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Find Lawyers in Ontario, Canada for Corporate and Commercial Litigation
Practice Area Overview
Commercial litigation is a very broad practice area encompassing all disputes potentially arising in a business context. Consequently, practitioners in this area must have wide-ranging knowledge of both the business world and the myriad legal issues that can arise in that arena.
Commercial disputes may take on various forms, from breach of contract to shareholder disputes. Every litigious situation gives rise to a wide variety of remedies and recourses, such as an action for damages, a motion for an injunction, or a seizure before judgment. Furthermore, depending on their nature, such disputes can fall under the jurisdiction of several courts, each with its own set of rules.
In this challenging environment, commercial litigators must be able to assess the strengths and weaknesses of each situation and gauge their potential impact. Thorough knowledge of the commercial and operational issues at play will allow the practitioner to propose an appropriate litigation or ADR strategy, perhaps even a business solution.
Commercial litigation has evolved considerably over the years due to several factors, such as the near-universal adoption of information technology by businesses, and the increased complexity of commercial disputes. Add to that a slowing Canadian economy, and it is clear that commercial litigators must be prepared for war but open to peace.
Caroline Abela specializes in complex business and estate litigation matters. Focusing on commercial and corporate litigation and estates and trusts litigation, Caroline represents clients ranging from large corporations and institutions to small business owners and professionals. Caroline has appeared as counsel before all levels of courts in Ontario and the Federal Court of Canada. Caroline has been named in the Who’s Who Legal for Asset Recovery and in the Canadian Legal Lexpert Dire...
Mark is a Partner at Ross & McBride LLP. He is the head of the Estate and Commercial Litigation Groups. Mark's practice focuses on commercial and estate litigation. He acts for a variety of clients that include public and private companies, institutions and individuals. With over twenty years of trial and advocacy experience, Mark has handled many complex cases and has appeared in all levels of court in Ontario.
John's advocacy is tried and tested, having conducted dozens of lengthy and complex arbitrations, trials, and administrative hearings. John has a robust appellate practice, having appeared at the Court of Appeal for Ontario on over 40 appeals and before the Supreme Court of Canada on multiple occasions. John does not shy from challenge. Some of John’s most notable cases are the product of his creative, boundary-testing approach, and passion for applying the law creatively to achieve sen...
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...
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...
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...
With a practice spanning Canada and the US, Simon focuses on commercial and corporate litigation, directors’ and officers’ liability, securities litigation, class actions, and professional negligence. Simon represents a broad range of clients, including various regulated professionals, directors and officers, oppressed shareholders, and public and private companies. Simon delivers results, both in and out of the courtroom. He has a robust trial and appellate practice, appearing re...
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...
Brendan solves difficult problems. Brendan has a combined 25 years of experience at Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP and a boutique full-service firm. Brendan began his career as a litigator and trial lawyer before focusing his practice on insolvency, restructuring and commercial litigation. Brendan’s expertise as a trial lawyer is especially sought after by clients looking to resolve and restructure complex claims. Brendan has acted for borrowers, creditors, purchasers, court officers, and g...
Ryan has a general litigation practice including both commercial and personal injury litigation. He acts for both plaintiffs and defendants. Prior to founding his own firm, Ryan was a partner in the country’s leading litigation boutique, where his practice included representing doctors and other defendants in medical malpractice and personal injury cases, as well as a wide range of commercial litigation, including construction and employment law. Ryan has conducted many trials throughou...
Robert Brush is recognized as one of Canada’s leading securities and corporate commercial litigation lawyers. In addition to being recognized as Securities Litigation Lawyer of the Year for 2020 by Benchmark Litigation , Robert has been recognized by Lexpert as one of the Top 500 Lawyers in Canada and has been featured in the Lexpert Special Edition on Canada’s Leading Litigation Lawyers. He has also been recognized as a leading corporate commercial litigator by Best Lawyers in Ca...
