Lexpert reveals the top corporate and commercial lawyers in Ontario based on our comprehensive annual peer review. You can check out the complete survey results at our practice area rankings list.
Our survey is comprised of corporate and commercial litigation lawyers focused on advice and representation, whether by way of negotiation, civil proceedings, alternative dispute resolution, mediation or arbitration. Their practice involves all matters relating to the breach of or disputes regarding commercial contracts, and purchase and sale of assets, equipment or other lease agreements.
Also included are lawyers practising in the areas of banking and financing litigation, which includes secured and unsecured enforcement and recovery, multi-party creditor disputes, asset recovery and tracing, and disputes regarding various security, financing or trade instruments.
Specialists in business organization disputes resulting from shareholder agreements, joint ventures, partnerships, distribution, agency and other such matters are also included in our peer review.
John Adair
Law firm: Adair Goldblatt Bieber LLP
Year called to the Bar: 2006
John Adair is a partner at Adair Goldblatt Bieber LLP, a Toronto-based boutique dedicated to civil litigation. He devotes his practice to commercial litigation, with a focus on partnership, contractual and estate disputes. Adair regularly represents clients in directors’ and officers’ liability claims, enforcement of foreign judgments and professional liability matters. He has also written and spoken on numerous occasions on advocacy-related topics and has won numerous awards for his written articles. Adair previously taught trial advocacy at both the University of Toronto and Osgoode Hall Law School.
Sarah Armstrong
Law firm: Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP
Year called to the Bar: 2003
Sarah Armstrong is the vice-chair of the Ontario litigation department and chair of the arbitration practice group at Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP. She is also a partner at the full-service business law firm. Armstrong boasts broad litigation, arbitration and dispute resolution experience and has developed a robust practice focused on commercial and contractual disputes and class actions. She works with clients across a range of industries, including mining, automotive, professional services, health, retail and manufacturing. Armstrong advises them on commercial disputes, professional liability matters and employment litigation.
Edward J. Babin
Law firm: Babin Bessner Spry LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1987
Edward J. Babin has been practicing complex litigation for more than 25 years. He was a senior partner at the litigation departments of two prominent Canadian law firms before establishing his own litigation boutique in 2009. Babin has acted for clients in several contract, securities, corporate governance, oppression, competition, investment advisor, executive employment, insolvency, consumer, franchise, conspiracy and fraud-related matters. He has also represented clients in securities-related class actions, takeover bids and other change-of-control transactions. Babin has also acted as counsel in connection with several public inquiries and has extensive and varied pro bono experience.
Michael E. Barrack
Law firm: Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1982
Michael E. Barrack is recognized as one of the leading senior commercial litigators in Canada. He is a partner at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP, a full-service business law firm with offices in the country’s major commercial centres. Barrack has acted on some of the most significant litigation disputes in Canada and has appeared at all levels of court, as well as at proceedings in the US and England. He has represented clients in criminal jury trials, civil and constitutional appeals. Barrack is past president of The Advocates' Society and has a broad range of community involvements.
Read more about Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP on cannabis sector litigation
Sandra L. Barton
Law firm: Gowling WLG
Year called to the Bar: 2000
Sandra L. Barton is a trial lawyer and a partner at Gowling WLG. She devotes her practice to complex commercial litigation disputes, class action defence, product liability, defamation and professional liability claims. Barton has represented clients before all levels of courts and in private arbitrations, and local and multi-jurisdictional disputes. In so doing, she works closely with clients and counsel in the US and throughout Canada to develop cogent and cost-effective litigation strategies. Barton is also a sought-after trial advocacy instructor and lecturer in Canada and the US. Her firm specializes in all aspects of business law and consists of more than 1,400 legal professionals worldwide.
Read more about Gowling WLG on cannabis sector regulation
Sarit E. Batner
Law firm: McCarthy Tétrault LLP
Year called to the Bar: 2000
Sarit E. Batner is a partner at McCarthy Tétrault LLP’s Toronto office and a member of the firm’s board of partners. She specializes in trial and appellate litigation and arbitration at all levels of Canadian courts, with a focus on complex commercial litigation. Batner boasts extensive experience as lead counsel in cases involving shareholders’ rights, professional negligence, breaches of fiduciary duties, breaches of contract and taxation. She has acted in a wide variety of proceedings for physicians, engineers, accountants and lawyers. Her clients also include major airlines, major IT services providers, research hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and major oil and gas companies. Batner is frequent writer and speaker on matters of substantive law, trial and appellate advocacy, and issues affecting women and young professionals.
