Timothy Cullen is a skilled regulatory advocacy and advisory lawyer and commercial litigator known for providing practical advice to clients dealing with government.
He is a partner in McMillan’s Transportation (Automotive) group and Complex Disputes and Regulatory Regimes group, where he is a co-lead of the Procurement and Government & Public Policy practices. Clients in a range of industries, including heavily regulated sectors such as automotive and defence, rely on Timothy’s expertise in public procurement, regulatory inspections and investigations, compliance with lobbying and election laws, and motor vehicle safety and emissions regulations.
In addition to advising clients on compliance with Canada’s political and integrity laws, Timothy defends clients who are being investigated or prosecuted for breaches of the federal Lobbying Act, the Canada Elections Act, and provincial, municipal and territorial lobbying and election laws. He was appointed chair to City of Ottawa’s Election Compliance Audit Committee for the 2022-2026 term.
Timothy has in-depth knowledge and regulatory expertise relating to the Motor Vehicle Safety Act and the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. He is an advocate for manufacturers advancing their interests with Transport Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada (vehicle emissions) and an advisor of choice to clients responding to requests for information from regulators and law enforcement. He has represented automotive clients being investigated and prosecuted by Transport Canada/ECCC and the Public Prosecution Service of Canada (PPSC).
As co-lead of McMillan’s Procurement group, Timothy advises both public sector buyers and suppliers selling goods and services to public purchasers. When acting for public sector clients, Timothy has designed solicitations for complex acquisitions and advised on compliance with trade treaty procurement obligations and government procurement statues and policies. For organizations in the academic, health and social service sectors, he has written procurement policies and managed the complete redevelopment of procurement processes and documents. When acting for private sector clients, he has counseled suppliers on bidding and contracting for some of the most significant public procurement processes in Canada in the past few years, including major defence acquisition projects.
Timothy acts for clients in procurement challenges before the Canadian International Trade Tribunal and in procurement-related litigation in court. He writes and speaks often about public and private procurement, especially the intersection between procurement and Canada’s integrity laws and policies.
As a commercial and regulatory advocate, Timothy has been involved in complex commercial, regulatory and quasi-criminal regulatory proceedings before the Supreme Court of Canada, the Federal Courts, various Ontario courts, the Supreme Court of Yukon, and numerous tribunals. His colleagues seek him out to provide counsel in applications for judicial review before the Federal Court and the Federal Court of Appeal. He has also represented clients in cross-border and domestic commercial arbitrations, and in sport-related appeals and proceedings before the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the Dispute Resolution Secretariat (Tribunal) of the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada. Timothy has also been retained as an arbitrator in National Sport Organization and Provincial Sport Organization disciplinary and appeal proceedings.
For nearly a decade prior to joining the firm, Timothy served in various roles on Parliament Hill. Over that time, he provided political and policy advice to members of parliament and senators on a range of issues, particularly foreign affairs and international trade. Drawing on this valuable experience, he also serves as a Senior Advisor and General Counsel at McMillan Vantage Policy Group, a full-service, national public affairs firm affiliated with McMillan LLP.
Timothy proudly serves on the Board of the Ottawa Food Bank, and champions fundraising efforts in McMillan’s Ottawa office that support the food bank and other local initiatives tackling food insecurity.
613.691.6112
