LAWYER SPOTLIGHT: LEOR MARGULIES
Q) HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WITH ROBINS APPLEBY LLP AND WHAT HAS YOUR CAREER PATH LOOKED LIKE HERE? I joined Robins Appleby LLP in January 1985 and became a partner in 1988. Previous to that, I practiced with a small real estate specialist law firm from 1981 – 1985 specializing in commercial transactions, commercial mortgages and enforcement. Great experience for a young lawyer. I have lived through five or six real estate downturns which included 1975-1976, 1981- 1984, 1990-1995, 2022-present and 2009-2010 when the financial world came to a grinding halt, including real estate transactions. I joined the BILD Board of Directors and Executive in 1999 and have been on their Board and Executive ever since. It is a great industry association and they recently inducted me into the Hall of Fame. I am very proud of the work that I have done for them and the residential construction industry over the years. Q) YOU’VE EXPERIENCED THE FIRM’S EVOLUTION FIRSTHAND — WHAT MIGHT SURPRISE PEOPLE MOST ABOUT HOW WE’VE CHANGED? AND IN YOUR VIEW, WHAT STANDS OUT AS OUR GREATEST STRENGTH? When I first joined the firm, we were 25 lawyers and we grew close to 90 lawyers. Unfortunately, we grew right into the 1989/1995 real estate recession that had a severe impact on the firm. We reconstituted ourselves into a 22-person firm, including a five person York Region firm. The York Region component of our firm separated in 1993 and since then, we have grown in size to over 30 lawyers. The surprise was that we were able to reconstitute our firm in the worst recession that this province has faced in many years and as a small firm, come out even stronger. I am very proud of my partners and our staff that worked tirelessly during that timeframe and since then. Our greatest strength is simply that we are an entrepreneurial law firm that provides valuable real legal/business advice to clients. All lawyers should be able to provide technical advice and analyze and provide their insight on problems. But the real lawyers can provide their recommendations and their advice on tough situations, that their clients will trust and rely upon. That is what we do here at Robins Appleby LLP. Q) COULD YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT YOUR PRACTICE? A) M y practice has a split personality. On the one hand, I head up the real estate lending group which has a primary focus on construction lending and land acquisitions. We also handle major commercial lending transactions. On the other hand, I head up the market driven real estate development section of our group. By market driven, I mean housing that is sold to the missing middle in our GTA community, to hard working people who just need to find homes and condominiums. We act for all kinds of developers, both large and small. However, I am really proud of the work and the advice that we give to newer developers to guide them through the business and the regulatory minefields that face them in low-rise and high-rise developments. Q) IT’S NO SECRET YOU’RE A BIG TENNIS FAN AND PLAYER, DO YOU HAVE ANY MEMORABLE STORIES YOU CAN SHARE? Everyone who knows me knows that I am a tennis nut. I love playing and I love watching. I have seen so many matches, it is hard to really pinpoint the ones that stand out. But the one match that got me going to Wimbledon in 2001 was the men’s final between Goran Ivanišević from Serbia and Patrick Rafter from Australia. The match was delayed to People’s Monday as a result of continuing rain for five straight days. Goran was a wildcard who was ranked 125th even though years before, he had a very high ranking. I had the opportunity to line up for tickets for 40 British pounds when I was visiting coincidentally but was convinced by a friend that I would never get tickets. Instead, it turned out to be one of the all-time classic matches and it wasn’t even sold out! It went to five sets and Goran won 3-2, being the first wildcard to win Wimbledon. After that, I swore that I would always come back to Wimbledon and have done so virtually every year since 2001. A) A) A)
Q) WHAT OTHER HOBBIES DO YOU HAVE?
I love horses. I have owned two horses in my lifetime (and two are enough!). I have done jumping and cross- country, but have over the years, stuck to dressage which is ballet on horseback. There is nothing like riding horses to clear your mind.
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I love live theatre. I acted in university and some people say I continue to do so in my professional life. I have been attending the Stratford Festival every year since 1976 when I was a student at McGill University. Q) IF YOU COULD HAVE DINNER WITH ANYONE (DEAD OR ALIVE) WHO WOULD IT BE AND WHY? I would love to have dinner with both Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer and quiz them on the all-time famous five set Wimbledon finals in 2007 when Rafael finally beat Roger in a seven and a half hour rain delayed marathon. I would love to get the play-by-play on that match from the two of them. Q) WHAT’S THE BEST ADVICE YOU RECEIVED AND WHAT IS THE BEST ADVICE YOU’VE GIVEN? Keep things in perspective. However bad the event seems to be, there is a lot worse that can happen and you can get through it. What I have learned to give as best advice is virtually everything that we face here in our lifetime, other than serious health issues or family issues, are top 1% first-world issues. Whether it is getting into the right school or getting that house or the job that you want or getting fired and looking for another job, we can always get through it. We are really so fortunate to be living in this country, even during these times. I wouldn’t be anywhere else. A) A)
9 ROBINS APPLEBY LLP | LEGAL PULSE FALL / WINTER 2025
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