Our Team
Between them, John Hollander and Harold Geller have more than 45 years experience in working with financial advisors and investors on compliance, regulatory and investment issues.
John Hollander
A founding member of the Ontario Securities Commission’s Investor Advisory Committee, John has made crucial presentations on securities regulation and financial loss recovery to a committee of the Ontario Legislature and at the prestigious Canadian Institute’s Annual Advanced Forum on Securities Litigation and Enforcement.
When it comes to fighting for a client’s rights, John is determined. As a very experienced trial advocate, he has successfully fought for the financial recovery rights of his clients for more 30 years. He has extensive knowledge of all aspects of financial loss claims, and provides his insights and expertise with a singular objective: getting you your due as promptly as possible.
John can be reached at jhollander@doucetmcbride.com or 613.233.4474.
Harold Geller
In his legal practice, Harold has two goals: to educate his clients about the financial planning and loss recovery processes, so they can make educated decisions regarding their claims; and to guide them through the legal process of recovering their losses.
Harold is frequently hired by insurers, dealers, agencies and other key financial industry parties to educate advisors and compliance officers about their duties and obligations in meeting industry standards. He has served on a task force and a committee of the Financial Advisors Association of Canada (Advocis) and sat on a Financial Planning Standards Counsel committee in 2011.
Harold is a popular speaker at investment industry conferences hosted by voluntary organizations such as Advocis, the Canadian Institute of Financial Planners (CiFPs) and the Institute of Advanced Financial Planners. He has also been engaged as a speaker by major financial institutions, such as RBC Wealth Management, for whom he recently made a presentation in Miami, Florida. He is regularly consulted by financial advisors’ trade journals on a wide range of industry issues, and is a moderator of the independent online forum, www.foradvisorsonly.com. He also served as member of CiFPs' Regulatory & Government Relations and Member Conduct committees.
A Regional Representative on the Executive of the Ontario Bar Association Class Action Committee, Harold believes that court proceedings are complex, slow and risky. Whenever possible, he recommends that they be used as a dispute resolution tool, rather than as an end in and of themselves. He consistently strives to provide a resolution using whatever tools best suit his clients’ situations and needs.
Harold can be reached at hgeller@doucetmcbride.com or at 613. 233.4474.
Mary Neill
Mary Neill is John Hollander & Harold Geller’s highly-skilled and experienced law clerk. In a law practice, a clerk is a client’s primary point of contact. In this crucial role, Mary prioritizes each of our clients’ many needs and facilitates the dispute resolution process to keep it moving forward efficiently and effectively.
Under the Law Society of Upper Canada’s rules, as a clerk, Mary may not give legal advice. However, she knows more about financial loss recovery claims and the legal process in general than most lawyers.
Before joining John and Harold, Mary worked for many years as a clerk for two of Ottawa’s most esteemed judges. Her skills are widely recognized and praised by our firm, by our clients and by our judicial officials.
Mary can be reached at mneill@doucetmcbride.com or 613.233.4474.
Julie-Andrée Struthers
Julie-Andrée Struthers is our database manager. She is primarily responsible for ensuring that all of the large number of documents we use are properly entered and processed through our state-of-the-art database system.
Julie can be reached at jstruthers@doucetmcbride.com or 613.233.4474