extension "306"

Contact

tel: 1-855-363-6646 & 613-363-6646 • fax: 1-888-883-3069 • 8 Saint George St. West, Alexandria, ON