John is the former head of the firm's litigation practice. With degrees in both engineering and law, he practises in the areas of environmental law, litigation, and administrative law, and has appeared as counsel on matters in all levels of the courts in Ontario, and before several administrative tribunals, including the Environmental Review Tribunal, the Board of Directors of the College of Chiropractors of Ontario, the Commercial Registration Appeal Tribunal, the Law Society of Upper Canada...
Todd Burke is a senior litigation partner in the firm's Ottawa office. His practice is focused on commercial litigation, professional liability and risk management. With over 20 years of experience, Todd has handled complex disputes for individuals, private and public companies, as well as government and other public agencies. His representation includes early case assessment, regular reporting, project management, e-discovery best practices, effective budgeting and vigorous representation. T...
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...
Frank is a senior litigator in Hicks Morley’s Toronto office. He is a strategic counsel for his clients, and has significant courtroom and hearing experience representing clients in complex and high-profile cases. Frank represents his clients as a close and long-term advisor, and as a highly skilled advocate on their most important and challenging cases. Frank has particular expertise in arguing judicial review and appeals, and in litigation relating to the following: employment dispute...
John’s practice is in corporate and commercial litigation, and includes contract disputes, real estate litigation, shareholder remedies, fiduciary obligations, insolvency and class actions. He has appeared before all levels of trial and appellate courts and before domestic and international arbitral tribunals. A significant percentage of his practice is in the Ontario Commercial Court. He has also represented members of the National Hockey League in salary arbitrations with their player...
Shantona co-founded Pape Chaudhury in 2018. She represents both individual and institutional clients in civil and commercial disputes. Her practice includes commercial litigation, class actions, torts, professional discipline, professional negligence, administrative, constitutional, and public international law. Shantona has considerable expertise in appeals: she has been counsel in over 30 cases at the Ontario Court of Appeal and has successfully argued at the Supreme Court of Canada. She al...
Clifford Cole is a partner at the firm's and head of the firm's Advocacy Department in Toronto. He is also a past leader of Gowlings' firm-wide Advocacy Group. Clifford's practice focuses upon complex commercial litigation with particular emphasis on contract disputes, shareholder litigation, professional liability claims and environmental law. His practice also includes cross-border disputes in the areas of environmental, product liability and class action litigation. Given his experience, h...
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...
Michael Cooper is a partner at Whelton Hiutin. His commercial litigation practice focuses on construction, real estate and leasing, shareholder disputes and employment law. In the areas of construction and real estate litigation, Michael has represented a number of large land developers and contractors in complex disputes. He has appeared before all levels of court in Ontario, representing clients at trials, applications and motions. He has also appeared before a number of administrative trib...
Alistair Crawley is a founding partner of Crawley MacKewn Brush LLP and is one of Canada’s leading securities and corporate commercial litigation lawyers. Alistair’s practice includes all aspects of litigation and advice involving the capital markets and the securities industry, including investigations and enforcement hearings, contested corporate transactions and investment loss claims. Alistair has argued some of Canada’s most significant securities law cases, including t...
Michael Crichton is a partner in Gowling WLG's Ottawa office and the Canadian leader of Gowling WLG's Intellectual Property Litigation & Strategy Group. Michael has well over a decade of experience as an intellectual property litigator and strategic adviser. Both his domestic and international clients consist of companies engaged in a wide range of technologies, including mechanical, electrical, computer hardware and software, manufacturing/fabrication, communications, and related technol...
Jennifer Danahy is a partner in the firm's Toronto office, practising exclusively in the area of environmental law. As a solicitor, Jennifer works proactively with clients to provide timely and practical legal advice on environmental matters. This includes providing advice to lenders, borrowers, vendors and purchasers in relation to the environmental aspects of corporate transactions, assisting clients with the design and implementation of Environmental Management Systems and Best Management ...
Eric Davis is an LSO Certified Specialist in Municipal Law (Local Government/Land Use Planning and Development) who acts for homeowners, businesses, developers, and other private sector clients. He also represents municipalities and other public bodies across Ontario, including school boards. Eric regularly assists clients with planning- and zoning-related matters, including re-zonings, plans of subdivision, site plans, minor variances, and severances, as well as Ontario Land Tribunal appeals...
