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Find Lawyers in Canada for Class Action Litigation
Practice Area Overview
In most Canadian provinces, the certification process for a proposed class action involves a similar test that uses the following criteria: (a) the statement of claim discloses a reasonable cause of action (i.e. one not plainly and obviously doomed to fail), (b) there is an identifiable class of two or more persons, (c) the claim raises common issues (the questions of law common to the class must predominate over questions affecting individual members), (d) a class proceeding is the preferable procedure for the resolution of the common issues (it supersedes other available methods to resolve the issue in dispute); and (e) the representative plaintiff will fairly and adequately represent the class.
Unlike in other Canadian provinces, Quebec’s class action screening phase is referred to as the “authorization” rather than “certification” stage. The authorization of a class action in Quebec is subject to meeting the following criteria: (a) the class members’ claims raise identical, similar or related questions of law or fact (common issues need not predominate), (b) the facts alleged seem to justify the conclusions sought, (c) it is difficult for the class members to join in the same suit or appoint a representative to act on their behalf, and (d) the representative plaintiff is in a position to adequately represent the class.
Once a class action is certified or authorized, the merits of the case will be assessed in a trial of the common issues, as in any other conventional lawsuit.
Each Canadian province provides for rights of appeal at the various stages of a class action and various regimes for the filing of evidence, preliminary motions, discoveries, and other procedural steps.
Class action lawyers must have a thorough understanding of the intricacies of class action proceedings and keep abreast of developments in this constantly changing area of the law. Clients facing a proposed class action should seek out firms and attorneys with recognized class action expertise, in addition to knowledge and experience regarding the substance of the claim.
Select a location from the list below to find the best legal talent for your needs.
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Rahool's practice focuses on complex commercial and civil litigation, including contractual disputes, shareholder disputes, proxy fights, director and officer liability, complex fraud cases and class actions. He has also acted in a broad range of constitutional and public law matters, including cases involving the constitutionality of a safe injection site, the application of state immunity to claims of torture and the discretion of physicians to unilaterally withdraw life support. Rahool has...
For more than 35 years, Bernard Amyot has developed a practice that is primarily focused on civil and commercial litigation. He has extensive experience before the Quebec courts, having represented Canada’s leading financial institutions. He has lectured and written frequently on legal issues of interest to his clients. His professional liability defence work extends to lawyers as well as stockbrokers, insurance brokers, engineers and accountants. He has acted as lead counsel in numerou...
Sarah Armstrong is the Chair of Fasken’s Ontario Litigation and Dispute Resolution Practice Group. An experienced and strategic litigator with broad litigation, arbitration and dispute resolution experience, she has developed a robust practice focused on commercial and contractual disputes and class action defence. Sarah is also a member of Fasken’s Ontario Professional Development Committee and is Co-Chair of the firm’s Ontario Pro Bono Committee. Working with clients acros...
Éric Azran is a partner in the Litigation & Dispute Resolution Group. His practice extends to all aspects of civil and commercial litigation, ranging from providing clients with legal opinions and strategic advice to representing clients in Québec courts of first instance and appeal, as well as administrative tribunals. He also chaired the Montréal office’s Pro Bono Committee from 2010 to 2012. He is currently Co-Chair of the National Diversity Committee, and a ...
Matthew is a partner in the Class Actions group at McKenzie Lake Lawyers in London, Ontario, Canada. His practice focuses on Plaintiff side class actions and mass torts, particularly product liability and consumer protections claims. Matthew offers his clients a depth of experience and track record of success in many types of class actions. Since 2003, he has worked on some of the leading Canadian class actions.
Kirk is a partner at Koskie Minsky LLP and is head of the firm’s class action group. He has been repeatedly recognized by Lexpert, Chambers Canada and Benchmark Canada as a leading Canadian practitioner in the field of class action litigation. Mr. Baert has appeared in courts across the country, including the Ontario Court of Appeal, Quebec Court of Appeal, Newfoundland Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada, on matters dealing with all aspects of class action litigation. Mr. B...
