Ben Kates is a litigation partner in the Regulated Professions and Industries Practice Group at WeirFoulds LLP.

Ben’s practice straddles administrative and civil law. Ben provides advice and counsel to a number of industry regulators, and also practises civil litigation for public and private sector clients. Ben is experienced in civil, corporate-commercial, and administrative matters, having handled corporate and contractual disputes, as well as professional liability, media and defamation, and class actions.

Immediately prior to joining WeirFoulds, Ben acted as a Discipline Counsel for the Law Society of Ontario, serving as lead prosecutor on discipline and good character matters before the Law Society Tribunal. At the Law Society, Ben provided strategic support and prosecutorial assessment of Law Society investigations, and appeared before the Law Society Tribunal Hearing and Appeals Divisions, as well as the Divisional Court.

Ben spent his articling year clerking for the judges at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Toronto. He began his practice litigating at one of the top boutique firms in Canada, acting as a client-facing lawyer responsible for managing ongoing litigation in civil, corporate-commercial, administrative and regulatory matters. In this role, he appeared before trial and appellate courts and administrative tribunals while representing individuals, governments, government agencies, and corporations operating in finance, insurance, manufacturing, cannabis, media, professional services, and other sectors.

Prior to attending law school, Ben helped launch Billiter Partners, a consultancy focused on strategic risk and corporate intelligence based in London, UK. He has also worked as a journalist in Dakar, Senegal.