Inside the firm where clients always reach senior counsel and the human story comes first
Before they became known for handling complex litigation matters, Sancia Pinto and Farhad Shekib were children adapting to life in a new country.
Both came to Canada on refugee status, with Pinto arriving from India with her mother and sisters and Shekib from Afghanistan with his parents. Calling that beginning chapter “full of challenges,” Shekib watched his parents give up professional careers and a more certain financial future to build a new life from the ground up, all for the betterment of their children.
As Shekib grew, he felt a responsibility to make the most of those sacrifices. As Pinto puts it, “we were old enough to understand what was happening but young enough to still be shaped by it.”
“My early years in Canada were defined by uncertainty and adaptation, and watching my mother carry everything on her own — with grace and without complaint — is something I’ve never forgotten,” she says. “She never framed it as hardship; she framed it as opportunity. That mindset shaped everything for me.”
The purpose behind the practice
Both Shekib and Pinto found meaning in the legal profession but wanted a way to channel their experience into something of their own. Aligned on wanting purpose behind their practice, they ultimately joined forces in Pinto Shekib LLP: a boutique litigation firm handling high-stakes estates and commercial disputes.
Growing up navigating systems as an outsider without privilege or connections, “you develop a deep instinct for when people are being treated unfairly,” Pinto says. Put simply, “I wanted to be in a position to do something about that.”
“Before I think about strategy, I try to understand what a client is actually carrying; not just the legal problem but the fear, frustration, and sense of injustice that brought them to our door,” Pinto says. “That’s not something you learn in law school. It comes from lived experience.”
Shekib was similarly motivated by his childhood, including his first passion: basketball. He played for years alongside Division I athletes and a future NBA player, coming to see litigation as a natural next arena.
Working at larger firms on sophisticated matters, Shekib learned what excellent advocacy across complex litigation looked like. It also reinforced his belief that clients don’t simply want legal expertise. They value efficiency and direct access to a responsive lawyer equally, if not more so.
A boutique firm offers both, handling significant disputes while forgoing layers of bureaucracy that slow the process down. Shekib notes “we are highly selective about the files we take on; we’re a small firm by design.”
“We’re not trying to be the largest firm in the city. Our goal is to provide exceptional advocacy and client service.”
Similarly, Pinto’s background adjudicating and mediating thousands of cases at various Ontario tribunals shapes the way she approaches litigation. Understanding how matters are weighed and evaluated informs how she builds a case, frames arguments, and advises to settle versus fight.
“There’s something deeply meaningful about building something that reflects who you are, and our firm wasn’t created by accident,” Pinto says. “It was built intentionally, by two people who understood firsthand what it means to need an advocate and not have one.”
Estates and commercial litigation: the human story beneath the dispute
That need shows up clearly in two of the firm’s main practice areas. Both turn on the same thing: a relationship that’s broken down. Estates litigation is unique because alongside significant financial stakes, the parties are grappling with expectations, grief, and sometimes decades of unresolved issues that surface after a loved one’s passing. Pinto calls it “some of the most human work I do.”
As counsel, it’s important to recognize that while legal prowess is critical, clients also need someone to apply clarity and objectivity to an emotionally charged situation. Sometimes that’s pursuing an aggressive litigation strategy, other times it’s finding a practical resolution that preserves relationships.
“My approach is to first understand the family dynamic,” explains Shekib. “That provides valuable insight into both the strengths of a case and the most effective path toward resolution.”
Pinto holds both realities at once: questions of capacity, undue influence and the proper administration of an estate are consequential, but how those matters are handled has consequences on the emotional side. Will the legal results deepen a family fracture or create space for resolution?
“I often tell clients that winning in court is not always the same as achieving a good outcome,” she explains, adding that her approach once secured a preservation motion protecting over $1.7 million in estate assets for a client, which she refers to as a proud moment.
“Seeing clients walk away from complex disputes with their dignity and finances intact never gets old. The most valuable thing I can do is help clarify what they actually want, and whether litigation is the best path to get there.”
The firm's commercial practice resolves high-stakes business disputes, often for a founder, shareholder, or owner who spent years building something valuable and suddenly finds the people they trusted working against them. The family component may be absent, but it’s no less emotional.
Pinto Shekib acts on all sides of these disputes, but what stays consistent is the approach. Every file is prepared from day one as if it will proceed to trial, as being genuinely ready to litigate produces the best results at the negotiating table.
“What I find most compelling about this work is how personal it is,” Pinto explains. “The legal issues may be about oppression remedies or breach of fiduciary duty, but the human reality is betrayal, and that carries real weight.”
Shekib agrees, adding that “there’s usually a personal story behind litigation; understanding it helps us develop better strategies and achieve better outcomes for our clients.” Those instincts produce results, including a multi-million-dollar arbitration for a developer client and a jury verdict exceeding $596,000.
On their own terms
Looking ahead, the goal is straightforward: continue to strengthen the reputation of their firm and deliver the results clients have come to expect.
“There’s nothing quite like the feeling of earning a hard-fought result for someone who has put their trust in you,” Shekib says, adding that’s how they measure success.
Shekib feels privileged to have capitalized on the opportunity his parents worked hard to provide. For her part, Pinto can’t help but see the full-circle moment. She didn’t fully appreciate how her beginning in Canada would shape the kind of lawyer she became, but she embraces the legacy of her beginnings — and carries those instincts with her.
“Our story is for anyone who feels like the odds are stacked against them, or like they’re starting too far behind,” Pinto says. “I want them to know that where you start does not determine where you land. It took my mother’s courage and my own stubbornness to get here. But we did it.”
This article was produced in partnership with Pinto Shekib LLP
