Richard H. McLaren, C.Arb.

As a practising corporate and commercial lawyer, counsel to McKenzie Lake Lawyers LLP, law professor at the University of Western Ontario, and published author, McLaren is widely regarded as a leader in his field in both Canada and around the world.

During the past thirty years, Richard McLaren has developed a well-deserved reputation as an unbiased, competent, independent and ethical international Arbitrator and Mediator.

McLaren has particular expertise in sports-related disputes. He has participated as an Arbitrator in five Olympic Games, arbitrated numerous anti-doping disputes for both amateur and professional organizations and played a key role in various review commissions.

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Innovative Dispute Resolution Ltd.

Innovative Dispute Resolution Ltd., founded by Richard McLaren in 1994, is committed to delivering effective, timely and creative solutions to its international and domestic clients in order to resolve their commercial, sports-related and labour disputes.

McLaren and Innovative Dispute Resolution Ltd. have been in business for over thirty years offering clients arbitration, mediation, facilitation, consulting and investigative services. In addition, we frequently design alternative dispute resolution mechanisms. We have been consistently retained by Fortune 500 companies, governments (at all levels), non-profit organizations and professional and elite sports organizations to resolve their disputes.

Our clients' commercial disputes or breaches of contract have pertained to joint venture agreements, intellectual property rights, shareholder disputes, royalty agreements, distribution agreements, franchise agreements, mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, damages and costs.

As an internationally recognized sports arbitrator, McLaren has arbitrated hundreds of sports related disputes. These disputes have included eligibility rights, jurisdiction issues, intellectual property rights, anti-doping cases, salaries, and sexual harrassment cases.

McLaren is also a sophisticated labour arbitrator in Ontario and throughout Canada having resolved hundreds of disputes between employers and unions.

Corporate Inquiries & Investigations
Foreign Corporation Corruption Investigation, May 2008
Major League Baseball, Autumn 2007
USA Track & Field Inquiry Sports Adjudication, July 2001

Media Highlights & News
UWO professor to oversee European golf tour doping cases, July 12, 2008
- The European Tour (golf) has invited Richard McLaren to be in charge of hearing doping cases if and when there is a positive test result. Both the PGA Tour and European Tour began drug testing on July 1, 2008. Learn more.

Major League Baseball Press Conference, December 13, 2007
-  At the invitation of former Senator George Mitchell, McLaren assisted the league in its lengthy anti-doping and human growth hormone investigation. Read more.

McLaren holding Court in Bejing, China, Summer 2008
-   McLaren is honoured to be participating in his fifth Olympic games for the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Read more.

Recent Speaking Engagements
Corporate Finance in Canada, Renmin University of China, Bejing, China, April 2007
Personal Property Security Act, OBA CLE Conference, Toronto, Ontario, December 2006