Mr. Pinto practices primarily in the areas of employment, labour, administrative, civil litigation and human rights law. He has appeared in the Supreme Court of Canada and before all levels of court in Ontario. He has also appeared before numerous administrative tribunals, boards and agencies.
In addition to his litigation practice, Mr. Pinto provides strategic advice and representation to a wide variety of employers, employees, unions, businesses and individuals in negotiations and civil/administrative proceedings. When acting on behalf of employers, his work includes drafting, coordinating and advising on workplace policies and procedures. For employees, he advises on all aspect of the employment relationship, including reviewing employment contracts, resolving workplace conflicts and negotiating better severance packages.
Mr. Pinto is an experienced workplace investigator who has conducted numerous investigations for organizations in the private and public sector.
In July 2012, Mr. Pinto was appointed to the Board of Governors of the Law Commission of Ontario: www.lco-cdo.org. The Law Commission recommends law reform measures to make the law accessible to all Ontarians.
In August 2011, Mr. Pinto was appointed by the Attorney General of Ontario to review the implementation and effectiveness of changes made to the Ontario human rights system since 2008. Mr. Pinto held public consultations and provided a report back to the Attorney General with findings and recommendations to improve Ontario’s human rights system. The November 2012 Report can be found at: http://www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca/english/about/pubs/human_rights/Pinto_human_rights_report_2012-ENG.pdf.
Mr. Pinto has provided radio, television and print media commentary in his various areas of practice. Mr. Pinto is a regular contributor to www.OntarioNewsWatch.com, a news site that aggregates important political and general interest news stories from media across the province. Mr. Pinto contributes “Thought Provoker” video commentary pieces on important legal issues and current events.
Mr. Pinto is an Adjunct Professor at the Faculty of Law, University of Toronto, where he teaches Administrative law, which deals with tribunals, government agencies, boards and commissions.
Mr. Pinto has spoken at and chaired numerous continuing professional development programs. For 2010-12, he was Co-Chair of Institute, the Ontario Bar Association’s (OBA’s) premiere legal education conference. He spoke at the Law Society’s Special Lectures on Employment Law in 2012.
Mr. Pinto is a past chair of the Administrative Law section of the OBA, and past chair of the Equity Advisory Group (EAG) of the Law Society of Upper Canada, the legal profession’s regulatory body.
In November 2008, Mr. Pinto received the inaugural “Lawyer of the Year” award from the South Asian Bar Association for his contributions to the legal profession and wider community.
Prior to his legal career, Mr. Pinto received a degree in Electrical Engineering from Queen’s University and worked in the high-tech sector.
Representative Cases
Some of the cases Mr. Pinto has been involved in include:
- Advice to an employer concerning major restructuring of its unionized and non-unionized workforce
- Drafting and coordinating human resources policies for a major corporation in light of new workplace legislation
- Representing a “whistleblower” employee terminated from employment
- Acting for a government agency in a civil litigation matter
- Conducting complex workplace investigations for a large public utility
- Negotiating better severance and non-competition terms for an executive employee
- Representing a franchisee corporation in a dispute with its franchisor
- Acting for applicants and respondents before the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario
- Bringing a constitutional challenge to federal legislation regarding new reproductive technologies
- Dealing with builder, home owner and construction disputes as counsel to Tarion Warranty Corporation under Ontario New Home Warranty legislation
- Providing governance and regulatory compliance advice to a non-profit organization
Practice Areas
- Employment and Labour Law
- Civil and Commercial Litigation
- Administrative Law
- Human Rights
- Constitutional Law
Membership and Education
- Law Society of Upper Canada
- Board of Governors, Law Commission of Ontario
- Past Chair and Executive Member, Administrative Law Section of Ontario Bar Association
- Association des juristes d’expression française de l’Ontario
- Certificate in Dispute Resolution, Stitt Feld Handy Houston, University of Windsor
- University of Windsor, LL.B.
- Queen’s University, B.Sc. (Electrical Engineering)
