Steve Livingstone

Steve Livingstone focuses on insolvency and restructuring and has extensive experience in the areas of commercial litigation and construction law. A managing partner at McLennan Ross, he assists major banks, accounting firms, companies, receivers, monitors, purchasers, and creditors in managing corporate reorganization and the realization of assets.

Raised and educated in Alberta, Steve’s long and successful career has mirrored the province’s economic path. After law school, when the province needed litigators, he focused on insurance defense and discovered his love of the courtroom. Throughout the volatility of the 1990s, Steve became the designated go-to person for insolvency and has since acted in many of the most significant restructurings in Alberta. When the economy bounced back and insolvencies slowed down, Steve shifted his focus to the growing construction industry and added to his courtroom skills by developing his practice in construction litigation.

This background in insurance defense and deep knowledge of construction law add to the strength of his current commercial litigation practice. Steve relishes work on complex litigation matters that enable him to dive in and learn all about a client and their business to build a strategic case for trial. He has appeared before all levels of court in Alberta as well as both the trial and appeal divisions of the Federal Court. It would be tough to find a lawyer with more trial experience.

His broad civil litigation practice includes prosecuting and defending claims involving commercial contracts, securities, fiduciary duties, and trademark and copyright disputes. He handles commercial litigation, including major construction litigation, foreclosures, shareholder disputes, oppression actions, derivative actions, and energy industry litigation. He also assists with construction industry agreements, lending arrangements, security enforcement, and licensing matters.

With his skill, experience, and detailed knowledge of the courtroom, Steve does not back away from going to trial when necessary. He knows business litigation is a disruption to his clients, however, and strives to make it as easy and convenient as possible. Well-known for his calm, unflappable demeanor and thoughtful approach, he is equally adept when called in for last-minute assistance as he is when he has the time to thoroughly prepare for a trial.

Steve dives deep into the issues to understand how a business works and to root out all the potential complications. Over his long career, he has put in the time and travel necessary to gain in-depth knowledge of his clients’ facilities and plants to get the details of their operations. He believes it's necessary to be able to visualize and understand the size and scope of a plant, especially if something goes wrong.

In addition to his legal work, Steve frequently speaks on commercial litigation and insolvency matters to clients, industry associations, and peers, and he has written articles for numerous publications, including CA Magazine, The National Insolvency Review, and the Lawyers' Weekly.