Bradley E. Berg
Law firm: Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1994 (SK); 1996 (ON)
Bradley E. Berg is the practice group leader for the litigation and dispute resolution group at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP, where he also serves as a partner. His practice includes complex commercial cases and precedent-setting public interest litigation. Berg has appeared as lead counsel at all levels of court, including the Supreme Court of Canada, and in international commercial arbitration panels, administrative tribunals and inquests. His trial and appellate experience includes business disputes, class actions, mining, banking, real estate and leasing, taxation, injunctions, the regulation of professionals, constitutional and administrative law.
Wendy Berman
Law firm: Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1992
Wendy Berman is a senior partner and chair of the securities litigation group at Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP. She practices in the areas of corporate and securities litigation. Berman has significant experience in complex commercial and securities-related litigation, often involving parallel and cross-border regulatory, criminal and class action proceedings. She is also an expert in the litigation aspects of proxy contests, takeover bids and other acquisitions. Berman has represented public companies, directors and officers in some of Canada’s largest investigations and proceedings involving disclosure violations, insider trading and other fraud-related allegations, corruption and anti-bribery, significant acquisition transactions and corporate governance. Her firm specializes in all aspects of business law and represents a wide range of companies from startups to multinational corporations.
Read more about Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP on stakeholder engagement
Ian Binnie
Law firm: Lenczner Slaght Royce Smith Griffin LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1967 (ON); 1966 (England & Wales); 1985 (YT)
Ian Binnie is one of Canada’s most respected advocates. He has served as a justice at the Supreme Court of Canada for nearly 14 years and is a currently a counsel at Toronto-based boutique firm Lenczner Slaght Royce Smith Griffin LLP. Binnie has authored more than 170 opinions on landmark cases involving issues of patent interpretation and validity, protection of trademarks, media law, commercial disputes, punitive damages, expert evidence, and many aspects of constitutional, criminal and administrative law. He draws not only on his judicial insights, but also his wealth of courtroom experience acquired over 30 years to become one of Canada's top litigators. Since returning to private practice, Binnie is regularly consulted by governments and private parties on a range of private and public law issues and carries on an active practice as a domestic and international arbitrator.
Sonia L. Bjorkquist
Law firm: Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1997
Sonia L. Bjorkquist is the chair of the national litigation department and a key contact for the class action defence group at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP. She also serves as a partner at the full-service business law firm. Bjorkquist has extensive experience defending companies in class actions, commercial arbitration and other complex litigation. She also advises clients on managing risks and cross-border issues in multi-jurisdictional cases. Bjorkquist defends complex product liability claims across many industries. She litigates business-critical issues related to commercial agreements, construction and infrastructure contracts, directors' duties and shareholder remedies.
Sheila R. Block
Law firm: Torys LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1974
Sheila R. Block is a partner and chair of the litigation and dispute resolution practice at Torys LLP. She is a senior trial and appellate counsel with a broad civil litigation practice, which includes corporate, commercial and securities litigation, intellectual protection, defamation and administrative law. Block has appeared as counsel on a wide range of high-profile cases before all levels of court in Canada and in international arbitrations and other tribunals. She has also spoken and written extensively on advocacy and civil litigation and has taught advocacy in Canada, the US, England, Scotland, New Zealand and El Salvador. Her firm is an international full-service firm specializing in business law.
David R. Byers
Law firm: Stikeman Elliott LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1983
David R. Byers is a partner and co-chair of the national litigation and dispute resolution group at Stikeman Elliott LLP. He is highly experienced in complex commercial litigation, including product liability, securities, insolvency and insurance, and domestic and international arbitration. Byers has extensive advocacy experience appearing before both the trial and appellate levels of courts in Ontario. He has acted for companies and their management in a broad range of industries, which include manufacturing, technology, pharmaceutical, financial services and tobacco. Byers has also acted for both lenders and debtors in several court-supervised restructurings. His firm is one of Canada’s leaders in business law.
