Rick‘s principal area of practice is real estate law, with particular emphasis on and expertise in commercial sale, purchase, financing and lease transactions. Rick‘s practice also includes mortgage sale and foreclosure proceedings, a wide range of commercial/business transactions, advising pension funds on pension related issues, and the areas of wills and estates. Rick is also qualified (through the Arbitration and Mediation Institute of Manitoba) to conduct arbitrations, which he confines to commercial and real estate issues.

Education

University of Manitoba, B.A., 1969, LL.B., 1972

Call to the Bar

Manitoba, 1973

Representative Cases/Transactions

Rick has had the opportunity to be involved in many significant real estate and business transactions during his career, including sales, purchases, financings and lease up of many major retail, commercial and industrial properties in and around Winnipeg on behalf of many financial institutions, pension funds, asset managers, and private-sector buyers and sellers. He also advises one of Manitoba's major universities in its acquisition and development of properties in downtown Winnipeg. Rick has also been involved in a number of interesting and out-of-the-ordinary transactions. Such transactions included working as part of the team that assembled the land now comprising the historic site in Winnipeg known as "The Forks", assisting in creating agreements that will result in the development of the Canadian Museum of Human Rights at The Forks, and participating on behalf of a lender in a public/private partnership development and financing of a municipal work, at the time the first of its kind in Manitoba.

Achievements

Designated as one of Canada‘s top 500 Lawyers by Lexpert Magazine, and is referred to in a number of similar publications in the area of real estate law in particular.
Rick has been included in the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory 2010: Leading Practitioners for his work in Property Development Law.

Publications and Presentations

Rick has been a frequent contributor to seminars and programs through the Law Society of Manitoba, and is often called upon to conduct seminars for the benefit of clients on a variety of real estate, commercial and corporate law topics.

Legal Teachings

Rick was for some years the lecturer in the third year real estate law course at the University of Manitoba, Faculty of Law.

Professional Associations

Member of the Canadian and Manitoba Bar Associations
Member of the Arbitration and Mediation Institute of Manitoba
Member of the Discipline Committee of the Law Society of Manitoba

Community Involvement and Other Affiliations

Rick is a founding member and was the first President of the Pediatric Oncology Family Centre of Manitoba, the operator of the facility in Winnipeg known as "Ronald McDonald House", a residence for families from outside Winnipeg whose children are being treated for cancer, leukemia and other life threatening diseases. Rick is the legal advisor to a similar organization, "A Port in the Storm", which is planning a residential facility for families of adults from outside Winnipeg undergoing treatment for life threatening diseases.