On August 7, Robert McMechan, Senior Tax Counsel at HazloLaw – Business Lawyers passed away.

Robert was a person of integrity. Respected by his colleagues and appreciated by his clients, Robert was a brilliant individual, caring father, and husband.

Described as a “tax litigation expert by the Ontario Courts, Robert joined the firm as Senior Tax Counsel. Prior to joining the firm, he acted in the private sector as counsel for more than twenty years and held positions of General Counsel in the Tax Litigation section at the Department of Justice and Senior Rulings Officer at Revenue Canada.

Robert maintained an AV peer-review rating from Martindale-Hubbell for the highest level of professional excellence. In 2011, Robert was inducted as Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America (LCA) Trial Lawyer Honorary Society and in the following year, he was named in In-House Counsel magazine’s list of top Canadian lawyers.

Robert was a scholar and author. He obtained a Doctorate in Tax Law from Osgoode Hall Law School and wrote the recent Carswell publication Economic Substance and Tax Avoidance: An International Perspective. Beginning in 1990, Robert co-authored Carswell’s regularly updated Tax Court Practice©.

Robert lectured for the Canadian Bar Association, Canada Revenue Agency and Law Society. He was a frequent speaker for Advocates’ Society, Canadian Tax Foundation and other groups, including as faculty member for tax litigation certificate skills program and as Chair of Resolving Tax Disputes Canadian Tax Foundation program. He served as an OBA Tax Section Executive member (1993-2003) and as Co-chair (2002-2003).

Bob, as those close to him called him, was born in Deloraine, Manitoba, and was very proud of his hometown. He loved long distance running, having completed numerous marathons on his own and with his running team. He was also a cyclist, swimmer and triathlete, and completed an Ironman in Penticton, B.C. In addition to his professional writing, Bob authored “Allison’s Brain” which won the 2015 National Indie Award for Excellence in “Inspiration” category.

Above all, Robert had a knack for bringing people together.

Robert passed away on August 7, 2016 at the age of 64. We at HazloLaw miss him dearly.