Brian Karim Awad

Brian Awad is a seasoned litigation lawyer with over 25 years of legal experience. His practice is focused on guiding individuals, businesses, and institutions through commercial disputes, regulatory issues, and litigation with a focus on financial issues. Brian is well versed in the areas of investments, securities regulation, tax issues, estate disputes, and cross-border issues.

Prior to joining McInnes Cooper, Brian practiced as an Assistant Crown Attorney in Ontario and was a prosecutor for the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization. Through these roles, Brian gained experience in financial markets and disputes, and white collar crime, as well as administrative law and professional regulation.

Brian has appeared in all levels of court in Ontario and Nova Scotia, the superior courts of the other Atlantic provinces, as well as the Tax Court of Canada, the Federal Court, and the Federal Court of Appeal. Brian has taught and lectured at the Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University, and speaks regularly at conferences and seminars. He is a member of The Advocates’ Society, the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society, and the Law Society of Ontario. He has been ranked by Benchmark Canada in the areas of commercial law and securities law, and he was named a Litigation Star by Benchmark Litigation Canada 2022.

Outside of the office, Brian is the father of three (two in university, and one in high school). Brian has a passion for music and serves as the legal advisor to the board of Music Nova Scotia. Brian enjoys snowboarding, sailing, and hockey, and will happily provide a bass line for any jazz, pop or rock music project.

On March 1st, 2020, SBM Offshore, through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, SBM Deep Panuke, S.A. and SBM Nova Scotia Contractors Inc., commenced…

McInnes Cooper is proud to have 14 of our lawyers nationally recognized as Provincial Litigation Stars for The Atlantics in the 2026 Edition of…