Sean Grassie

Bio

Sean maintains a broad litigation practice, with a focus on commercial and estates litigation, media and public law, and appellate advocacy. Sean’s clients value his measured and strategic approach to litigation, strong courtroom advocacy skills, and his ability to find practical solutions to complex problems.

Sean has appeared as counsel at all levels of court in Ontario, the Federal Court, the Federal Court of Appeal, and in commercial arbitration proceedings.

In his commercial law practice, Sean represents clients litigating contract and shareholder disputes, oppression remedy cases, and employment law matters. In 2024, Sean was lead counsel to a volunteer who successfully obtained relief from the Ontario Superior Court for his wrongful termination by a large national non-profit organization (Hannan v. Scouts Canada, 2024 ONSC 5361). The Court’s decision has been described as a “landmark” in employment law that will have a “significant impact on the way in which not-for-profit and charitable organizations manage volunteers”. The case received widespread media coverage, including by the CBC, the National Post and the Ottawa Citizen.

In his administrative and public law practice, Sean represents clients in judicial reviews in the Divisional Court and Federal Court. In 2024, Sean successfully defended a public school board from a challenge to its disciplinary process.

Sean is a proud member of the Canadian Media Lawyers Association. He acts for national media outlets in cases involving court openness, freedom of expression, and other fundamental principles of Canadian democracy.  

Prior to joining Conway, Sean completed two clerkships: in 2021-22 for the Honourable Justice Suzanne Côté at the Supreme Court of Canada, and in 2020-21 for the Honourable Justices David M. Brown, David M. Paciocco, and Lorne Sossin at the Court of Appeal for Ontario. Before clerking, Sean articled in the litigation department at a leading national firm in Toronto.

Sean graduated summa cum laude from the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law. He also holds a master’s degree from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University.

Away from the office, Sean loves traveling the world. He is fine with sightseeing, but his trips revolve primarily around food. Closer to home, Sean is an avid runner, cyclist, and pickleballer. He’s still on a high from the Toronto Raptors 2019 NBA Championship, and sincerely (if naively) believes his hometown Ottawa Senators will win a cup in his lifetime. 

Representative Work

• McGinn v. Bleeker et al, 2024 ONSC 6379. Counsel to the applicant who successfully obtained an injunction preventing the respondents from excluding her from the management of a home care company pending an arbitration regarding the respondent’s allegedly oppressive conduct.
• Hannan v. Scouts Canada, 2024 ONSC 5361. Counsel to the applicant, an 87-year-old volunteer, challenging a non-profit organization’s decision to remove him from his long-held volunteer role. The Court found the organization’s conduct unlawful based on its contractual obligations to the volunteer. The case is one of the first of its kind in Canada, and the resulting win was the subject of extensive media coverage.
• Kaplan-Myrth v. Ottawa Carleton District School Board, 2024 ONSC 4280. Counsel to the school board in successfully resisting this application for judicial review from a trustee challenging the board’s decision to discipline her for code of conduct violations.