Gordon D. Capern
Law firm: Paliare Roland Rosenberg Rothstein LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1991
Gordon D. Capern is a senior partner and leads the corporate and commercial litigation practice at Paliare Roland Rosenberg Rothstein LLP, a Toronto-based litigation firm. He represents entrepreneurs and has spent much of his career acting in cases where there are significant interests at stake. Capern advises clients and acts as counsel in the resolution of disputes in many areas of corporate and commercial law, including complex commercial transactions, mergers and acquisitions, liability of professional advisors, shareholder and partnership disputes, and director, officer and employee litigation, with considerable expertise in their fiduciary obligations.
Robert A. Centa
Law firm: Paliare Roland Rosenberg Rothstein LLP
Year called to the Bar: 2001
Robert A. Centa is a managing partner at Paliare Roland Rosenberg Rothstein LLP. He acts in all areas of advocacy, with an emphasis on public law, business litigation and executive employment disputes. Centa represents clients in partnership and shareholder rights disputes, commercial litigation, major insolvencies, commercial arbitrations, restrictive covenant and confidential information cases and intellectual property disputes. He regularly acts for universities and other public institutions and has extensive experience in public inquiries.
David Chernos
Law firm: Chernos Flaherty Svonkin LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1993
David Chernos is a partner at Chernos Flaherty Svonkin LLP. He devotes his practice to corporate and commercial litigation, with an emphasis on matters involving shareholders’ disputes, insolvency and corporate restructuring, income tax, insurance coverage disputes, and directors’, officers’ and professional liability. Chernos has broad experience in complex estates litigation matters, having acted for numerous trustees and beneficiaries. He has appeared as lead counsel before the Ontario trial courts, the Ontario Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court of Canada and the Tax Court of Canada.
Tom Curry
Law firm: Lenczner Slaght Royce Smith Griffin LLP
Year of called Bar: 1986
Tom Curry is a managing partner at Lenczner Slaght Royce Smith Griffin LLP and is recognized as one of the most experienced trial and appellate advocates in Canada. He boasts expertise in high-profile commercial litigation, class actions, arbitrations, business disputes, administrative law, judicial review, intellectual property, competition and professional liability cases. Curry is certified as a specialist in civil litigation by the Law Society of Ontario. He is a regular speaker on a wide variety of subjects relating to trial practice and substantive law.
James D.G. Douglas
Law firm: Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG)
Year called to the Bar: 1981
James D.G. Douglas is a partner and senior counsel in Borden Ladner Gervais LLP’s (BLG) Toronto office. He is also the national leader of the securities litigation practice group and co-chair of the investigations and white-collar defence practice group at the firm. Douglas has extensive experience in commercial and securities litigation, including shareholder disputes, mergers and acquisitions, broker liability suits, regulatory proceedings and prosecutions and related internal investigations. He appears regularly as counsel before all levels of courts, the Ontario Securities Commission and other securities industry regulatory bodies. Douglas is also a frequent writer and speaker on topics relating to securities litigation and regulation, shareholders’ rights and broker liability. His firm, BLG, is the largest of Canada’s few AmLaw Global 100 firms.
Michael A. Eizenga
Law firm: Bennett Jones LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1991
Michael A. Eizenga is recognized as one of Canada's leading class action litigators. He is currently a partner at Bennett Jones LLP, where he is also co-chair of its class actions practice. Eizenga advises and represents clients on all issues relating to class proceedings, including product liability, securities, competition and other commercial matters. He has been appointed special master by the Superior Court of Justice in three class actions and amicus curiae in a major class action appeal. Eizenga is a frequent speaker at various legal organizations, including the International Bar Association, the Canadian Bar Association, The Advocates' Society and the Law Society of Ontario. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law, where he teaches class actions. His firm is a full-service business law firm with offices in Canada’s major cities and internationally.
Read more about Bennett Jones LLP on intellectual property protection
Bryan Finlay
Law firm: WeirFoulds LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1969
Bryan Finlay is a partner at WeirFoulds LLP, one of Canada’s largest full-service business law firms. He is consistently recognized as a senior trial and appellate counsel. In 2019, Finlay was awarded the prestigious Advocates' Society Medal. He is also a recipient of the Ontario Bar Association’s award for excellence in civil litigation. At the start of his career, Finlay was a law clerk at the Supreme Court of Canada.