Mihnea Bantoiu practises primarily civil and commercial litigation. He has acted in a variety of high-profile litigation matters, including investment services and insurance liability, commercial and shareholder disputes, class actions, estate litigation, bankruptcy and insolvency, compliance with non-competition clauses and injunctions and other provisional measures. Mihnea has also assisted companies and their executives in defence of legal proceedings instituted by the Autorité des ...
Known for her strategic counsel and trial skills, Sandra Barton is a leading civil and commercial litigation lawyer based in the Toronto office. Sandra is recognized as one of the top corporate commercial litigators in Canada by the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory , and was featured among the country’s leading class actions lawyers in the 2015 edition of The Best Lawyers in Canada . Working seamlessly with clients and counsel across Canada and the U.S., Sandra brings extensive expertis...
Seasoned litigator Marc Beauchemin is a key player on Montréal’s municipal and legal scene. As Chair of De Grandpré Chait's Board of Directors and Executive Committee, Marc Beauchemin plays a central role within the firm. His legal practice has two foci. In his first area of practice, municipal law, he represents the private interests of his clients, particularly major property owners, in the context of real estate developments throughout Québec. He and his speciali...
Jean Bertrand focuses on commercial and corporate litigation, including class actions and arbitration, and on administrative law, with emphasis on regulated activity such as competition, transportation, international trade and energy. He has appeared frequently before Quebec and federal courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada, as well as before regulatory boards such as the Commission des transports du Québec, the Régie de l’énergie, the Competition Tribunal, ...
Laurence Bich-Carrière practises in the Litigation Group. A member of the Quebec Bar and of the Law Society of Ontario, her practice is wide-ranging, and she provides services in areas that include class actions, municipal affairs, consumer protection, construction law, administrative law, and infrastructure. She represents a variety of clients before the court, particularly in appeal cases, and also advises clients on drafting and negotiating contracts and settlements and on risk mana...
Ms. Émilie Bilodeau practises mainly in the fields of insurance law and civil litigation. She is specialised in damage insurance and professional liability and has acquired experience in complex disputes and large scale litigation files management. Me Bilodeau completed her universitary education in law in 2009 as well as her Master in Business Administration at Université de Sherbrooke. She was called to the Bar in 2010. As an academician, Ms. Bilodeau won several awards for ex...
Michael Binetti, Managing Partner of the firm, brings a proven litigation background plus extensive experience in arguing both trials and appeals. He has demonstrated his strategic legal capability and expertise in wide-ranging areas of litigation. Michael’s peers and clients have commented that Michael is an “excellent and creative lawyer,” “finds unique solutions to complex problems,” and that “Michael gets it and knows how to win.” Michael represen...
David Bishop is a partner at Gowlings and head of Calgary's Advocacy Group. David’s practice involves all aspects of corporate/commercial litigation with an emphasis on directors' and officers' defence, product liability, professional liability disputes, shareholder disputes, class actions, large property and industrial claims, and environmental litigation. He is familiar with all aspects of dispute resolution, including private mediations, judicial dispute resolution conferences and ar...
Joëlle Boisvert is the Managing Partner of the firm's Montréal office and a member of the firm’s national executive team. As an experienced commercial litigator, Joëlle counsels large national and international companies with regards to a variety of complex dispute matters. During her 25-year career, she has developed extensive experience in class actions and litigation pertaining to commercial and real estate law, including in the areas of franchising, as well as manuf...
Andrew Borrell is a litigation and dispute resolution Partner in Fasken's Vancouver office. As an internationally-recognized leader in the defence of class actions, he represents defendants in matters in the Superior Courts and Courts of Appeal, as well as the Supreme Court of Canada. Andrew also advises defendants who anticipate defending class actions or seek to limit their exposure to class actions.
