The Faculty of Graduate Studies handbook at my Canadian university provides clear guidelines for what supervisors and committees are expected to do. The supervisor in question has been delinquent with respect to many of these guidelines. Administration is resisting replacing him, possibly because the path of least resistance for them is to assume things will work out in time.
My understanding is that, while the courts in Canada do not generally adjudicate academic issues (quality of academic work, etc) they have in some cases treated the handbook and regulations at the time of enrolment as a contract between the student and the university. What sort of lawyer or practice would be appropriate (if any) to explore outside avenues for a remedy in the form of a new supervisor, which is allowed by the regulations, but not preferred by administration because it's a paperwork nightmare for them?