BENNETT JONES

Bennett Jones makes an impressive showing in the 2020 Top 50 Trial Lawyers sweepstakes, with a total x% of the list consisting of lawyers from the house'southward Calgary and Toronto offices. In Calgary, Munaf Mohamed, a no-nonsense "bruiser in court" and "someone who does not suffer fools gladly, or at all, really," has a niche area in fraud investigations and litigation. Mohamed is co-counsel to Wood Group Canada in a claim involving an secret high-temperature-produced bitumen emulsion pipeline and boiler h2o feed pipeline synthetic and operated by the plaintiff in connection with edifice its new satellite facility in the Athabasca oil sands region of Northern Alberta. Work is still ongoing. "Munaf is a blunt object," extols a peer hyperbolically. "He'southward an animal! He'south 1 of those guys that allows you to face the other side with 'If you don't play nice, I'm going to get y'all Munaf to deal with.'" Blair Yorke-Slader is an equally vaunted effigy among peers. "Blair is youthful and vibrant, constantly working," marvels one impressed contemporary. Concluding year, Yorke-Slader was responsible for scoring a landmark $1.3 billion judgment on behalf of Dow Chemic in its contentious, headline-grabbing dispute with NOVA.

The firm's Toronto function is equally brimming with trial talent. An "unflinching warrior" of the securities world, Robert Staley acted for Sino-Woods Corporation, the victim of a multibillion-dollar fraud orchestrated by its old co-founder and CEO. The company claimed that its primary business organization model was purchasing and selling forestry plantations in China. However, the business was fictitious. In March 2018, a US$2.6 billion fraud judgment was found against the CEO, the largest of its kind in Canadian history. The CEO commenced an appeal of the judgment, which was heard in January 2019 and dismissed. Richard Swan is lauded for his at-home, assured presence in commercial and securities disputes. "If there'due south a bondholder that has a grievance, Bennett Jones will be there. Robert Staley is everywhere and Richard Swan too," attests a peer. "Robert is more of the 'cowboy,' Richard is the diplomat." Jeffrey Leon, a revered figure not only in the Toronto community merely throughout all of Canada, continues to enjoy a robust following on the strength of his multifaceted practice that spans several do areas and also crosses borders. Leon was named President of the American College of Trial Lawyers in September 2018. This loftier accolade is amplified further by the fact that he is but the 2nd Canadian to agree this title in the College'southward history. "Jeff has that gravitas! Judges intently listen to him and address him, 'Yes, Mr. Leon?'"

IMK

IMK, a Montréal litigation boutique, is known for "growing and grooming some of the all-time and brightest in Québec, as well equally some of the youngest." While the firm's reputation continues to be on the rise due to its deepening bench, firm figurehead and last remaining proper noun partner of the one-time Irving Mitchell Kalichman trio Doug Mitchell is still revered as "one of the top pleaders in the province." Mitchell'south vision of fostering litigation talent at the next-generation level has certainly paid off, just Mitchell himself remains decorated on a number of files. "Doug was just at the Supreme Court last week," testified a peer in the fall of 2019. "He likewise was lead counsel on an important human rights case concerning genetic testing."

LAWSON LUNDELL

Lawson Lundell, already considered one of the height litigation shops in British Columbia, further solidified its stronghold in Western Canada through a strategic push into Calgary, which included luring nine partners from another local firm and officially staking its claim as a powerhouse in that city's legal community. In detail, Grant Vogeli is identified as a versatile standout for his deep expertise that spans a wide range of practice areas. I client goes so far equally to assert, "Grant Vogeli is one of the best litigators in Calgary." While at his former firm, Vogeli was in fact a mentor to Tammy Coates, Lawson Lundell initial partner in Calgary, and is credited with having done over 100 trials. Vogeli is unique in Calgary in that he is 1 of the few partners whose work does non hinge exclusively on the oil and gas sector, but rather general commercial disputes and real estate evolution. Vogeli recently conducted an appeal for the University of Calgary relating to the construction of a hotel there. Vogeli was trial counsel and also successful on entreatment. In the firm's flagship Vancouver office, Craig Ferris has long been championed equally a key player and too ane with courtroom feel with a diverse range of commercial, insolvency and professional liability matters. "Craig can handle annihilation," declares a peer. "He has been doing this [for] a long time, he has a lot of experience with the phenomena that drives Vancouver'southward business globe, and [he] has an unflappable quality to him, which plays to his advantage in court. He holds steady and keeps information technology together even in some of the most unnerving situations."


