Fredrick Schumann

Practice Areas

Fredrick is a partner at Stockwoods LLP, focusing on criminal, commercial, and public law litigation. He represents his clients at all levels of court in Ontario, the Federal Court and Federal Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court of Canada.

Whether defending a person or business charged with an offence, navigating a complex commercial dispute, or dealing with a high-profile and sensitive public law issue, Fredrick applies legal skill and practical ingenuity to get clients the best possible results.

Fredrick was recognized as a Best Lawyer for Administrative and Public Law (2021, 2022, and 2023) and Corporate and Commercial Litigation (2022 and 2023).

Fredrick is a sought-after speaker and instructor, through the Advocates’ Society, Osgoode Professional Development, and Ontario Bar Association. He has particular interest and experience on the law of evidence and trial advocacy skills, having taught at the Intensive Trial Advocacy Workshop as faculty since 2019.

Fredrick wrote a chapter in the textbook Digital Privacy: Criminal, Civil, and Regulatory Litigation (LexisNexis, 2018), “Invasions of Privacy: Criminal Consequences.”

Fredrick earned a Honours BA in English and mathematics at the University of Toronto, and his JD (Honours) also at the University of Toronto, where he won the Silver Medal and the Dean’s Key. He then worked as a law clerk to the Honourable Ian Binnie of the Supreme Court of Canada, and then was selected as a Fox Scholar and spent a year working with commercial barristers in London, England.

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Representative Work

Public and administrative law

  • Regulatory counsel for Laurentian University of Sudbury in its CCAA insolvency, 2022 ONSC 109 and 2022 ONSC 429.
  • Dhillon v Brampton (City), 2021 ONSC 4165: acting for a Brampton City Councillor in a judicial review application challenging findings of Brampton’s Integrity Commissioner and the resulting actions of City Council.
  • Chang MacLean v Toronto District School Board, 2021 ONSC 6151: acted for the Board, successfully resisting a judicial review application challenging the reduction in French Immersion classes at a Toronto public school.
  • AG Ontario and $164,300 in Currency, 2019 ONSC 2024: motion to exclude unconstitutionally obtained evidence in a Civil Remedies Act application for the forfeiture of alleged proceeds of crime. One of the first reported cases in Ontario on this issue.

Civil and Commercial litigation

  • Cicada 137 LLC v Medjedovic, 2022 ONSC 2765, 2022 ONSC 468, 2022 ONSC 369, 2021 ONSC 8473: acting for the representative plaintiffs in a proposed class action arising from the misappropriation through hacking of approximately US$16 million in cryptocurrency from a decentralized finance platform.
  • Amytrophic Lateral Sclerosis Society of Essex County v Corporation of the City of Windsor, 2019 ONCA 344, 2017 ONCA 555, 2015 ONCA 572: member of the defence team in a class action alleging that lottery licence fees were actually unconstitutional taxes.
  • Franmed Consultants (1993) Inc v Medcan Health Management Inc, 2020 ONCA 687 and Mozas v Francis, 2019 ONCA 643: represented a health care company in corporate/commercial litigation with its founder.
  • Saramia Crescent General Partner Ltd v Delco Wire and Cable Ltd: counsel for the plaintiff in action for damages for breach of a commercial lease. The plaintiff succeeded at trial and recovered substantial damages: 2018 ONCA 519, 2017 ONSC 3507, and 2017 ONSC 961.

