Brian Awad, KC

About Brian

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Brian Awad is a seasoned litigation lawyer with over 20 years of legal experience. His practice is focused on guiding individuals and large national financial institutions through commercial disputes and financial litigation, including securities, investment, tax, estates, complex and cross-border issues. He routinely works for the defence of investment dealers, mutual fund dealers, investment advisors, tax advisors and other financial services professionals.

Prior to joining McInnes Cooper, Brian practiced as an Assistant Crown Attorney with the Crown Law Office, Civil, of the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General. He also practiced with the Enforcement Department of the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada. Through these roles he gained experience in administrative law, judicial review, civil litigation involving government action and provincially-regulated industries, fraud, and financial and white-collar crime, which helps him defend his current clients in his private practice.

Brian has appeared in all levels of court in Ontario and Nova Scotia, as well as in the courts of New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland & Labrador. Brian has represented clients in the Federal Court and the Federal Court of Appeal. He has taught and lectured at the Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University, and speaks regularly at legal and securities industry conferences and seminars. He is a member of The Advocates’ Society, the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society and the Law Society of Ontario and the Canadian Bar Association. He has been ranked by Benchmark Canada in the areas of commercial law and securities law, and he has been named a Litigation Star by Benchmark Litigation Canada 2022.

Outside of the office, Brian is the father of three school-age­d children, and serves as the legal advisor to the boards of Music Nova Scotia and the Halifax Pop Explosion. He enjoys snowboarding, sailing and hockey, and will happily provide a bass line for any jazz, pop or rock music project.