Sandra A. Forbes
Law firm: Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1992
Sandra A. Forbes specializes in corporate, class action, securities and competition litigation. She devotes a significant portion of her practice to defending clients in national and cross-border class actions. Forbes acts for clients before all levels of court and various administrative tribunals in Canada, including the Competition Tribunal. She has achieved successful results for clients on diverse issues, including class actions alleging anti-competitive conduct or collusion, and competition matters such as abuse of dominance. Forbes is also highly experienced in defending litigation for directors and audit committees. She is currently a partner at Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP, a business law firm specializing in high-stakes and complex matters.
Linda L. Fuerst
Law firm: Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1983
Linda L. Fuerst is a senior partner at Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP, a full-service business law firm with clients across the globe. Her practice covers a broad range of commercial and professional liability matters, with a focus on securities litigation, class proceedings, regulatory issues and white-collar crime. She represents corporations and individuals with respect to internal investigations. Fuerst has appeared before all levels of court in Ontario, the Supreme Court of British Columbia, the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia and Nova Scotia Court of Appeal.
Read more about Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP on attracting global tech talent
Matthew P. Gottlieb
Law firm: Lax O'Sullivan Lisus Gottlieb LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1991
Matthew P. Gottlieb practises business litigation, including corporate and commercial disputes, insolvency and restructuring, and fraud and securities litigation at Lax O'Sullivan Lisus Gottlieb LLP. He is a partner at the Toronto-based litigation firm. Gottlieb boasts extensive track record of success in complex and high-stakes disputes. He has significant expertise in trials, applications, tribunals and arbitrations, and regularly appears at all levels of court in Ontario and other provinces, the Federal Court of Canada and the Supreme Court of Canada. Gottlieb is a frequent instructor at many litigation-related seminars held by The Law Society of Ontario, The Advocates' Society and other legal organizations.
Peter Griffin
Law firm: Lenczner Slaght Royce Smith Griffin LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1980
Peter Griffin is a founding partner at Lenczner Slaght Royce Smith Griffin LLP. He boasts extensive experience in complex cross-border litigation, especially in relation to class proceedings and insolvency and restructuring. Griffin regularly advises the boards of national and multinational companies. He also represents clients in arbitration and alternative dispute resolution proceedings and acts as an arbitrator in commercial disputes. Griffin is constantly sought out as an expert speaker on advocacy, shareholder disputes, class actions, professional liability, and insolvency and restructuring.
Geoff R. Hall
Law firm: McCarthy Tétrault LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1993
Geoff R. Hall is a partner at McCarthy Tétrault LLP’s Toronto office. His practice covers all aspects of corporate and commercial litigation, including contracts, banking, shareholder disputes, tax, bankruptcy and restructuring, administrative law and Aboriginal law. Hall is a broadly published author, his most notable work being Canadian Contractual Interpretation Law, which has been cited multiple times by the courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada. He teaches both contract law and trial advocacy. Hall clerked for the Supreme Court of Canada from 1991 to 1992.
Peter F.C. Howard
Law firm: Stikeman Elliott LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1982
Peter F.C. Howard is a partner at Stikeman Elliott LLP’s litigation and dispute resolution group. He devotes his practice to commercial litigation, including securities law, class actions, commercial contracts, oppression and other types of shareholder and joint venture litigation and insolvency matters. Howard boasts extensive experience in arbitrations, mediation and alternate dispute resolution. He has appeared before the Supreme Court of Canada and the trial and appellate levels of courts in Ontario, as well as numerous administrative tribunals. Howard has also appeared in the Courts of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick. He has participated as a lecturer at the Bar Admission Course for the Law Society of Ontario and in numerous panels and conferences on advocacy skills, insolvency, securities, banking and commercial litigation.
Patricia D.S. Jackson
Law firm: Torys LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1979
Patricia D.S. Jackson is a senior trial and appellate counsel and a partner at Torys LLP. She has a broad litigation practice, which includes corporate and commercial litigation, class actions, securities, professional negligence, defamation and other media law, environmental and energy, constitutional and administrative law. Jackson has appeared as counsel at every level of court in Ontario, the Federal Court of Canada and in the Supreme Court of Canada, as well as administrative tribunals. She is also a frequent speaker and lecturer at numerous law schools and professional bodies.
