Mr. Melville has focused on providing advice to business and individuals in Waterloo Region and Wellington County for over 30 years. In 1990, Mr. Melville started commercial litigation and employment law practice with a national law firm, Gowling, Strathy & Henderson (as it was known then). In 1991, he moved his practice to Haney, Haney & Kendall, where he became a partner in 1995. Haney & Partners focused on advice to the senior administration of local educational institutions as well as individuals, corporations (and included a large estates and trust practice, administrative advocacy and labour and employment law). In July of 2000, Mr. Melville moved his growing practice in order to concentrate on employment law and commercial, charitable/religious institution and estate litigation.
Mr. Melville regularly appears as counsel in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice and before various tribunals and arbitration panels.
In October of 2015, Mr. Melville completed the Mediating Disputes (5 day program) delivered by the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, Cambridge, Mass., USA.
Mr. Melville is a past member of the Legal Aid Area Committee (Waterloo – 1994-2010), the past member and Chair of the Wellington County Police Services Board (1999-2005), the executive member, Vice President, President and Past President of the Waterloo Region Law Association (2005-2015), and a past Director of LibraryCo. (2013-2015).
In April of 2023, Mr. Melville was honoured to be the recipient of the 2023 Coulter A. Osborne Award from the Waterloo Region Law Association https://www.waterloolaw.org/The-Coulter-A.Osborne-Award
Mr. Melville continues:
- To act as counsel to individuals, businesses and trust companies in estate, commercial and employment matters.
- As a mediator, often involving complex and/or tragic issues and situations involving challenging family dynamics. In that role, he has mediated dependent’s relief claims, attorney for property related matters and issues of estate planning construction and probate, as well as claims of professional negligence against lawyers.
- Acting for parties at mediation, particularly with regarding to estate, employment and commercial litigation related disputes.
- To accept appointment as an Estate Trustee during Litigation/Estate Trustee, again, often involving complex and/or tragic issues. In that role, he has successfully located and liquidated real and personal property, kept accounts, reported to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice when required and, in instances of the parties settling their dispute, obtained approval of the Court, distributed the assets, and obtained a discharge, accordingly.
- More recently, to be honoured by being asked to act as a mediator/arbitrator for estate matters. His approach has been holistic and he has been able to resolve or adjudicate estate disputes in a manner which is fair, efficient and cost effective for the parties involved.
