Biographical Information of Chair

Andrew Pinto is an Ontario lawyer and partner in the law firm Pinto Wray James LLP in Toronto. For over 16 years he has practiced in the areas of employment, labour, administrative, civil litigation and human rights law. He has appeared in the Supreme Court of Canada and before all levels of court in Ontario. He has also appeared before numerous administrative tribunals, boards and agencies and coroner’s inquests. In human rights matters, he represents both applicants (also known as complainants) and respondents.

In addition to his litigation practice, Mr. Pinto provides strategic advice and representation to a wide variety of employers, employees, unions, businesses and individuals in negotiations and civil/administrative proceedings. Mr. Pinto is also an experienced workplace investigator who has conducted numerous investigations for organizations in the private and public sector.
Mr. Pinto has provided media commentary to print, television and radio programs in his areas of practice. He has spoken at and chaired numerous continuing legal education programs particularly in the area of workplace law. He is a past chair of the Administrative Law section of the Ontario Bar Association (OBA), and past chair of the Equity Advisory Group (EAG) of the Law Society of Upper Canada, the legal profession’s regulatory body.

Mr. Pinto is an Adjunct Professor at the Faculty of Law, University of Toronto, teaching the Administrative law course which deals with tribunals, agencies, boards and commissions. He chaired the first human rights conference on the Ontario Human Rights System in 2005, co-sponsored by the Law Society and the OBA . He also co-chaired the Osgoode Hall Administrative Law Conference in 2006 and 2007. He was appointed Co-Chair from 2010-2012 of the “The Institute”, the OBA’s premier continuing legal education conference. He is also a Co-Chair of the University of Toronto Tribunal that hears and decides on academic charges laid against U of T students.

In 2008, Mr. Pinto received the inaugural "Lawyer of the Year" award from the South Asian Bar Association (SABA) for his contributions to the legal profession and wider community.

Prior to his legal career, Mr. Pinto received a degree in Electrical Engineering from Queen's University and worked in the high-tech sector.