Monique Jilesen
Law firm: Lenczner Slaght Royce Smith Griffin LLP
Year called to the Bar: 2000
Monique Jilesen is a partner at Lenczner Slaght Royce Smith Griffin LLP and boasts an extensive litigation practice. She acts as lead counsel in highly complex proceedings from inception to trial. Her commercial litigation practice includes class actions, contract and shareholder disputes, civil fraud cases, injunctions, bankruptcy and insolvency matters, and securities and derivatives cases. Jilesen’s clients include major financial institutions, pharmaceutical companies, technology companies and other multinational corporations facing challenging cross-border disputes. She has appeared at all levels of court and in administrative tribunals.
Katherine L. Kay
Law firm: Stikeman Elliott LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1988
Katherine L. Kay is a litigation partner and head of the Stikeman Elliott LLP’s competition litigation practice. She is also a past member of the firm’s partnership board, executive committee and Toronto management committee. Her practice concentrates on complex commercial litigation, often involving the interplay between regulatory, civil and criminal law regimes across multiple jurisdictions. Kay’s areas of focus include competition, product liability, securities, corruption and other white-collar cases.
Eliot N. Kolers
Law firm: Stikeman Elliott LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1996
Eliot N. Kolers is the head of the litigation and dispute resolution group and a member of the management committee at Stikeman Elliott LLP’s Toronto office. He also serves a partner at the firm. His practice focuses on corporate commercial litigation, competition litigation and securities litigation. Kolers has represented clients in a wide range of complex cases, including many real time litigation matters in relation to contested corporate transactions. He has also defended class actions involving competition law, securities and privacy issues. Kolers has represented clients in a broad range of commercial cases involving oppression remedies, proxy contests, takeover bids, shareholder disputes, plans of arrangement and corporate governance matters.
Paul H. Le Vay
Law firm: Stockwoods LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1988
Paul H. Le Vay is partner at Stockwoods LLP, a Toronto-based litigation law firm. His practice includes corporate commercial litigation, securities litigation, regulatory and public law, professional liability and regulation, claims against directors and officers, and employment litigation. He has also acted for clients in several class proceedings. Le Vay is bilingual and argues cases in English and French before all levels of courts and tribunals, including the Ontario Securities Commission. He is a member and former director of The Advocates' Society.
Eli S. Lederman
Law firm: Lenczner Slaght Royce Smith Griffin LLP
Year called to the Bar: 2002
Eli S. Lederman's practice covers a broad range of complex commercial litigation matters, including securities law, class actions, commercial contracts, oppression and other shareholder litigation. He regularly acts for directors and officers of private and public corporations. Lederman also advises boards and their committees on governance and litigation matters. He has extensive trial experience in commercial litigation and in medical malpractice actions and also acts as counsel in commercial arbitrations. Lederman has appeared as lead counsel at all levels of court including the Supreme Court of Canada, the Court of Appeal for Ontario and the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. He often represents physicians faced with legal difficulties related to medical practice, appearing frequently before the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. Lederman is also a regular speaker in continuing legal education programs particularly on issues relating to contractual disputes, securities law and trial advocacy. He is a partner at Lenczner Slaght Royce Smith Griffin LLP.
Jeffrey S. Leon
Law firm: Bennett Jones LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1979
Jeffrey S. Leon is a trial lawyer and partner at Bennett Jones LLP’s litigation department. He devotes his practice to general domestic, international and cross-border litigation, with a focus on business litigation. Leon has been practicing for 40 years. He has appeared before courts and arbitration tribunals both domestic and international and serves as a neutral in mediations and arbitrations. Leon has extensive trial and appellate experience. He is also a regular author, speaker and panelist.
Jonathan C. Lisus
Law firm: Lax O'Sullivan Lisus Gottlieb LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1992
Jonathan C. Lisus’ practice focuses on commercial and public law trial and appellate litigation. He is a partner at Lax O'Sullivan Lisus Gottlieb LLP. Lisus has deep experience with infrastructure- and public-private partnership-related litigation, class actions for plaintiffs and defendants, product liability, oppression remedies and securities litigation. He appears as counsel in courts and arbitral tribunals across the country and the Supreme Court of Canada. Lisus is a director at the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and regularly acts as special counsel on constitutional challenges to government actions. He has also been lead counsel in many landmark decisions in the area of class actions, professional liability, public and constitutional law and commercial litigation.