Jean-Michel's practice focuses on commercial litigation, class actions, product liability, insurance law and securities litigation. He is currently involved in a number of ongoing class actions where he defends major corporations and company directors and officers. Before joining IMK, Jean-Michel served as a clerk at the Supreme Court of Canada for the Honourable Ian Binnie and practiced commercial litigation at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP in New York City. Jean-Michel is the co-author of thr...
Noah Boudreau is a member of the Litigation & Dispute Resolution group. His practice is primarily focused on class action, product liability, cybersecurity, consumer protection and transportation litigation matters. Noah acts regularly for internationally known corporations in the defence of significant private and class actions. Many of his cases have cross-border and international implications and Noah works closely with counsel in the U.S. and other jurisdictions to ensure strategic co...
Guillaume Boudreau-Simard is a partner in the Litigation & Dispute Resolution Group. Over the years, Guillaume has developed a specific expertise in class actions primarily defending manufacturers and banking institutions. His practice focuses on all aspects of litigation, including advising, drafting procedures and representing clients before the courts. Guillaume also possesses a vast experience in other various types of litigation, including matters related to commercial or contractual...
Myriam Brixi practises in civil and commercial litigation, primarily in the areas of class actions, product liability and insurance law. She has participated in complex class actions raising important legal issues, including a wide range of multi-jurisdictional class actions. The experience she has gained in these major cases has enabled her to develop a comprehensive knowledge of the procedural and strategic aspects of class actions in Canada. Me Brixi is ranked as a Future Star by Benchmark...
David Byers is senior counsel and former Co-Chair of the National Litigation & Dispute Resolution Group. David is highly experienced in complex commercial litigation, including product liability, securities, insolvency and insurance, as well as in domestic and international arbitration. David has extensive advocacy experience appearing before both the Trial and Appellate levels of courts in Ontario. His representations reflect a practice of extraordinary depth and scope, including acting ...
Nadia Campion's practice focuses on complex commercial litigation including shareholder oppression applications, D&O liability, estates matters, class actions and professional liability. Nadia also has an active land development and real estate litigation practice. Nadia has extensive trial experience and appears regularly before the Superior Court of Justice, Ontario Court of Appeal and various regulatory and administration tribunals. She also has expertise in Toronto Commercial List pro...
Mr. Caron is a founding partner of LCM and is the managing partner of the firm. He focuses his practice on litigation and commercial law. Business communities turn to him for his proven ability to find solutions to complex problems. He has been involved in a number of major class actions and has extensive experience in arbitration and alternative dispute resolution. He regularly acts on behalf of financial institutions, including securities brokers and advisors, whom he counsels on the drafti...
Maddy’s practice involves representing plaintiffs in class actions involving institutional abuse, environmental issues, pharmaceutical and product liability, Crown liability, privacy breaches, and a variety of other systemic issues. Maddy has a law degree from the Schulich School of Law (2010) and a Master of Law from Cambridge University (2014). She is a recipient of the Right Honourable Paul Martin Sr. Scholarship and was recognized by Cambridge University for her academic achievement...
Partner at Woods, Bodgan Catanu’s practice focuses on complex commercial disputes. He has extensive experience in high-stakes contractual matters, class actions, and corporate litigation. He has pleaded before the first instance and appeal tribunals of the province of Québec. He acted as lead counsel in several commercial arbitrations, notably a $200 million supplier–distributor UNCITRAL arbitration. He was recently co-lead counsel for certain bondholders of Nemaska Lithium...
Marie-Pier Cloutier has vast experience in civil, commercial and administrative litigation obtained over the course of ten years in high-profile and large-scale cases before trial and appeal courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada. https://woods.qc.ca/en/team/marie-pier-cloutier
Tracey Cohen, KC is a leading commercial litigation and dispute resolution Partner in the Vancouver office. Tracey has been recognized for expertise in Corporate and Commercial Litigation, Securities Litigation and International and Commercial Arbitration and has repeatedly been recognized as one of Canada’s top 25 female litigators. Tracey was appointed as King’s Counsel in 2015 and was admitted as a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers in March 2019. Tracey has been n...
