Our Team

Woodward White’s Best Lawyers in Canada 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011—Leading lawyer in international arbitration

Lexpert/Thomson Canada’s Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory 2010—Consistently recommended practitioner in international commercial arbitration; repeatedly recommended practioner in aboriginal law and public law litigation

Lexpert/Thomson Canada’s Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory 2009—Consistently recommended practitioner in international commercial arbitration

Real Time News' LawDay 2009—Leading practitioner in aboriginal law

Frank has received numerous awards, honours and other recognitions in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Italy.

Frank has had a distinguished career in private practice, academia, government and the judiciary. He began his career in 1964 as a lawyer at Dewey, Ballantine, Bushby, Palmer & Wood in New York, where he practised corporate and securities law. In 1967, he joined the Faculty of Law, University of Toronto, and was a professor of law there until 1985. He also served as Vice-President, Internal Affairs at the University of Toronto from 1975 to 1979 and Dean of the Faculty of Law from 1979 to 1983. From 1983 to 1985, he was Vice-President and Provost of the University. In 1985, Frank was appointed Deputy Minister of Justice and Deputy Attorney General for Canada; in 1988, Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Canada; and in 1991, a Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada.

During his career, Frank was also a Commissioner of the Ontario Securities Commission from 1982 to 1985, and Counsel to the Estey Commission in 1974.

In June 2005, Frank was appointed by the Government of Canada as its representative to lead discussions toward a fair and lasting resolution of the legacy of Indian residential schools. In November 2006, Frank was appointed by the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General as a member of the Board of Governors of the Law Commission of Ontario. He currently serves as Chairman of the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario. In December 2006, he was appointed Commissioner to lead an inquiry into the conduct of Canadian officials regarding certain individuals.

In addition to authored and co-authored judgments of the Supreme Court of Canada and the Federal Court of Canada, Frank has written extensively on a wide variety of legal and policy subjects.

Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario, 2006–present
Advisory Board, General Motors of Canada, 2006–present
Tim Hortons, 2006–present (Director)
Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, 2005–present (Conduct Review Advisor)
Member, Ontario Law Commission, 2006–present
Torstar, Board of Directors, 2004–2009
Trudeau Foundation Mentor, 2006–2007
International Center for Criminal Law Reform and Criminal Justice Policy, 1993–2004 (Director)
Cambridge Canadian Trust, 1984–1991 (Director)
Multicultural History Society of Ontario, 1976–1988 (Director)
National Congress of Italian Canadians (Vice President, 1980–1983; Director, Toronto District, 1979–1983)
Advisory Board, Institute of Canadian Studies, University of Ottawa, 1998–2004
Advisory Committee, Faculty of Law, McGill University, 1996–2004
Advisory Council, International Center for Criminal Law Reform and Criminal Justice Policy, 1991–1993
Canadian Judicial Centre/National Judicial Institute, 1989–2004 (Governor)
Board of Governors, Canadian Institute for Advanced Legal Studies, 1991–1998 and 1981–1985 (Vice President and member)
Canadian Judicial Council and Education Committee, 1988–1991 (member); 1990–1991, (Executive Committee)