LAX O'SULLIVAN LISUS GOTTLIEB

Lax O'Sullivan Lisus Gottlieb has long been one of Toronto's nearly venerated litigation shops, revered for its arroyo to the practice to the point where its name is often inserted into conversations with other litigators who aspire to a similar model. "Lax takes on whatever they want, and they take every case just as seriously," assesses a peer. "They go the piece of work that would brand yous go 'wow,' just they also take these weird one-off files that you wouldn't fifty-fifty look, and they are superb with all of it." I thing the firm does not practice is commoditized, routine work. An independent-minded store with no steady revenue stream, the firm relies on files that require a high-minded and novel approach to litigation, be information technology dispute resolution or trial. House figurehead Jonathan Lisus, an all-purpose commercial litigator, is revered on a near-unanimous ground equally "a real dynamo, who tin can pretty much endeavour annihilation. He'south a trial lawyer!" One peer marvels, "I once saw Jonathan appear on a case that I would accept thought was well below his pay grade! But, at that place he was, and he did a great chore, as as skillful equally he would have on a much larger case." In an example of a matter qualifying for the "much larger case" descriptor, Lisus is representing a well known judge, Warren Winkler, in his capacity equally the Court Appointed Mediator in the Imperial Tobacco Limited, JTIMacDonald, and Rothmans, Benson & Hedges CCAA proceedings. In his capacity, Winkler has been mandated to facilitate negotiation of a global settlement of the Tobacco Claims in the iii CCAA proceedings. Lisus is also counsel to the Sackler Families in the Purdue Pharma CCAA proceeding and a proposed a proposed national class action. The CCAA matter is a Canadian recognition proceeding related to the US Chapter xi insolvency proceeding for Purdue Pharma and related entities, which industry, sell, or distribute, among other products, opioid pain medications, including OxyContin. Matthew Gottlieb, another commercial trial lawyer with a particular acumen in insolvency files, saw his defalcation prowess called into service when he was appointed litigation investigator by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice to investigate potential claims on behalf of Sears Canada and its creditors to increase assets within the estate and to review payments fabricated to Sears Canada shareholders while the company'due south alimony fund had a nearly $300 one thousand thousand shortfall. Gottlieb was later appointed counsel to the litigation trustee pursuing certain claims brought on behalf of Sears Canada confronting certain former directors and shareholders of the company. Gottlieb is besides counsel to the litigation trustee in the Sears bankruptcy, who was authorized by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice to bring claims against certain defendants to increase assets of this insolvent visitor. A trial of the action seeking $509 one thousand thousand is scheduled to begin in May 2020.

MCEWAN PARTNERS

Coming into beingness just over two years ago, McEwan Partners generated immediate buzz upon its formation, and not without justification. The firm (whose official title is McEwan Cooper Dennis) is composed of some of the near venerated litigation talent in BC. Ken McEwan, a Vancouver trial veteran, forged the firm's identity upon splitting off from his one-time shop of Hunter Litigation Chambers (itself a dispute-resolution powerhouse) and ruddy-picking some of the city'south other prized practitioners to bolster the bench. Those included Robert Cooper, who himself left McCarthy Tétrault in 2013 to form his own boutique) and Craig Dennis, who left his post at Dentons to join. Ii years on, McEwan Partners is still viewed by peers as "'the identify to be' in Vancouver right now. Those guys were in the right place at the right time and they really made the most of it." The firm's status as a litigation-specific bazaar allows information technology the freedom to pivot between plaintiff and defense piece of work, with cases that are often adequately novel in nature. "We send a huge corporeality of files to McEwan," confirms a peer, "because they are fearless and will take on things that the residuum of us merely don't, or won't, do!" McEwan is lead counsel to Granite Creek in a dispute involving two mining companies who entered into a confidentiality and standstill agreement in contemplation of a potential plan of arrangement, which was subsequently terminated. McEwan is also defending Keltic in an ongoing action brought by the plaintiff, who alleges information technology entered into a buy and sale agreement with Keltic for undefined units of the commercial space in a evolution in Richmond, BC, and filed a certificate of pending litigation against the entire commercial property. Illustrating the business firm'due south versatility and the novelty of the cases it attends to, McEwan is also working in the plaintiff capacity (along with co-counsel from Koskie Minsky in Toronto) on a class proceeding on behalf of certain groups of prisoners who accept been held in lone solitude in the BC correctional organization between 2005 and 2015. The Find of Civil Claim alleges that British Columbia'southward overuse of lone confinement is negligent and constitutes a number of breaches of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The certification hearing is fix for May 2020. Dennis meanwhile acted on behalf of The Advocates' Society as an intervenor in a petition to challenge the validity of Rule 11-8 of the BC Supreme Court Civil Rules, which purported to limit the number of experts that a political party could tender at trial on the issues of damages arising from personal injury or death. "I am increasingly a fan of Craig Dennis," offers a peer, "and I call back he is actually hitting that 'sweet spot' of his career in the market place. He is a great mind and a gentleman."

