Top 6 in 60: The 6 Recent Cases from the SCC You Must Know

For more than 135 years, the Toronto Lawyers' Association, located within the Courthouse Library, has represented the interests of lawyers practising in the City of Toronto. The association was founded to support its members in three key areas: Knowledge, Advocacy, and Community. To uphold these pillars, the association offers a year-round mix of online and in-person education programs for lawyers, hosts both free and paid events to foster in-person networking, and submits advocacy pieces on behalf of its members to the Ontario bench and bar, all levels of government, and the broader public.

Ian is a graduate of the University of Waterloo where he obtained a Bachelor of Mathematics (Honours). He then attended Osgoode Hall Law School, where his studies focused almost exclusively on criminal law and related topics. He worked extensively in the Criminal Division of the Community & Legal Aid Services Programme and received the Helen Grossman Q.C. Prize twice for his work. Ian completed his articles at the law firm of Greenspan Humphrey Lavine. Upon his call to the bar in 2015, he opened a sole practice in chambers with a prominent criminal defence firm in Toronto. In 2017, he joined Kapoor Barristers where he grew his criminal defence practice by representing clients on a variety of trial and appellate matters in all levels of courts, including before the Supreme Court of Canada. In 2024, he founded Kasper Law. Ian is called to the bar of Ontario and the bar of Nunavut. His practice focuses primarily on criminal trials and appeals. Ian is a member of the Private Panel for the Legal Services Board (Nunavut) and regularly acts as counsel on matters in the territory. He is a coordinator for the Summary Conviction Appeal Court duty counsel program at the Superior Court of Justice in Toronto and a member of the Pro Bono Inmate Appeal Program at the Court of Appeal for Ontario. In addition to his criminal defence practice, Ian acts as an Agent for the Office of the Children’s Lawyer in select child protection and secure treatment matters and serves as a Deputy Judge Advocate in the Canadian Armed Forces. He also regularly volunteers his time to serve on the executives of professional organizations. He is an avid curler and proud member of the Royal Canadian Curling Club.

Thomas Slade is a partner at Supreme Advocacy. His litigation practice is focused on appeals and leaves to appeal. He has appeared as counsel before the Ontario Court of Appeal and Federal Court of Appeal and as co-counsel at the Supreme Court of Canada. Thomas’ legal research practice includes aboriginal law, constitutional law, religious freedom, professional negligence, and regulatory matters. He has prepared numerous legal opinions, taking complex legal issues and addressing them in a straightforward and practical manner. Before joining Supreme Advocacy, Thomas articled and returned as an associate at a national law firm where he focused on advocacy and litigation. He also worked as a student-at-law at an access to information and administrative law boutique firm. While at the University of Ottawa, Thomas was the Articles Editor and Editor-in-Chief for the Ottawa Law Review and worked as a research assistant for a prominent technology law professor. Before law school, he received a Bachelor of Journalism from Carleton University.