- Susan Abbott
- Phone:902-491-1287
- Fax:902-421-3130
- Email:
Rob is a partner in Cox & Palmer’s Halifax office, practicing in the field of income and commodity taxation. After pursuing a general corporate/commercial law practice in Nova Scotia for the first four years of his career, Rob relocated to Toronto to pursue a commodity and income tax practice, initially with an international accounting firm and subsequently with a Toronto law firm. He returned to Nova Scotia in 1996 to accept a position with the Department of Justice, serving as Financial Counsel to the Province of Nova Scotia. Rob later returned to private practice, joining Cox & Palmer in 1998.
Since joining Cox & Palmer, Rob’s practice has almost exclusively involved domestic and international tax advisory services and the implementation of tax-related transactions and business structures. He regularly assists clients with a broad range of income and commodity taxation matters, including the establishment of tax-efficient business organizations, devising and executing corporate reorganizations, establishing discretionary family trusts, implementing estate freezes and business succession plans, and advising clients on the taxation and commercial law implications of both domestic and international business transactions. Rob has extensive experience with the establishment of various types of business structures, including Nova Scotia limited and unlimited companies, general and limited partnerships, joint ventures and trusts. He is also frequently engaged to represent clients in connection with tax audits, and routinely represents clients in tax disputes and negotiations with the Canada Revenue Agency and other taxation authorities.
Rob served as an elected member of the Canadian Tax Foundation’s Board of Governors from 2015 to 2018. He has completed the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants In-Depth Tax Course and is a regular presenter at tax conferences and seminars. He has written extensively on tax matters, publishing articles in the Canadian Tax Journal and in the proceedings of numerous conferences convened by the Canadian Bar Association, the Canadian Tax Foundation and other organizations.
Bar Admission
- Nova Scotia (1989)
- Ontario (1994)
Law School
- Dalhousie University
Education
- Carleton University (BA, 1982)
- Dalhousie University (MBA, 1988; LLB, 1988)
Professional Activities & Affiliations
- Board of Governors, Canadian Tax Foundation (2015 – 2018)
- Atlantic Provinces Tax Conference Program Committee, Canadian Tax Foundation (2009 – present)
Law Society Memberships
- Nova Scotia Barristers' Society
- Canadian Bar Association
Languages
- English