Ryan Teschner joined the Heenan Blaikie Litigation Group in 2006 after summering and articling with the firm. Mr. Teschner’s public law practice emphasizes constitutional, administrative and regulatory matters, including appellate litigation and judicial review. He has participated in matters covering a broad range of legal areas, and has been involved in the preparation of complex cases before all levels of Ontario and federal courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada.

A graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School, Ryan was the recipient of the Borden Ladner Gervais Prize in Constitutional Law for the best paper in the subject (2005), and the J.S.D. Tory Research and Writing Award for an academic work of publishable quality (2005).

Heavily involved with issues surrounding community safety, youth engagement and anti-violence intervention, Mr. Teschner currently sits on the Toronto Mayor’s Advisory Panel on Making a Safe City Safer, chaired by former Ontario chief justice Roy McMurtry. He is frequently featured at conferences and in the national media on current issues involving community safety, citizen engagement and youth justice.

In 2008, Mr. Teschner was awarded the Canadian Urban Institute’s Urban Leadership Award - City Youth, Advocate for Youth Engagement and Community Safety, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the public realm. He was also awarded the Canadian Bar Association (CBA) 2008 Young Lawyers Pro Bono Service Award for outstanding legal services benefiting the community.

Mr. Teschner has combined his passion for public service with his legal practice by spearheading several pro bono initiatives at the firm, and has assisted in establishing the Partnership to Advance Youth Employment (PAYE), a program that provides Toronto youths from priority neighbourhoods with first-rate employment opportunities in the city’s corporate sector.