MCMILLAN

McMillan'due south Ontario litigation bench, distributed amidst its offices in Toronto and Ottawa, attends to a various diverseness of litigation matters and covers a broad range of practice areas. Toronto, the house'due south largest office, houses some of the firm's marquis partners. David Kent commands unanimous acclaim for his antitrust and competition acumen from peers all throughout Toronto and beyond. "David has been involved in every single competition course activity in Canada," testifies a peer. "No one is smarter and no one is ameliorate versed than him in the competition area."

NATHANSON SCHACHTER & THOMPSON

One of Vancouver's premier litigation boutiques, Nathanson Schachter & Thompson maintains its coveted dominance in the city's dispute resolution community. While the younger talent is at the firm is swelling in headcount and conspicuously proving themselves worthy of taking the baton, the more senior statesmen within the firm, Irwin Nathanson and Stephen Schachter still elicit no shortage of praise. A peer muses, "Irwin and Stephen are even so some of the busiest litigators in town and they're just still keeping on and having fun!" A client insists, "Irwin Nathanson is the best litigator I have e'er seen. [He is] Bright with the law, an incredibly quick study on complex technical and factual questions, and has a keen sense of what judges desire to hear." Another peer offers in summation, "If you have a client whose butt is really on the line, they are coming to Irwin for help, start phone call." About Schachter, a peer and former opponent quips, "I pride myself on beingness able to utilise certain wily tactics to outdo a lot of other litigators in town, but when I found myself against Steve Schachter I got caught in my ain trap! I thought, 'Oh human, he's using my same flim-flam on ME!'"


PALIARE ROLAND ROSENBERG ROTHSTEIN

Paliare Roland Rosenberg Rothstein earns a pride of identify amongst Toronto firms for its litigation full-blooded. Peers (throughout Toronto and beyond) are about unanimous in their praise and appreciation of its practitioners. "If a lawyer from Paliare is on a instance, you can nearly feel the advantage they accept in court," concedes i peer. "Judges seem to trust them implicitly, and they earn praise even when they lose." Firm namesake and figurehead Chris Paliare elicits unanimous back up. Indeed, Paliare is often name-dropped by peers in discussions of qualities that litigators should and do aspire to. Paliare successfully represented customer the Building Manufacture and Land Development Association in responding to an appeal in the Divisional Courtroom brought by the Urban center of Toronto. The Urban center sought to overturn a decision of the OMB (now LPAT) regarding the City's new Development Permit System. Boyfriend partner Linda Rothstein is as well considered a paragon of litigation excellence. "She is brilliant, has the ear of the bench and the bar," raves a peer, "and she is both high-minded and tough when she needs to be." In addition to her nomination every bit one of the state's summit 100 trial lawyers, she is likewise considered to be among the top 25 female litigators in Canada.

PEACOCK LINDER HALT & MACK

Calgary boutique Peacock Linder Halt & Mack attracts a great deal of referral work due to its niche – "sophisticated oil and gas litigation." Business firm figurehead Peter Linder is well known in the Calgary community as "a pit bull," with one peer and former opponent going on to elaborate, "If you're upward against him, y'all'd ameliorate be set up and you lot'd better exist energized. He's going to put yous through the paces, you lot have to struggle to keep up." His partner, Perry Mack, is unanimously championed in the Calgary community. "He has a more fifty-fifty-tempered approach, and he is also doing a lot more than neutral arbitrator piece of work these days," confirms a peer, "but don't let that fool y'all. As a courtroom guy, he is not to exist underestimated."

POLLEY Faith

Toronto bazaar Polley Faith has achieved extraordinary success in carving out a niche for itself amidst some much larger players on Bay Street in a curt menses of time. Name partner Andrew Faith leads the defense of an activity past the Monitor and other parties to the Sears Canada insolvency against ESL and other parties for the recovery of a $500 million dividend payment, fabricated while the embattled retailer was experiencing fiscal distress. "Andrew always does great work, and is uncommonly practiced at finding the advisable solution that accurately reflects the issue sought, not only the current trouble occurring," extols a client. "Nosotros rely on him heavily for not just legal expertise but strategic communication vis a vis the governance structure in place at the regulatory body."

