From disputes in commercial office tower construction to those in hospital and transit line infrastructure, Brendan Bowles, Law’98, has spent more than 20 years going the distance for his clients. He has also been speaking, writing, teaching, and mentoring on the topic. For his exceptional contributions to both construction law and the bar, the Ontario Bar Association (OBA) presented him with the 2021 OBA Construction & Infrastructure Law Award of Excellence.  

“The most satisfying work is where you come up with creative solutions that bring a fair resolution to disputes that could otherwise take years,” Bowles says. “Often this is done behind the scenes, and out of public view as disputes in this area are usually settled through negotiation or mediation, and generally where all else fails, arbitrated.”

Bowles, a partner with Glaholt Bowles LLP in Toronto, has worked on several matters arising from significant and well-known construction and infrastructure projects. “Helping the parties achieve a resolution of complex and heated disputes on significant projects” is what he finds most rewarding.

Throughout his career, he has also been teaching, writing, and speaking about his area of expertise, as well as mentoring a number of junior colleagues. One of them was Andrea Lee, Law’05, who went on to become a partner with his firm and Chair of the OBA’s Construction and Infrastructure section in 2020-2021. In that latter role, she presented the award to Bowles at a virtual ceremony that included an appearance from an NHL icon. “Andrea arranged for a cameo greeting of congratulations from Doug Gilmour,” Bowles says. “It was a funny moment since I am somewhat notoriously known among my colleagues as a long-suffering Toronto Maple Leafs fan.”

So, what advice does Bowles give law students and new lawyers? 
 
“Do not be afraid to pursue construction and infrastructure law as a career, even if you are not an architect or an engineer,” he says. “I essentially lucked into this career by applying for and getting an articling job with Duncan Glaholt in 1998.

“There are several reasons why being young is not a disadvantage to being a construction and infrastructure lawyer in 2022,” he continues. These reasons include not only the increased importance of having technological proficiency in law practice, but also the recent implementation of major legislative reform in Ontario that is being studied and rolled out nationwide. “These changes, especially the introduction of adjudication as a dispute resolution process of first instance will be transformative to how we practice and deliver service to our clients,” he explains. “Given significant government commitments to infrastructure spending, lawyers who can provide effective and binding resolutions to problems as they arise on these projects will be in demand.” 

At the same time, Bowles adds, “Our clients are rightfully challenging us to be more diverse in terms of the people we bring into and promote in our practice, something we historically have not been good at but now understand is an opportunity to take seriously. In this environment, the senior construction lawyer is confronting change and new ways of doing things – and I think there will be exciting opportunities for new lawyers. I will be learning along with them.”