Trevor S. Whiffen

Since Trevor's call to the Bar, he has developed a busy litigation practice with an emphasis on commercial disputes, employment law, and sports and entertainment issues.

During his career, he has conducted hearings before the Superior Court of Justice, the federal Competition Tribunal, the Workers' Compensation Appeals Tribunal, and various administrative boards.

He has also argued appeals in the Ontario Court of Appeal, the Federal Court of Appeal, and has appeared as counsel, on multiple occasions, in the Supreme Court of Canada.

Trevor has also acted as counsel in a claim against the U.S. State Department and the State of Florida concerning a violation of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Sports, Entertainment and Media Practice

Trevor has developed a significant client base in the sports, entertainment and gaming industries. In the sports world, he has represented professional coaches and athletes, sports management firms, player agents, media personalities, sports teams and leagues, sporting facilities, and hockey publications. In the entertainment field, he has provided legal advice and representation to television networks, film and video companies, special effects companies, concert promoters, ticket distribution agents, entertainment facilities, theatre production companies, actors, singers, songwriters, recording artists and professional dancers. Trevor has also represented casino operators, gaming suppliers, and numerous charitable gaming organizations.

Trevor has been interviewed on radio and television on many occasions regarding sports related legal issues. He has also been invited to speak to business groups and other lawyers about sports law and sports management issues. In 2003 and 2004, he served as Chair of Insight Information's annual Sports Management Conference in Toronto.

In addition, Trevor was an invited speaker in 2004, 2005, 2009 and 2012 at the American Bar Association's Annual Sports and Entertainment Law Conferences in Los Angeles, New York and Nashville. In 2006, he was an invited speaker at the Sports Lawyers Association Annual Conference. From 2008 through 2022, he has co-chaired PrimeTime’s Sports Management Conference in Toronto with Brian Burke, which is now one of the largest sports management conferences in North America.

Trevor has also lectured at the UCLA School of Business, the University of Michigan Law School, Concordia University, University of North Dakota, University of Toronto, the University of Ottawa Law School, Western University Law School, the Minnesota State Bar Association's Arts & Entertainment Institute and the Brock University School of Sports Management. 

In February of 2015, Trevor was featured on the cover of Lexpert Mag‎azine and was identified as one of the leading lawyers in sports law in Canada.

Extra-Curricular Activities

Trevor has always been very active in sports-related activities outside of the law. Trevor has served on the Ontario Hockey League Board of Governors since 1997. Trevor has also served on the 5toWatch Selection Committee since 2015, the Grey Cup Host Organizing Committee, the Ontario Hockey Federation Nominations Committee and was the Co-Chair of the World Junior Hockey Championships hosted by the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2017.

Trevor was one of the owners and founders, along with media personality Don Cherry, of the Mississauga IceDogs of the Ontario Hockey League. Commencing in 1996, Trevor served as team President, responsible for the team's business operations, and subsequently as General Manager, responsible for overseeing the team's hockey operations. He was also the team's representative on the league's Board of Management, and served on the Ontario Hockey League Board of Governors for six years prior to the sale of the IceDogs in 2002.

In 2003, Trevor was appointed as the London Knights' representative on the Ontario Hockey League Board of Governors. Trevor served as Chairman of London's successful bid to host the Memorial Cup championships on two occasions. He also served as Chairman of London's Memorial Cup Host Organizing Committees, which oversaw the national junior hockey championships hosted by London in both 2005 and 2014. In connection with the Memorial Cup tournament, Trevor was presented with an Award of Distinction by the federal Minister of Veteran Affairs for his efforts in raising the awareness of Veterans' issues. During Trevor's tenure, the London Knights have won Ontario Hockey League championships in 2005, 2012, 2013, and 2016. The London Knights also won the Memorial Cup national championship for junior hockey in 2005 and 2016.

Trevor is a partner with Brian Burke, the President of Hockey Operations for the Pittsburgh Penguins, in PrimeTime Sports and Entertainment Inc., a Toronto-based sports management and consulting business which runs sports management conferences, a Sports Speakers Bureau, and conducts media training for sports organizations. Trevor is, in addition, a partner in Exsportise Marketing Inc., a sports marketing and event management firm based in Toronto.

In 2009 and 2010, Trevor served as Chairman of the Bruce Boudreau–John Anderson Celebrity Golf Classic which raised funds for underprivileged children to help them pay for their hockey equipment and registration fees. From 2011 through 2019, Trevor served as Co-Chair of the Greater Toronto Hockey League Legacy Golf Classic to raise funds for elite hockey players from financially challenged families.

Trevor was Chairman of the Ontario Hockey League All-Star Game in 2000, and was also a member of the Steel City Consortium which sought to build a new multi-sport stadium in Hamilton, Ontario, as part of the city's bid to host the Commonwealth Games in 2010.

• Co-Chair, 15th Annual PrimeTime Sports Management Conference and Trade Show, November 2022 
• Moderator, "The Legalization of Sports Betting in Canada," 14th Annual PrimeTime Sports Management Conference and Trade Show, November 2021
• Guest Speaker, “Current Developments in Sports Law,” Anderson School of Management at UCLA, July 2021
• Speaker, Sports Law Students Association at the University of North Dakota Faculty of Law, March 2021