Larry P. Lowenstein
Law firm: Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1983
Larry P. Lowenstein boasts a broad corporate, commercial, and complex litigation practice, which includes class actions, corporate governance, contested mergers and acquisitions, securities litigation, enforcement of foreign judgments, environmental liability and franchising disputes. Lowenstein currently serves as a partner at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP. He was also chair of the firm’s national litigation department from 2005 to 2010. Lowenstein has acted as counsel in a wide range of disputes at all levels of Courts in Ontario and before the Ontario Securities Commission.
William C. McDowell
Law firm: Lenczner Slaght Royce Smith Griffin LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1988
William C. McDowell is a partner at Lenczner Slaght Royce Smith Griffin LLP. He appears in commercial litigation, libel and public law cases. McDowell has represented clients in many landmark cases, most notably in the Supreme Court of Canada. From 2005 to 2008, he was Canada’s Associate Deputy Minister of Justice and was responsible for civil litigation, national security and issues involving central agencies. He acted for the chief of police in Toronto, the chief adjudicator of the Independent Assessment Process of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and served as amicus to the Superior Court in relation to Aboriginal land occupations in Brantford.
Matthew Milne-Smith
Law firm: Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP
Year called to the Bar: 2001 (ON); 2000 (New York)
Matthew Milne-Smith is a partner at Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP’s litigation practice. He acts for public companies, private corporations and major Crown agencies on a wide range of civil litigation matters, including commercial disputes, complex class actions, securities disputes, constitutional challenges, insolvency proceedings and novel tort claims. Milne-Smith also acts before a variety of courts and tribunals, including as trial counsel, and in numerous precedent-setting appeals before the Ontario Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada. He has enjoyed success in obtaining summary dismissal of actions against his clients. His reported cases include leading decisions in the areas of class actions, securities litigation, enforcement of foreign judgments, insolvency, freedom of speech and solicitors’ duty of loyalty.
Terrence J. O'Sullivan
Law firm: Lax O'Sullivan Lisus Gottlieb LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1973
Terrence J. O’Sullivan's practice includes civil and commercial litigation, with an emphasis on business disputes, financial institution litigation, class actions, defence of regulatory charges and professional discipline matters. He regularly appears in all levels of courts in Ontario and other provinces, including the Supreme Court of Canada. O’Sullivan also acts as a mediator and an arbitrator and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. He is a co-author of the Civil Justice Review and is former chair of the Joint Committee on Court Reform of the province of Ontario. O’Sullivan writes and speaks extensively and is an occasional lecturer and demonstrator for the Osgoode Hall Intensive Advocacy Program. He currently serves as a partner at Lax O'Sullivan Lisus Gottlieb LLP.
Peter Osborne
Law firm: Lenczner Slaght Royce Smith Griffin LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1992
Peter Osborne has a broad civil litigation and administrative law practice encompassing cross-border commercial disputes, complex cross-border restructuring and insolvency cases, class actions, and securities matters, professional malpractice litigation and disciplinary proceedings. He is a partner at Lenczner Slaght Royce Smith Griffin LLP and considered as one of Canada’s leading litigators. Osborne advises boards of directors of public and private companies and special committees on governance, cross-border litigation and insolvency proceedings. He has also helped oversee the restructuring of some of the country’s largest companies.
Chris G. Paliare
Law firm: Paliare Roland Rosenberg Rothstein LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1973
Chris G. Paliare is a partner at Paliare Roland Rosenberg Rothstein LLP and is considered as one of Canada’s top litigators. He is an expert in shareholder disputes, securities litigation, administrative law, Charter of Rights and Freedoms and constitutional litigation, class actions, employment law and white-collar criminal law. He has acted at the trial and appellate levels.
Paul J. Pape
Law firm: Pape Chaudhury LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1971
Paul J. Pape serves as a barrister and solicitor at Pape Chaudhury LLP, a Toronto-based litigation boutique. He has more than 45 years of experience as both trial and appellate counsel and has acted in many significant cases. His litigation practice focuses on complex commercial, securities, class action, professional negligence and administrative matters, with special emphasis on appeals in these and other areas. Pape is a senior and leading member of the Ontario Bar.