Sam De Caprio is an accomplished litigator with over 25 years of practice experience. He represents clients in commercial disputes, tort actions and construction-related project claims. Sam has significant trial and arbitration experience and has appeared as counsel in criminal law proceedings, administrative hearings and professional disciplinary proceedings. Sam has experience working with public and private corporations, and he advises foreign clients doing business in Canada. He is also c...
Ken Dekker, a partner of Affleck Greene McMurtry LLP, has over two decades of successful trial and appellate experience. Ken has litigated noteworthy and complex cases, including class action defence, securities and broker-dealer litigation and regulatory proceedings, corporate and shareholder disputes (including oppression and winding up cases), defamation, civil fraud litigation, disputes over contracts, injunctions, professional liability litigation, employment litigation and cross-border ...
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...
John Doherty is a partner in the firm's Waterloo Region office practising in civil litigation, with a focus on municipal and commercial litigation. In his commercial litigation practice, John is an advocate before the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, Divisional Court and Court of Appeal for Ontario. In addition, John's municipal litigation practice leads him to appear before municipal boards and councils, and a variety of administrative tribunals, including the Ontario Municipal Board, with...
Brendan is co-founder of Donovan Kochman LLP, a boutique law firm focused on estate and trusts litigation in Ontario. Brendan represents clients on all estates and trusts matters, including will challenges, will interpretations, dependant’s support claims, breach of trust claims, contested applications to pass accounts, and the removal of trustees. Brendan also represents clients in capacity litigation, including contested powers of attorney and guardianship litigation. His clients incl...
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...
Andre is a partner in Ottawa and practices in both official languages. Andre’s practice primarily encompasses banking, insolvency and restructuring litigation, representing major financial institutions, including chartered banks, credit unions and trust companies, as well as licensed insolvency trustee firms. Andre has extensive experience in complex insolvencies, receiverships and restructurings, and has appeared at all levels of Court in Ontario in such matters, including Commercial L...
Christopher Edwards is a senior partner in our Employment, Labour & Public Law , Commercial Litigation , Insurance and Workplace Investigations Groups. A seasoned litigator, he has over 20 years of experience conducting trials and hearings before administrative tribunals and arbitrators. Christopher has appeared at all levels of Courts in Ontario including the Ontario Court of Appeal and federally at the Federal Court of Appeal. Christopher is currently one of three partners on the Manage...
Valerie is a senior member of our Litigation Group and is a highly respected member of the litigation bar. In addition to her extensive experience as trial counsel, she has appeared as appellate counsel before both the Ontario Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada. With more than 25 years of experience at the Bar, Valerie has demonstrated established expertise in damages analysis, including business loss claims, business and share valuations, and real property valuations. She has ex...
Rated by Martindale-Hubbell as AV-Preeminent (highest rating) in litigation, commercial law and regulatory law, named one of Canada’s top 50 trial lawyers by Benchmark Litigation, listed in The Best Lawyers in Canada and Chambers Canada, Andrew has extensive trial and appellate experience before all levels of court, including the Supreme Court of Canada. Andrew is regularly chosen by nationally-recognized corporations, institutions and individuals to assist in complex commercial, regula...
Tim articled with Blaney McMurtry in 1991 and has been with the firm ever since. He was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1993 and became a Partner in 1999. Tim has acted for Insurers for most of his career. The current focus of his practice is on defending professional negligence claims, including the defence of errors & omissions claims against engineers, accountants, mortgage brokers, medical professionals and others. Additionally, he has represented directors and officers on insured D&a...
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,...
John is a founding partner of TGF and has a broad practice in complex commercial litigation with significant experience in insolvency and restructuring litigation. John has been lauded as an "excellent commercial litigator" and "a very credible, no-nonsense litigator who is extremely effective in court" in Chambers Global. John has been recognized as one of Canada’s top lawyers in the Lexpert/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada, as a leading lawyer for US/Canada C...
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.