RENNO VATHILAKIS

Celebrating five years in business equally of March 2020, Renno Vathilakis is some other Montréal litigation bazaar but i that follows a decidedly unconventional model. "This is non the cookie-cutter type of firm doing the routine, boring piece of work," notes a peer. "These guys take on whatever they want." "Whatever they desire" includes a vibrant mix of loftier-risk/high-reward litigation cases that range from grade actions (often in the plaintiff capacity) to contentious family law cases for high-net-worth individuals. Karim Renno, a "maverick" trial lawyer who held posts at Stikeman Elliott and IMK earlier forging this business firm, is called "very good at getting out there and getting his name around town," by a peer. Renno's assertive promotion is supported by his aggression in the courtroom. A peer concedes, "If you lot're looking to 'do the trip the light fantastic toe,' y'all're going to hate going against him considering yous're going to get hurt. If y'all try to dance effectually him, he will sink his teeth into your legs. You literally can't go on autopilot for a minute – Karim will always exist watching y'all and waiting for an opening to exploit a weakness." Renno is pb counsel representing Corporatek in a major securities case in which the opposing party is alleged to take participated in a massive Ponzi scheme and committed fraud. He is also lead counsel for Eurobank in an appeal in a $10 million case confronting Bombardier regarding the enforcement of international messages of credit.

ROY O'CONNOR

Toronto bazaar Roy O'Connor has, since its genesis in 2004, etched itself a position as an independent player in the market, free to straddle a mix of plaintiff and defense capacities. Peter Roy continues to generate plaudits for his work in commercial and D&O piece of work. "Peter Roy is a true trial lawyer," voices a competitor. "He has made a name for himself as someone who attracts clients who are not afraid to roll the die and have matters all the way if they feel they are suffering an injustice." Roy is engaged in a matter concerning an oral agreement regarding a purchase of Burger King Canada. Roy is also leading an ongoing plaintiff course activity involving the collapse of a shopping mall in Elliot Lake, Ontario. He also is acting for the master beneficiaries and the companies an alleged oppression and breach-of-trust action arising out of a contested estate matter and, more recently, is handling a pregnant appeal on behalf of a prospector for royalties concerning diamonds.

SMART & BIGGAR

In the Ottawa part of Canada's deepest and largest intellectual property specialist shop Smart & Biggar, Steve Garland is arguably the firm'southward virtually visible and active trial lawyer as of late, boasting several landmark wins to his credit. Garland represented Cenovus when a plaintiff commenced an action for patent infringement against the customer in 2013 in relation to a water treatment process for utilize in steam-assisted gravity drainage oil extraction. In November 2019, the court dismissed the action as a effect of delays incurred by the customer. Garland is also representing popular social media app Snapchat in a patent dispute.

SHAPRAY CRAMER FITTERMAN & LAMER

Vancouver litigation boutique Shapray Cramer Fitterman & Lamer is considered by many local peers to be responsible for "breaking the mold" in the model that has go a lot more commonplace since. "Shapray Cramer set the standard, they were way alee of the curve," testifies a peer. "From the very beginning, [firm figurehead] Howard Shapray has led the charge in building a squad that serves one purpose only: to be fighters for clients who need them and be ready to bloody the nose of the other side when needed." Shapray's vision has indeed paid dividends in the work driven his style. "Don't come up to Howard looking for bargains," advises a peer. "You go to this business firm with the foam only, the high-stakes practice-or-die piece of work." Shapray's multi-faceted litigation basket is as diverse every bit information technology is premium. In the commercial litigation infinite, he is interim for a plaintiff company in a multimillion-dollar dispute confronting former officers and directors in a claim alleging breach of fiduciary duty and fraud. He is too leading an activeness to recover $eighteen million of stolen funds allegedly disposed of in a circuitous money laundering conspiracy. In the municipal law category, Shapray is representing a developer in a Judicial Review Proceeding of the City of Vancouver'southward controversial administrative decision in relation to the issuance of a evolution let for a large projection in the city'due south Chinatown district. In the estate litigation space, Shapray is leading an action to set bated a will of an elderly testator, allegedly procured by undue influence, which made dramatic changes to the administration and disposition of a large estate for the benefit of the testator's caregivers, their children and grandchildren.

