Canadian Advisory Committee

Mark Sandler

Defence Lawyer and Criminal Law Specialist

Mr. Sandler is a leading criminal defence lawyer at the appellate and trial levels in Canada, as well as a member of the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal. He has experience as Crown Attorney (prosecutor), as well as, specially appointed counsel for the Department of Justice and the Commissioner of Competition. Additionally, Mr. Sandler has been counsel in a number of high profile public inquires and in other advisory positions to the government in which he considered issues of justice system functioning. He is a leader of the legal profession of Ontario in a variety of roles, currently as a bencher of the Law Society of Upper Canada (governing body of lawyers in Ontario). As a Bencher, Mr. Sandler is the past-Chair and current member of the, Appeal Panel; Chair, Tribunal Composition Task Force; Vice-Chair, Hearings Panel, Vice-Chair, Tribunals Committee, and Member, Equity and Aboriginal Issues Committee and Member, Investigations Task Force. As Chair of the Appeal Panel, he heard appellate cases and authored many of the judgements. The Tribunal Composition Task Force and Tribunals Committee deal with issues very similar to those of concern to the administration of criminal and civil justice: such as delays, simplified rules of practice and procedure, composition of hearing panels, courtroom security, adjudicator's codes of conduct. Mr. Sandler is highly sought after for his training experience. He has been a part-time faculty member at Osgoode Law School from 1992 to 2005. He has participated as a lecturer, panellist and author in over 80 educational programmes offered by the LSUC, its Bar Admission programme, the Criminal Lawyers' Association (co-chairing its Annual Education Programme and Convention for three years), the Advocates' Society, including its Appellate Advocacy Program, Ontario Bar Association, the National Judicial Institute, Canadian Bar Association. Additionally, Mr. Sandler has been asked to speak to police, prosecutors, law faculty professors, judiciary, human rights agencies, different groups of the Attorney-General's office, among others.

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