Linda M. Plumpton
Law firm: Torys LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1996
Linda M. Plumpton is the chair of the litigation and dispute resolution, and competition and antitrust practices at Torys LLP, where she is also a partner. Plumpton focuses on competition litigation, class action defence, corporate and commercial disputes and securities litigation. She also practises public law, constitutional law and employment. Plumpton has appeared as counsel in the Supreme Court of Canada, all levels of court in Ontario, the Federal Court, and before the Competition Tribunal and the Ontario Securities Commission. She has also taught advocacy and lectured on class actions and competition law issues.
Guy J. Pratte
Law firm: Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG)
Year called to the Bar: 1984 (ON); 2002 (QC)
Guy J. Pratte is chair emeritus and a partner at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG). He devotes his practice to commercial litigation, including class actions, administrative law and constitutional law. Fully bilingual, Pratte has an active practice in Ontario and Québec. He appears frequently before the Supreme Court of Canada and the Superior and Appeal Courts of Ontario and Québec, the Federal Court and Federal Court of Appeal. Pratte is an adjunct professor at the University of Toronto, where he teaches courses focused on the Supreme Court of Canada.
Linda R. Rothstein
Law firm: Paliare Roland Rosenberg Rothstein LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1982
Linda Rothstein is a senior partner at Paliare Roland Rosenberg Rothstein LLP. She is known for probing cross-examinations, strategic advice and behind-the-scenes counsel work on high-stakes cases. Rothstein focuses on civil and administrative litigation, with expertise in class actions, commercial litigation, professional liability and misconduct, public law, employment and human rights, and judicial review and appeals.
Shara N. Roy
Law firm: Lenczner Slaght Royce Smith Griffin LLP
Year called to the Bar: 2004
Shara N. Roy is a partner at Lenczner Slaght Royce Smith Griffin LLP. Her practice encompasses complex commercial, securities and administrative litigation. Roy specializes in bet-the-company litigation. Her areas of expertise include securities regulatory actions, shareholder disputes, oppression remedy claims, restructuring and insolvency, trade and cross-border litigation, commercial arbitration and class actions. Roy supports the next generation of lawyers by leading the firm’s student program and volunteering as a mentor to University of Toronto law students and to young lawyers through the Ontario Bar Association.
Ronald G. Slaght
Law firm: Lenczner Slaght Royce Smith Griffin LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1972
Ronald G. Slaght serves as a counsel at Lenczner Slaght Royce Smith Griffin LLP. He is an expert in commercial and securities litigation, with an emphasis on administrative law, real property, and class actions. Slaght often serves as an arbitrator and mediator of commercial disputes. He is known for his “extraordinary negotiating abilities, superb advocacy and sophisticated business acumen.”
R. Paul Steep
Law firm: McCarthy Tétrault LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1982
R. Paul Steep is a counsel at the litigation group at McCarthy Tétrault LLP, where he also serves as a partner. He devotes his practice to commercial litigation, with a focus on securities litigation, including class actions. Steep has an active trial and appeal practice and has been involved in corporate governance claims, business valuation disputes, oppression remedy claims, banking litigation, securities and commercial contractual disputes before all levels of Ontario courts. He also maintains a significant practice in securities enforcement and related proceedings before the Ontario Securities Commission.
Richard B. Swan
Law firm: Bennett Jones LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1991
Richard B. Swan is a partner and co-head of the litigation department at Bennett Jones LLP. His practice is focused on corporate and commercial litigation and public law issues. Swan has extensive trial and appellate experience, having appeared before all levels of court in Ontario, the Federal Court of Canada, Supreme Court of Canada, and an array of administrative and arbitral tribunals. He specializes in corporate disputes, shareholder oppression issues, commercial disputes, restructurings, injunctions, arbitrations, professional negligence, economic torts, professional discipline, estates litigation, and administrative and constitutional law. Swan is also an adjunct professor at Osgoode Hall Law School, where he teaches advanced commercial litigation.
Kent E. Thomson
Law firm: Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1984
Kent E. Thomson is the head of litigation at Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP’s Toronto office, where he also serves as a partner. He has extensive experience in complex and high-stakes litigation. Thomson has acted as lead counsel in numerous precedent-setting cases in the areas of oppression, plans of arrangement, class actions, securities, defamation, tort, competition, tax, intellectual property and elections. A number of these cases have been decided by the Supreme Court of Canada. Thomson has conducted many trials and appeals, and appeared in courts throughout Canada, as well as in complex domestic and international arbitrations in Canada, the US, Europe and Africa.