Laura Cooper is Leader of Fasken’s Litigation and Dispute Resolution Practice Group and Co-Chair of the firm’s Class Actions practice group. She has extensive experience in class action litigation, with particular emphasis on securities, competition, consumer and privacy class actions. Laura acts regularly for internationally known corporations in the defence of significant class actions. Many of her cases have cross-border and international implications and Laura works closely wi...
Marc-André Coulombe is a partner in the Litigation & Dispute Resolution Group and a member of the firm’s Partnership Board. He joined the firm as a student in 1991, and became a member of the Quebec Bar in 1993. His practice covers all facets of litigation, ranging from providing strategic advice to clients on litigious or potentially litigious issues to representing clients at trial and in appeal before the Quebec courts and the Federal Court of Canada. He has broad experien...
Geoff Cowper, KC is a leading general litigator and a leader of the Firm's Litigation & Dispute Resolution group. Geoff has served as counsel in leading private and public cases in Canada and internationally. These have included leading decisions with national and international dimensions respecting commercial law, public law and human rights.
Vincent de l’Étoile is a partner of the litigation group and he is a member of the firm’s Board of Directors. He has specialized mainly in the fields of civil and commercial litigation, class actions, product liability, consumer law and competition law. Vincent is a creative and dedicated lawyer combining pragmatism and depth to satisfy clients’ needs. He is leading cases, advises and assists his clients in various fields. His practice is mainly characterized by the d...
Marie-Louise Delisle is a partner at Woods LLP, a leading Montreal litigation boutique. She has near twenty years of experience in the fields of commercial and civil litigation. She is involved in several major cases, more specifically in matters relating to securities, class actions, and professional liability, including that of accountants and stockbrokers. She is recognized as having a vast trial experience in addition to handling countless matters relating to injunctions, including Anton ...
For 30 years, Craig Dennis, Q.C. has represented clients in significant litigation matters at the trial and appellate levels. Craig is a partner at Dennis James Aitken LLP. His practice has a business focus with an emphasis on the effective resolution of complex commercial disputes. His litigation expertise includes the defense of class actions, professional liability, shareholder and related corporate disputes, product liability, land-related disputes, as well as administrative and constitut...
Jeremy Devereux acts as an advocate and negotiator in a wide range of complex commercial and regulatory matters. His experience includes securities and financial services disputes, regulatory investigations and prosecutions, corporate and commercial litigation, class actions, employment law, estates litigation, mining law and administrative law. He has appeared as counsel before the Ontario courts, the Federal Court of Canada, and numerous tribunals and arbitration panels. Mr. Devereux freque...
Tony is a Partner and Co-Leader of the firm’s Competition, Marketing and Foreign Investment Group. As former counsel to Canada’s Commissioner of Competition (Department of Justice Canada) and having served as counsel in many of Canada’s most significant competition matters, Tony is widely recognized as one of Canada’s leading practitioners in competition law and litigation. Tony represents and counsels clients in domestic and multi-jurisdictional competition matters, i...
Alex Dobrota is a partner at Woods LLP whose practice focuses on complex commercial cases, cross-border disputes, insolvency matters (domestic and international) and international arbitration. He has extensive experience pleading before all levels of Quebec courts and participating in commercial arbitrations with strategic and/or reputational risks for Canadian and foreign companies in the province of Quebec. He has successfully represented clients in the context of litigations arising from s...
Alan D’Silva is a partner in the Litigation & Dispute Resolution Group. He is considered a leading litigation lawyer in Canada with expertise in a number of areas of law, including defence of class actions, corporate/commercial disputes, securities litigation, shareholder/oppression cases, large insurance litigation, accountants’ and auditors’ negligence, professional negligence, sports law and directors’ and officers’ claims. Alan has served on the Managemen...
