Appeals & Judicial Reviews
Vladi has been before the Court of Appeal and the Divisional Court on numerous appeals, seeking to either preserve a victory or correct an error made in the court below. Appeal courts work differently from courts hearing a case at first instance, and a different approach is necessary to succeed on appeal. Vladi’s appellate experience assists her clients in making informed choices regarding whether or not to pursue an appeal, and in crafting arguments that will speak to an appellate court.
Vladi has also acted on judicial review proceedings, in which the courts are asked to review the decisions of administrative bodies, including government agencies, regulators, and universities. Succeeding on judicial review often requires identifying an injustice or error not only in the outcome, but also in the process or approach taken by the decision maker below. Vladi’s experience allows her to identify these problems and present a compelling case to the court that they should be corrected.
Notably, Vladi has successfully asked the Divisional Court to reverse a university’s decision to expel a student due to a failing grade. Despite the deference usually accorded to universities on academic matters, the Court accepted her submissions regarding the unfairness of the process and outcome in all respects.
Vladi’s work in this area includes:
- Appeals of all kinds, including before the Court of Appeal, Divisional Court, or Superior Court of Justice
- Motions for leave to appeal to all levels of court in Ontario
- Judicial reviews of administrative or regulatory decisions, including the decisions of universities
- Reviews of the decisions of regulated health professional colleges by the Health Professions Appeal & Review Board (HPARB)
- Opinions to clients and other law firms regarding the merits of a potential appeal