Criminal law

  • R v Levesque: defence counsel for JP Levesque, Chief of Police in Thunder Bay, Ontario, against charges of breach of trust and obstruction of justice. At trial, Chief Levesque was acquitted on both counts: 2018 ONSC 603.
  • R v 7506406 Canada Inc (Ornge), 2017 ONCJ 726 and 2017 ONCJ 750: defence counsel for Ornge, the Ontario air ambulance corporation, in a trial of charges under the Canada Labour Code arising from a four-fatality helicopter crash. Trial in spring 2017. Ornge was acquitted on all counts.
  • Criminal appeals: R v Rule, 2023 ONCA 31; R v Lewis, 2022 ONCA 641; R v Navarathinam, 2022 ONCA 377; R v Gracie, 2021 ONCA 707; Caja Paraguay de Jubilaciones y Pensiones v Duscio, 2019 ONCA 803; R v Du, 2015 ONCA 715
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Additional Info

Awards and Recognition

 

  • Best Lawyer for Administrative and Public Law (2021, 2022, and 2023) and Corporate and Commercial Litigation (2022 and 2023).
  • Silver medallist, University of Toronto Faculty of Law (2008)
  • Dean’s key, University of Toronto Faculty of Law (2008)
  • Harold G. Fox scholar (2009-2010)

Publications

 

  • “Judge hopes to ‘begin a shift’ in application of Ontario Health and Safety Act”, Canadian Lawyer, January 7, 2020 (https://www.canadianlawyermag.com/news/opinion/workplace-death-ruling-may-signal-stricter-penalties/324612)
  • Chapter author, “Invasions of Privacy: Criminal Consequences”, Hasan and Chan, Digital Privacy (LexisNexis, 2019)
  • Author, “The expanding reach of Canada’s foreign anti-bribery and corruption law”, Corporate Liability Journal, 2015
  • Author, “Safety searches on the frontier: ten years since Mann” (Paper published at the Osgoode Professional Development 8th Annual Search and Seizure Symposium, January 2014).
  • Co-author, “Summary judgments motions and discovery: eighteen months after the amendments to the Rules” (Paper delivered at the Law Society of Upper Canada, “Our Civil Justice System: Reflecting on the Recent Reforms”, May 31, 2011).
  • Co-author, Documentary Requests and Production (Paper delivered at the “Osgoode Short Course in Prosecuting and Defending Professional Discipline Cases”, February 2011).

Teaching & Speaking Engagements

  • Commentator on Global News on the anti-honk injunction during the truck convoy protests, February 8, 2022
  • Faculty, “Advanced Impeachment Techniques”, Advanced Oral Advocacy Program, Osgoode Professional Development, February 2023 (upcoming)
  • Faculty, “The Charter in Provincial Offences Act prosecutions”, The Osgoode Certificate in Provincial Offences Court Practice, Osgoode Professional Development, January 2023
  • Faculty, Newly Appointed Provincial and Territorial Judges’ Skills Seminar, National Judicial Institute, November 2022
  • Panellist, Ontario Regulatory Agencies Annual Conference, “Delay in courts/tribunals”, August 2022
  • Faculty, Intensive Trial Advocacy Workshop, Osgoode Professional Development, July 2022
  • Faculty, Newly Appointed Provincial and Territorial Judges’ Skills Seminar, National Judicial Institute, June 2022
  • Faculty, The Investigator’s Guide to Testifying in Non-Criminal Cases, Osgoode Professional Development, May 2022
  • Panellist, Managing Evidence in the Digital Age: Essential Skills for Litigators, Canadian Bar Association, April 2022
  • Faculty, Osgoode Professional Development – Provincial Offences Charter Update, April 2022
  • Panellist, Privilege for Litigators, “Waiver of Privilege”, Advocates’ Society, March 2022
  • Judge, Wilson Moot, February 2022
  • Faculty, “The Charter in Provincial Offences Act prosecutions”, The Osgoode Certificate in Provincial Offences Court Practice, Osgoode Professional Development, January 2022

Associations

  • Member, The Advocates’ Society
  • Member, Canadian Bar Association
  • Member, Ontario Bar Association
  • Volunteer, Law Help Ontario (Superior Court of Justice and Small Claims Court)
  • Duty Counsel, Criminal Appeals, Ontario Court of Appeal
  • Duty Counsel, Summary Conviction Appeal Program
  • Amicus program, Civil Motions, Ontario Court of Appeal
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