SSG: Research Integrity
The first and only firm dedicated to research integrity defense.
Accused of research misconduct? Protect your career with the lawyer who's been on the institution's side.
Scipione Legal Solutions is Canada's first firm dedicated to research-integrity and research-misconduct defense — led by a former researcher and institutional insider who has managed dozens of integrity cases from the inside.
“I've spent years on the institution's side of these investigations. I know the ins and outs of these processes, things that are often not spoken about or expressly told, things that can work for you and against you. Now I put that experience to work for you.”
- Nearly a decade managing research-integrity cases inside Canada's largest research hospital network
- ORI Research Integrity Officer Boot Camp graduate
- MSc Chemistry + JD/MBA
- Member, Law Society of Ontario
- Serving researchers Canada-wide
Where you are now
An allegation doesn't have to end your research career.
Right now you are probably reading a letter for the fifth time, wondering who else has seen it. You are thinking about your reputation among people whose respect took a decade to earn. You are thinking about your grant, your lab, your students, your name on papers you are proud of.
If you came to Canada for this work, you are also thinking about your permit. If you are close to a defense or a tenure file, you are counting months. And underneath all of it is a quieter fear: that being accused is the same as being guilty.
The stakes are high. In Canada, roughly half of all research integrity investigations end in a finding of a breach.
It is not. These processes are governed by policy, evidence and procedural fairness — and they can be answered carefully, on the record, and on time.
Gianfranco Scipione — MSc Chemistry, JD/MBA. Member, Law Society of Ontario.
The insider advantage
I've spent years on the institution's side of these cases. Now I'm on yours.
For nearly a decade I managed research-integrity files inside one of Canada's largest research hospital networks — receiving allegations, scoping inquiries, briefing committees and preparing reports for funders.
I know how an allegation is triaged, which evidence a committee finds persuasive, how report language is chosen, and where a process quietly departs from its own policy. No defense counsel in Canada has stood in that room. I did, for years.
I am also a scientist: an MSc in chemistry before a JD/MBA. When we discuss your blots, your instrument logs or your analysis pipeline, you will not be translating.
Over a decade of experience focused solely in the research integrity space, collectively on both the institution and private practice sides.
- Dozens
- Research-integrity cases managed from inside the institution
- Nearly a decade
- Inside Canada's largest research hospital network
- 1st
- The first meeting with leadership is what matters most — get counsel before it, not after
Services
Focused work for every stage of a research-integrity matter.
Respondent Defense
End-to-end defense when you are named in an allegation — inquiry, investigation, interviews, report and review.
Learn moreAuthorship Agreements
Clear, enforceable authorship and contribution agreements drafted before a collaboration becomes a dispute.
Allegation Drafting & Whistleblower Consultation
For those raising concerns: how to document, frame and file an allegation, and what protection you can expect.
Confidential Consultation
A protected conversation about where you stand, what your policy requires, and what your deadline actually is.
Who we help
Which best describes you?
The process is the same; the exposure is not. Start with the page written for your situation.
The process
How a Canadian integrity case unfolds.
Allegation
A concern is submitted and you receive notice that you have been named as a respondent.
This is where SSG steps in
Inquiry
The institution assesses whether the allegation has enough substance to investigate.
Investigation
A committee gathers data, interviews witnesses and tests the allegation against policy.
Outcome
Findings are made, reported where required, and internal review options may be available.
Been told there is a meeting with leadership? Call now — these cases can take a long time to play out, but the most important move happens before that first meeting.
Anonymized outcomes
Quiet resolutions, wherever possible.
Past results do not guarantee future outcomes; every case is different.
PhD student, authorship dispute — resolved without a misconduct finding.
Postdoctoral fellow, image-duplication allegation — inquiry closed at the inquiry stage.
Clinician-researcher, consent-documentation concern — corrective action agreed, no finding of misconduct.
“He explained the policy, the timeline and my options in one call. It was the first time in three weeks I understood what was happening to me.”
“He had clearly sat on the other side of the table. The response we filed answered the committee's actual questions.”
For complainants
Considering Reporting Research Misconduct?
Report safely, correctly, and with your career protected.
Under the Tri-Agency Framework, every member of the research community has a role in upholding research integrity. But making an allegation is daunting — many would-be complainants stay silent out of fear of retaliation or of being branded a troublemaker. You don't have to navigate this alone.
You're protected
University research integrity frameworks protect good-faith complainants, and retaliation against a complainant is itself treated as misconduct. We'll make sure those protections work for you.
Get it right the first time
A poorly drafted allegation can be dismissed as frivolous or vague. We help you prepare an allegation that is clear, evidence-based, and cannot be brushed aside.
Is this even the right avenue?
A confidential consult helps you understand your rights and determine whether the research integrity framework is the proper route for your concerns before you commit to anything.
“As a Ph.D. student, I was concerned that my Supervisor was not giving me proper authorship for a paper I worked extremely hard on. I didn't know what to do or who to turn to. A consult with SSG really helped me prepare for my discussions with my Supervisor and the Institution in a professional manner. I ended up getting a fair result and maintaining a strong relationship with my Supervisor – a huge win-win.”
Allegation Drafting & Consultation is a core SSG service. Book a confidential consultation to discuss your concerns.
Book a Confidential ConsultResources
Questions we hear first.
Next step
Talk to someone who understands both the science and the process.
One confidential call is enough to know where you stand. We respond within one business day, and your institution never hears from us without your instruction.