STOCKWOODS

Since its formation in 1979, the Stockwoods barrister'south boutique has concentrated exclusively on litigation, and in this capacity has won rapturous acclaim from peers fifty-fifty exterior Ontario. "The whole 'litigation boutique' model that is becoming all the rage now, just Stockwoods pioneered it," confirms a peer. Some other extols, "Information technology's a pretty deep team over in that location now, and they're all across-the-board superb. In that location'south not a unmarried lawyer there who I would call just 'average.'" The firm is unique amongst Toronto firms (fifty-fifty among its boutiques) in the portfolio it attends to, which encompasses white-collar crime, public and administrative law, securities, and a niche in tribunal advisory piece of work as well. The business firm is too noted for its growing commercial police force practice. Firm mainstays Brian Gover and Paul LeVay withal control plaudits from several levels of the legal community. Gover is co-lead counsel for an air ambulance entity in a high-profile inquest into the expiry of an indigenous artist in Thunder Bay, Ontario. He is championed as someone who "brings a loftier level of credibility to whatsoever matter," according to a peer. "When Brian is on a case, judges and tribunals lend weight to his arguments." LeVay is representing Toronto-Dominion Banking company in defence force of two competition/antitrust class deportment, one concerning alleged manipulation of the Foreign Exchange market and the other apropos alleged manipulation of the sub-sovereign debt market, both using the once-pop Bloomberg Chat service. LeVay is nonetheless considered "a leader in the securities area," according to peers. "While Stockwoods as an outfit handles a pretty mixed purse, when you lot call up of securities litigation, you call back of Paul."

SUGDEN MCFEE & ROOS

A Vancouver litigation boutique that is equanimous of "some of the almost nicest courtroom fighters you volition ever meet," Sugden McFee & Roos is routinely revered equally a firm housing litigators whose "combined IQ has got to exist in the high quadruple digits" and who are "civil and ethical beyond reproach." The respectful arroyo displayed past the house'due south partners evidently is frequently reciprocated. "They command respect from all their peers and the judges." The firm is besides unique in its balance of criminal and civil piece of work, taking on a diverse and novel basket of cases ranging from commercial disputes to personal injury claims. Robin McFee remains one of the firm's figureheads as well as a trusted trial advocate. "Robin oft gets politically sensitive cases that don't use in-house counsel," states a peer. "And no ane has more credibility in these types of cases than he does. He is a true admirer of the legal community, and everyone gives him instant respect to his arguments, no matter how much they might disagree with his position." McFee is also involved in a case dealing with public admission rights over private land, and has also succeeded on a family trust case the transfer of buying of an apple orchard in the Okanagan region of BC.

WADDELL PHILLIPS

John Kingman Phillips at the relatively new maverick Toronto boutique Waddell Phillips is addressed by the community every bit "a true dyed-in-the-wool barrister, with a lot of strength and heart. He does a lot of the First Nation work, which are big, long, complicated cases, and you often have to look a while to get paid on them." Phillips also recently settled a example with Transport Canada on behalf of an employee client who claimed sexual harassment besides as hostile workplace allegations in the wake of the distribution of a music file that was altered with racially offensive lyrics.

WOODS

Montréal boutique Woods is revered non just as one of the strongest boutiques in the urban center but ane of the strongest litigation groups of whatever firm in Québec. Patrick Ouellet, addressed by peers as "a usual suspect and for a very practiced reason," remains as active equally ever. Ane peer even asserts, "Patrick is basically running Woods to an extent." Within the terminal year, Ouellet had 2 class actions dismissed at certification level, and he has led two trials on the merits, with one of these, a matter dealing with abusive proceedings between two real manor entities, existence brought to Ouellet from some other firm specifically when the instance looked probable to proceed to trial.

WRIGHT TEMELINI

Toronto'south Wright Temelini takes "litigation boutique" to a new level. There are only two partners at the business firm after six years. "They have an interesting little niche," observes a peer. "They do white-collar crime and securities, and they thrive on high-stakes litigation." The firm is likewise noted for "non wanting to be and so wrapped up in the billable hour that they are not able to take cases involving issues of justice. They've got quite a few insider trading cases, and these are coming because of expertise. A lot of industry referrals are coming along with the standard client conflict referrals." Another highly touted boutique in the Toronto market place notes, "They are definitely worth your consideration. They are fantastic people, very solid, our go-to referral in this [securities] area when we desire someone who knows their stuff and is not going to have the client to the cleaners financially. They take the client relationship very seriously too, it's not commoditized services, which is sometimes a real risk." Enjoying her second annual placement among both the acme 50 trial lawyers in Canada and the top 25 female litigators in the country, Janice Wright is a favorite of peers. "She does quite a few insider trading cases. If I had a white-collar case, she would be my first telephone call." Wright's reputation extends to the bench every bit well; "Janice is quondam schoolhouse, and she has enough brownie with judges to get abroad with her no-bullshit demeanor."

Last updated April 2020