Jim’s knowledge and expertise are focused on construction, insurance, energy and resources, professional liability, and civil disputes in business and other contexts, from a problem solving and litigation perspective. He has experience before all levels of court in Saskatchewan, courts in Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta and the Supreme Court of Canada, as well as before various administrative tribunals and regulatory bodies. He has also appeared before arbitral tribunals and served as an arb...
As a partner at JSS Barristers, Kajal’s practice primarily involves large and complex file management, organization, and analysis. Kajal has experience advocating claims on behalf of individuals, corporations, and groups of litigants. In her practice she works closely with her clients including individuals, in-house counsel and business groups. Kajal practices in most areas of civil litigation with a focus on oil and gas litigation, securities litigation, construction disputes, includin...
Craig Ferris, QC is a litigator and acts for clients in commercial and business disputes. His particular areas of specialization include shareholder remedies, trust, pension and fiduciary disputes, securities and transactional litigation, product liability, mining disputes and real estate litigation. Craig has appeared in all levels of court in British Columbia as well as the Supreme Court of Canada. He has also acted in private arbitrations and in administrative settings including before the...
Bryan Finlay KC is recognized as one of the top litigation lawyers in Canada. Bryan's counsel practice is broad and has engaged the most complex commercial, constitutional, tort and public law issues. These have included issues of corporate espionage, spoliation, fraud, shareholder rights, directors' and officers' responsibilities, financial reporting obligations, responsibilities and obligations of government and its various agencies, securities regulation, fiduciary obligations, defamation,...
François Fontaine has a wealth of experience as a litigator in civil, corporate and commercial litigation and penal procedure, including white collar crime and regulatory investigations, before all Quebec courts and the Supreme Court of Canada. Mr. Fontaine devotes a significant portion of his practice to representing clients before the courts and tribunals in administrative litigation (including injunctions and judicial review). Mr. Fontaine has a great deal of experience in fraud and...
Jean-François Forget is a partner in the Litigation & Dispute Resolution Group, where he acts for many public and private companies on international, national, and local matters. His practice focuses on business and commercial law disputes and touches on all aspects of dispute resolution, from advice on complex litigation matters to representing clients before all levels of courts, obtaining urgent extraordinary remedies as well as engaging in alternate dispute resolution processes...
Linda Fuerst is one of Canada’s leading securities and commercial litigators. Her litigation practice covers a broad range of commercial and professional liability matters, with a particular focus on securities litigation, class proceedings and regulatory issues. She has litigated civil, criminal and regulatory matters and has appeared before all levels of court in Ontario, the Supreme Court of British Columbia, the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia and the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal, and r...
Marie-Pier Gagnon Nadeau practises with the Civil and Commercial Litigation group at the Montréal office. Her practice focuses on class actions dealing with complex questions of civil liability, protection of personal information in the private sectors, product liability, securities, consumer law, and private international law. Marie-Pier has worked on numerous files managing key aspects of interjurisdictional disputes in the context of multijurisdictional class actions, as well as pse...
Craig Gillespie is a founding partner of Cuming & Gillespie LLP . He is a leading personal injury, class action, and medical malpractice lawyer with a proven track record of success. With decades of experience representing clients throughout Western Canada, he has secured multi-million dollar settlements and verdicts in complex cases. Craig has been consistently recognized for his exceptional work, including being named medical malpractice lawyer of the year. Beyond his legal practice, Cr...
Sean Griffin is a partner in the litigation group in Langlois lawyers’ Montréal office and a member of the firm’s Board of Directors. His practice focuses on complex litigation involving constitutional, administrative and commercial law issues, as well as corporate and securities matters. With recognized expertise in defending public and private corporations, financial institutions and various entities active in the financial markets, including their directors and officers,...
David takes a holistic approach to his cases in order to find efficient and practical real-world solutions for his clients. He represents clients in a diverse group of practice areas, with a focus on contractual claims and civil liability. He has particular expertise managing complex and multi-party disputes, and has pleaded before all levels of court in Canada, including the Supreme Court. David is also a director of the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, where he works, among other p...
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