Robert C. Harason is a Canadian lawyer based in Toronto, Ontario, who has practised commercial litigation with a focus on construction law since 1980. A partner at Beard Winter LLP, he also serves as an Ontario Dispute Adjudication for Construction Contracts adjudicator and works as a qualified arbitrator.
Background
Harason's formative years led from engineering studies in Toronto to legal education in southwestern Ontario. He first studied in the engineering science program of the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Toronto, between 1973 and 1975. The university was founded in 1827 as King's College and is one of Canada's oldest universities, with a long tradition of scientific and professional teaching.
He later turned to law and completed his legal studies in London, Ontario, where the University of Western Ontario is located. This move from engineering to law placed his early education in two of the province's major university centres.
Education
Harason's education combined engineering and law. He first studied engineering science at the University of Toronto, a large public research university whose faculty of engineering has trained professionals for the province's industrial and infrastructure development. He then earned a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Western Ontario in 1979. Founded in 1878, Western is a public university in London, Ontario, and its law degree prepared graduates for the Ontario bar.
After his law degree, he completed the Ontario Bar Admission Course in 1980, the professional training stage that preceded call to the Ontario bar. Later in his career he attended alternate dispute resolution workshops at the University of Windsor, Faculty of Law, in 1998 and 1999. These workshops reflected the growing place of mediation and arbitration in Canadian legal practice during the late 1990s.
Career
Harason was called to the Ontario bar in 1980. The Law Society of Upper Canada, established in 1797, governs lawyers in Ontario, and his membership in it has continued since that year. He has practised commercial litigation with a focus on construction law since 1980, and his practice has included appearances before both trial and appellate courts for clients in a range of industries.
He is a partner at Beard Winter LLP, a law firm in Toronto, where he works in commercial and construction litigation. In 2019 he acted for University Plumbing & Heating Ltd. in University Plumbing v. Solstice Two Limited, 2019 ONSC 2242. Construction law in Ontario changed significantly with the Construction Act, whose prompt payment and interim adjudication provisions came into force on October 1, 2019 for qualifying contracts. The Act established Ontario Dispute Adjudication for Construction Contracts (ODACC) as the authorized nominating authority for statutory adjudication, and Harason has served as an ODACC adjudicator since 2019.
Harason is also a qualified arbitrator with the ADR Institute of Canada and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. Alternative dispute resolution, including arbitration and adjudication, offers private and faster methods of resolving commercial disputes than court proceedings. He has taught debtor and creditor law and lectured on construction lien law at the Ontario Bar Admission Course. He has also spoken and led workshops for continuing legal education programs of the Law Society and the Canadian Bar Association (Ontario). His professional writing has covered construction, commercial, bankruptcy and insolvency, and environmental law.
Achievements
Obtained judgment on behalf of University Plumbing & Heating Ltd. in University Plumbing v. Solstice Two Limited, 2019 ONSC 2242, a commercial and construction litigation matter in which he acted as partner at Beard Winter LLP.
Qualified arbitrator recognized by the ADR Institute of Canada, a designation that qualifies him to conduct arbitrations of commercial and construction disputes under the institute's standards.
(Commentary by Harason, then a partner at Beard Winter LLP...)
book chapter
Recent Developments in Canadian Corporate Insolvency
(Chapter by Harason in Corporate Insolvency and Rescue: Th...)
paper
Creditors' Remedies - Suing the Trustee, By-Passing the Trustee, and Suing the Bankrupt after Bankruptcy
(Paper by Harason in the Back to Basics in Bankruptcy prog...)
Membership
Harason's professional memberships reflect the structure of the Ontario legal profession. The Law Society of Upper Canada, now referred to as the Law Society of Ontario, regulates lawyers in the province. The Ontario Bar Association and the Toronto Lawyers Association provide provincial and local forums for lawyers, offering continuing education and collegial networks. The Canadian Bar Association is a national professional organization that advocates for the legal profession and the administration of justice.
His membership in The Advocates' Society connects him with a professional association of trial and appellate counsel. The Association of Fellows and Legal Scholars, linked to the Centre for International Legal Studies in Salzburg, Austria, brings together lawyers and scholars in international legal research. The ADR Institute of Ontario supports practitioners of alternative dispute resolution, and the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators is a professional body for arbitrators, in which Harason holds the status of Fellow.
Harason has also been involved in community and cultural organizations. He served as a director of the Canada Music Competition in Ontario, which supports young Canadian musicians through competitions. He has sung with the Masterworks of Oakville Chorus and Orchestra, a community choral and orchestral group. He is also affiliated with the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal service organization, through a local council.
Ontario lawyer member, later referred to as the Law Society of Ontario
Law Society of Upper Canada
,
Canada
April, 1980 - present
Ontario Bar Association
,
Canada
April, 1980 - present
Canadian Bar Association
,
Canada
Toronto Lawyers Association
,
Canada
April, 1981 - present
The Advocates' Society
,
Canada
January, 1992 - present
Association of Fellows and Legal Scholars, Centre for International Legal Studies
,
Austria
January, 1985 - present
ADR Institute of Ontario
,
Canada
July, 2021 - present
Fellow
Chartered Institute of Arbitrators
Former director
Canada Music Competition (Ontario)
,
Canada
Tenor singer; former director
Masterworks of Oakville Chorus and Orchestra
,
Canada
Advocate
Knights of Columbus Marian Council 3881
Interests
Harason sings tenor with the Masterworks of Oakville Chorus and Orchestra. He is a runner and cyclist with a strong interest in physical fitness. He enjoys travelling and, through self-study, tries to acquire a basic working knowledge of the language spoken at each destination.
Connections
Harason is married and has three children.
References
Robert C. Harason - Beard Winter LLP
Firm profile describing his commercial and construction litigation practice, call to the bar, education, professional associations, teaching and speaking engagements.
