Ronald B. Melvin

Specialty Practice Areas

Ron Melvin specializes in real estate, business and commercial law. His core law practice is a mix of real estate and commercial law, heavily weighted with commercial mortgage lending, Ron’s client base is comprised of private entrepreneurs and institutional and non-institutional lenders, many of them long-standing.

Ron’s real estate expertise includes acquisitions, sales, real estate development, subdivisions, condominiums, commercial mortgage lending, equity participation financing, construction lien law and commercial leasing. A particular area of interest and expertise is in hotel acquisitions and similar going concerns. He has substantial experience in loan workouts and mortgage remedies, including power of sale and foreclosure.

Ron’s corporate and commercial work includes general corporate compliance and counsel, corporate structuring advice, incorporations, corporate organizations and reorganizations, acquisition and sale of businesses, asset purchases, share purchases, asset financing and securitization, shareholder agreements, general and limited partnership agreements, joint ventures, co-ownerships, franchise transactions and agreements, income tax rollovers and other tax driven transactions.

Other areas of specialty which are handled by Ron are Planning Act compliance, Committee of Adjustment and Land Division Committee applications, estate planning, wills and powers of attorney. Ron is happy to assist in dispute resolution matters and litigation assessments and opinions (although he does not engage in court appearances or trial work). In recent years, and owing to his long and extensive experience, Ron has been retained as an expert to provide opinions and evidence in legal proceedings involving the conduct of real estate transactions.

Ron is a proven team player who since 1979 has earned respect from his clients and the legal profession for his honesty, integrity, forthrightness, expertise and good nature.

Lectures & Publications

• A member of the editorial board of Falconbridge on Mortgages (5th Edition)
• Has lectured to the legal profession and institutional clients on various areas of real estate and mortgage law, including the papers listed below.
• Practice And Procedures After Completion Of A Sale Under Power Of Sale, prepared for Critical Issues In Power Of Sale presented by Insight Education Services on March 26, 1991
• Mortgagees And Tenants: Who’s On First?, prepared for The Six Minute Real Estate Lawyer presented by the Law Society of Upper Canada on May 22, 1998
• Practice And Procedures After Completion Of A Sale Under Power Of Sale, prepared for Mortgage Enforcement presented by the Ontario Bar Association on December 4, 2007
• Landlord’s Remedies Following A Midnight Run, prepared for The Six-Minute Debtor-Creditor and Insolvency Lawyer 2009 presented by the Law Society of Upper Canada on October 21, 2009
• Binding & Enforceable Execution of Documents – Debtor Identification, Competency and Other Related Issues, prepared for The Six-Minute Debtor-Creditor and Insolvency Lawyer 2010 presented by the Law Society of Upper Canada on October 15, 2010
• Acting For A Buyer Of Property Under Power Of Sale, prepared for The Six-Minute Debtor-Creditor and Insolvency Lawyer 2011 presented by the Law Society of Upper Canada on October 24, 2011
• Are You Sure You’re Searching Title?, prepared for the 12th Annual Real Estate Summit presented by the Law Society of Upper Canada on April 22, 2015
• Title Searching Refresher – Abutting Lands Searches, prepared for Practice Gems: Title and Off-Title Searching 2017 presented by the Law Society of Upper Canada on January 16, 2017
• Abutting Lands Searches, prepared for the 14th Annual Real Estate Summit presented by the Law Society of Upper Canada on April 3, 2017

Prior Professional Affiliations

• Kerzner, Papazian, MacDermid – Toronto, Canada (1998 to 2000)
• Chappel, Bushell, Stewart – Toronto, Canada (1996 & 1997)
• Gordon, Traub – Toronto, Canada (1984 to 1996)
• McDonald & Hayden – Toronto, Canada (1983 & 1984)
• Macaulay, Lipson & Joseph – Toronto, Canada (1979 to 1982)

Personal Details

• born 1955, married, one child
• member and executive officer of Toronto Society of Model Engineers
• member of Richmond Hill Live Steamers and Toronto Live Steamers
• past board member and trustee of Beth Radom Congregation
• past co-chair of the Baycrest Challenge, 1999
• past co-chair of Bike For Baycrest, 1997 and 1998
• past vice-president of the LDG Executive of Baycrest Centre Foundation