Our Lawyers

David S. Young

David S. Young (1983) obtained his Bachelor of Laws at Osgoode Hall Law School in 1981 and was called to the bar in Ontario in 1983. He articled at Benson Percival Brown, and was later admitted into the partnership. As a partner, David has frequently appeared in the Superior Court of Justice and the Ontario Court of Appeal.  He has also appeared before the Supreme Court of Canada.  David has been certified as a Specialist in Civil Litigation by the Law Society of Upper Canada.

David has served as counsel to the Toronto Police, Hamilton Regional Police and at various public inquiries including The Royal Commission into Deaths at the Hospital for Sick Children (Grange Commission), The Toronto External Leasing Inquiry (Bellamy Inquiry) as well as numerous inquests and tribunals.

From February 2001 to February 2003, David served as Attorney General of Ontario and Minister Responsible for Native Affairs.  In 2003, he became the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

As Attorney General, David introduced a comprehensive Case Management Program, expanded the monetary limit for Simplified Procedure cases and introduced legislation reforming the Limitations Act. In his capacity as Minister of Native Affairs, David resolved numerous longstanding land claims and various other claims through mediation and negotiation.

He has appeared as a speaker and participant at continuing legal education programs and law conferences across Canada and the United States as well as the 2001 University of Cambridge Lectures in Cambridge England.

David also served on the North York (1991 to 1997) and Metropolitan Toronto School Boards (1994 to 1997) as a Trustee.

In 2002 David was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal to mark his significant contribution to the community.

In 2014 and 2018, David served as a Senior Advisor, Executive Committee member and Legal Counsel to the successful John Tory mayoralty campaigns.

In 2021 David was appointed to the committee responsible for selecting “The David W. Mundell Medal” recipient.  This award is presented each year to an Ontario author of legal and professional works who has made a distinguished contribution to law and letters.  It recognizes that literary craftsmanship and lucidity of expression work together to make ideas come alive.

In recent years David has served as counsel in numerous high profile cases that have shaped the direction of tort and contract law in Canada.  Sanofi Pasteur Limited v. UPS SCS, Inc., 2015 ONCA 88 extended the consequences of a covenant to insure to third party beneficiaries.  In Broutzas v. Rouge Valley Health System, 2018 ONSC 6315 the court limited the implications of a privacy breach and helped define the recently recognized tort of intrusion on seclusion.  In 2017/18 David successfully argued the precedent setting Supreme Court case of Rankin (Rankin’s Garage & Sales) v. JJ., 2018 SCC 19 which reaffirms the basic principles upon which tort law in Canada are premised.

In 2021, David was awarded the Gold Key Achievement Award by the Osgoode Hall Alumni Association. The award recognizes exceptional professional success and leadership and is bestowed upon candidates that have demonstrated a record of professional accomplishment, leadership and contribution to the community.