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Overview

Leonard Griffiths is certified by the Law Society of Upper Canada as a specialist in environmental law. Through his broad-based environmental practice, Len assists clients with corporate transactions including mergers, acquisitions and financings, environmental management systems and litigation. He represents clients before administrative tribunals and defends clients charged with environmental offenses.

Len counsels clients on matters regarding air, water, hazardous and non-hazardous wastes, chemical substances management (import, export and use), product liability, occupational health and safety, and a wide range of other regulatory issues.

He assists clients domestically and internationally to develop and undertake major projects and transactions. He also conducts environmental assessments and compliance audits and has been involved in the decommissioning and remediation of many facilities and properties (brownfields).

Len is past vice-chair of the Environmental Specialist Committee for the Law Society of Upper Canada, past chair of the Environmental sections of the Canadian Bar Association and Ontario Bar Association, and a founder of the Canadian Centre for Environmental Arbitration and Mediation.

Len is the editor and a contributing author of Contaminated Property in Canada and Sustainable Development in Canada: Into the Next Millennium (2000), and is the chief editor of The Environmental Law Journal. He composed a chapter in Directors' Duties in Canada, 4th Edition, published in Canada by CCH Canadian Limited in 2009. Len presents at conferences in Canada and the United States on a variety of environmental, health and safety issues.

Len is a former Adjunct Professor, University of Toronto Law School (Natural Resources and Energy; Sustainability).

Len is a former and original board member of Plug'n Drive, a non-profit organization committed to accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles and infrastructure to maximize environmental and economic benefits. He was a founder and director of the Mississauga Wolverines Youth Basketball league.

,,One delighted client said: 'I would regard him bar none as the best attorney I've ever met, not just in the past year but of all time. He works unrelentingly hard with the highest possible ethical standards and he ensures the outcome is what it should be.',,

Chambers Canada

Client Work

LSI Industries (Nasdaq; LYTS), a manufacturer of commercial lighting and display solutions, in its acquisition of Canada’s Best Store Fixtures, a provider of retail fixtures and custom store design solutions for grocery, quick service restaurant, c-store, banking and specialty retail environments
Kinross Gold Corporation with environmental review, regulatory permitting and Aboriginal community relations for the Great Bear project
Capvest Partners in its acquisition of Recochem, a Quebec based manufacturer of aftermarket transportation and household fluids.
48North Cannabis Corp. in its $50-million acquisition by HEXO Corp. 
1908 GP Inc., in the formation of 1908 LP and the formation and capitalization of POI Holdings LP by a syndicate of private Canadian investors led by Cody Church, on behalf of Clear North Capital, together with a team that included Rakesh Saraf (formerly of ATRF) and Kenny Albert (formerly of Kilmer Capital), and the acquisition of a majority interest in the business of POI Business Interiors Inc., a provider of workspace environment solutions and a Steelcase distributer in Ontario.
The Board of Directors of Sears Canada, in Sears' CCAA proceedings, one of the largest court-supervised liquidations in Canadian history.

Recognitions & Awards

Chambers Canada

Ranked Band 1, Environment

Chambers Global

Band 1, Environment

Legal 500 Canada

Hall of Fame Lawyer, Environment

Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory

Most Frequently Recommended, Environmental Law

Lexpert's Leading 500 Cross-Border Lawyers in Canada

Recognized as a leading Environmental lawyer 

Lexpert Guide to the Leading US/Canada Cross-Border Lawyers

Recognized, Dispute Resolution

Education & Bar Admissions

Education

  • Carleton University, B.A., 1980
  • University of Toronto, LL.B., 1983

Bar Admissions

  • Ontario, 1985

Insights

Federal Review of Environmental and Regulatory Processes UnderwayUpdate

Federal Review of Environmental and Regulatory Processes Underway

February 9, 2018
Leonard J. GriffithsDavid Bursey
Leonard J. Griffiths & David Bursey
PlaceholderArticle

Environmental Considerations in Business Transactions

June 21, 2016
Leonard J. Griffiths
Leonard J. Griffiths
PlaceholderArticle

Directors' Duties in Canada, 6th ed.

April 6, 2016
Preet K. GillMelissa BirmanTalia K. Bregman
& 15 more

News, Events & Speaking Engagements

PlaceholderIn The News

Leonard Griffiths in Who's Who Legal: Environment 2017 Roundtable

September 19, 2017
Leonard J. Griffiths
Leonard J. Griffiths
PlaceholderSpeaking Engagement

CANECT - Canadian Environmental Conference and Tradeshow

May 1, 2017
Leonard J. GriffithsVenetia E.K. WhitingSarah E. Gilbert
Leonard J. Griffiths, Venetia E.K. Whiting & Sarah E. Gilbert