Find Lawyers in Toronto, Ontario for International Arbitration
Practice Area Overview
When an international commercial dispute arises, many lawyers’ immediate reflex is to institute proceedings in court; however, there is a more effective dispute resolution mechanism - arbitration. International commercial arbitration (ICA) is recognized the world over as a leading method of private dispute resolution.
Some of the benefits may be summarized:
• ICA allows parties to select as adjudicators individuals who are highly specialized and experienced in the subject-matter of the dispute. Since the only requirement to be named as an arbitrator is that the individual be an adult with capacity, parties are free to select jurists and non-jurists alike. An expert tribunal can cut down on much of the preliminary work of explaining the contours of a specific and often complex area requiring technical expertise. The tribunal’s specialized knowledge also increases the likelihood of a correct decision within the given context;
• ICA allows parties to take the dispute resolution outside of the sphere of national courts that may not be well suited to deal with dispute of the parties in question;
• In contrast with court proceedings which are often governed by rigid and detailed rules of procedure, parties to an ICA are free to determine the law and rules governing both the substance of their dispute and the arbitration process itself allowing for maximum flexibility;
• ICA may be carried out ad hoc or under the auspices of arbitral institutions such as the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) or the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA);
• While confidentiality is the exception in most national courts, it is the rule in ICA. This is particularly appealing to clients who are particularly weary of confidential and valuable information becoming public record;
• Due to international legal instruments such as the United Nations Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards (“New York Convention”) and the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial arbitration, an arbitral award is more powerful, from an enforcement perspective, than the decision of a national court. The New Your Convention has been ratified by 156 state parties as of May 2015. Legislation based on the UNCITRAL Model Law has been adopted in 69 states (totaling 99 jurisdictions).
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...
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...
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...
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 ...
Biography Christina Doria assists corporations, public entities, and states with litigation and arbitration, including enforcement of awards and judgments, and internal investigations. Christina co-chairs Baker McKenzie's North American International Arbitration Group. She is recognized by Who's Who Legal (WWL) in Canada since 2020, and by WWL Arbitration globally since 2020. She was also recognized by The Legal 500 and Euromoney Expert Guides as a rising star for dispute resolution, by the C...
Rahat Godil is a business-minded litigator with a diverse practice focusing on complex and high-value commercial and contractual disputes. She is a strategic thinker and leader committed to excellence, professionalism and inclusiveness. Rahat has significant commercial arbitration experience and regularly represents clients in both international and domestic institutional and ad hoc arbitrations. Rahat also has substantial experience with joint venture and shareholder disputes, multi-party di...
Douglas Harrison is an independent commercial arbitrator and mediator, handling both international and domestic Canadian business disputes. He also acts as legal counsel in select matters, including designing arbitral procedures and enforcing arbitral awards, as well as doing opinion work. Mr. Harrison is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, a member of the CPR Panels of Distinguished Neutrals as both an arbitrator and mediator (Global Panel, Product Liability Panel and Pro Bon...
Greg Kanargelidis has more than 30 years of experience practicing in the areas of customs, international trade, and commodity tax law. In 2022 Greg opened his own law practice after a rewarding career at a large full-service firm based in Toronto, Ontario, the last 26 years as a partner and head of the firm’s International Trade Group. Greg is recognized as one of the leading international trade and customs lawyers in Canada and the world. Greg has extensive experience representing Cana...
Katherine Kay is a partner in the Litigation & Dispute Resolution and Competition & Foreign Investment Groups. She has served on the Partnership Board and Executive Committee, as well as the Management Committee in the Toronto office. Katherine leads the competition litigation group and her practice is concentrated on complex commercial litigation, often involving the interplay between regulatory, civil and criminal law regimes, and across multiple jurisdictions. Chambers Global has d...
Paul practice focuses on corporate commercial litigation and arbitration, shareholder and fraud litigation, appellate litigation and judicial review with particular expertise in complex cases with a regulatory or cross-border dimension. He has litigated cases involving failed hedge funds, derivatives, fraud and Ponzi schemes, arbitration-related court proceedings, shareholder disputes, construction and infrastructure, defamation and employment law. A highly experienced and versatile litigator...
Bruce Reynolds has earned a stellar reputation in the construction industry for settling disputes and drafting and negotiating contracts. Who’s Who Legal has recognized him as “one of the foremost construction practitioners in the world,” while his clients have praised him for his legal skills, integrity and clarity of insight. Bruce is Co-Managing Partner and Co-Chair of the firm’s International Construction Projects Group. He specializes in the resolution of construc...
Alexander Rose is a partner in the Litigation & Dispute Resolution Group. His practice focuses on complex commercial litigation, including securities litigation; litigation relating to oppression, takeover bids, proxy contests and other types of shareholder disputes; arbitration; and restructuring and insolvency proceedings. Alex has been involved in regulatory proceedings, injunctions and complex civil matters and has assisted companies in the conduct of internal investigations. He has a...
Frank Walwyn is known for his resourceful approach to litigating some of the most challenging business cases in Canada and the Caribbean. Frank is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and is repeatedly named as one of Canada’s top lawyers in the area of Corporate and Commercial Litigation in The Best Lawyers in Canada , Who’s Who Legal , Benchmark Canada, the Guide to Canada’s Leading Litigation Firms and Attorneys , and The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory , am...
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