Decisions in administrative law significantly impact people’s lives, and the speed of tribunal cases gives lawyers a rare chance to see the full arc of a matter. That’s the core appeal of government legal work, according to Harry Gousopoulos. “Government is a great place to work as a lawyer… Typically cases before administrative tribunals move much more quickly from start to finish than in civil litigation, so you get the chance to see a lot more from start to finish,” he says.
Now executive director of Tribunals Ontario, Gousopoulos’s career breaks the mould of a typical legal path. After articling and practising at Torys, he calls the firm “an outstanding training ground for a young lawyer and professional,” where exposure to complex deals and a culture of collaboration left a lasting impression. “You’re surrounded by the best and brightest minds. You have exposure to complex and large-scale transactions. And you’re supporting some of the largest and most reputable companies and clients in the country,” he says. Precision, attention to detail, responsiveness, and relationship building still drive his leadership.
His time at the United Nations International Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia brought a global perspective. “You are literally surrounded by people from all over the world... Everyone truly is unique. Everyone comes at issues with their own ways of thinking, and that was especially so at the UN,” he says. He works to bring that same diversity of thought to his current team.
A longstanding interest in public policy pushed Gousopoulos into government. The move wasn’t easy. He networked his way into a senior policy role, taking a leap on a contract with less security and lower pay. “It was a path that I was happy to go down,” he says.
At the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), regulatory work proved demanding. “Regulators, no matter what the industry, and there are many, their primary responsibility is to protect the public interest and to uphold standards,” he says. The challenge: protect consumers without stifling innovation or pushing industries underground. “The issues are inherently complicated. They’re nuanced. And the responsibility is always trying to navigate and balance competing interests and priorities and make decisions that serve the collective public good,” he says.
AGCO’s shift to outcomes-based regulation gave Gousopoulos a front-row seat to transformation. “We moved from that approach to what we … and others [call] a standards-based or outcomes-based model of regulation where you give regulated entities far more freedom to conduct their businesses, but you hold them to higher standards of outcomes that they need to achieve,” he says. That experience drives his approach at Tribunals Ontario, where modernization is non-negotiable.
Gousopoulos never intended to preside over 12 tribunals. “I probably didn’t even know what a tribunal was going into law school,” he says. He urges lawyers to stay open to opportunity: “If a door opens, step through it, give it a chance. If you don’t like what you’re doing, step back through or open up a different door,” he says.
Tribunals Ontario’s digital overhaul is a defining move. “We’ve overseen a fundamental transformation of our tribunals from an in-person, paper-based approach to a digital-first model with hearings conducted by video by default,” he says. Most users support virtual hearings, but Gousopoulos insists on accessibility. “We have to make sure that we’re providing alternatives and supports so all of our users can fully participate,” he says. The organization rolled out computer access terminals, a mobile terminal program, and a phone program to ensure no one is left behind.
Backlogs at the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) and Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO) are the main focus. When Gousopoulos joined in 2020, four tribunals faced entrenched backlogs. Now, ten out of twelve are not only meeting but often surpassing service standards. The License Appeal Tribunal and Social Benefits Tribunal have cleared their backlogs entirely, leaving only the LTB and HRTO with outstanding issues. The numbers are stark: “In 2024, the LTB resolved around 106,000 cases... That’s 85 percent higher than what we did in 2022, which was 57,000. And it’s the highest number of resolutions that we’ve ever had in the tribunal’s history.” Application processing timelines have dropped, with non-payment of rent cases now scheduled within two months, down from almost a year.
At the HRTO, mandatory mediation is now standard, aiming to resolve more cases early and free up resources for hearings. “Our experience with mediation is that over half of them will resolve at an early stage,” he says. For Gousopoulos, speed is non-negotiable: he’s focused on tearing down barriers and accelerating resolutions, and won’t consider his work finished until the backlogs are gone.
For lawyers eyeing government or tribunal work, Gousopoulos is keen to highlight the potential. Lawyers can “spread their wings to gain experience in an entirely new subject matter, within the same organization,” and the work is “intellectually stimulating and... meaningful public-facing work.” Moving across roles and even into non-legal areas is common, he says, adding that he is “always happy to connect with lawyers who are interested in making the jump.”