“We are a team of legal professionals united by our dedication to providing victims of corporate misconduct, human rights abuses and negligence an accessible path to justice, accountability and compensation.”
A founding member of the firm, Joe leads CFM’s complex tort practice which includes aviation and product liability groups. His practice focuses on complex liability cases, often with an international dimension.
Joe’s aviation experience includes claims involving mid-air collisions, in flight break ups and catastrophic failures of aircraft systems, such as: turbine engines, transmissions, and hydraulic flight controls. His cases often involve complex issues of metal fatigue, failure analysis, and forensic metallurgy. He served as the chair of the Canadian Bar Association Aviation Law section as well as the CBA’s advisor to the Government of Canada on the negotiation of two international aviation treaties at ICAO. Joe has represented clients from coast to coast in Canada and in cases arising from overseas aviation accidents including Mexico, the Maldives, China, and Germany.
He currently represents the families of 20 passengers who were killed in the downing of UIA Flight 752 and previously acted for the family of a Canadian passenger killed in the downing of MH 17. His work on a multi-party class action arising from the crash of Air France Flight 358 at Toronto Pearson Airport was described by the court as delivering “real justice for real people”.
Joe’s passion for justice has led him to undertake cases representing victims in international human rights and corporate accountability claims. He successfully led a CFM team that established landmark precedents in international human rights law. Joe’s work on Nevsun Resources Ltd. v. Arya (2020), established for the first time in the Commonwealth world that companies may be held accountable under customary international law for violation of fundamental human rights.
Outside the courtroom, Joe was one of the principal architects of the “Right the Wrong” campaign, a pro-bono social justice initiative aimed at securing compensation for Canada’s thalidomide children. The campaign was described by the Globe and Mail as “one of the most effective lobbying efforts in Canadian history” and resulted in the establishment of a $180 million fund to provide lifetime support for thalidomide victims.
Joe was named King’s Counsel in December 2011. He is also a Fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers and the Litigation Counsel of America. Joe is one of the architects of the “Right the Wrong” Campaign, a pro bono social justice project described by the Globe and Mail as “one of the most effective lobbying efforts in Canada history”. The campaign resulted in the federal government agreeing to a comprehensive support program for Canadian victims of the drug thalidomide. He has also served as a Director and Chair of Project Somos, a Vancouver based charity that operates a village and educational program for children in Guatemala.