Baker McKenzie’s Canadian dispute resolution practice sits as part of the firm’s global litigation offering and is valued by sources for its ability to resource complex, multi-jurisdictional cases. Under the leadership of John Pirie, who heads the national litigation group and the government enforcement group, the Toronto-based team is particularly active in fraud-related matters. The practice also has a significant asset recovery practice, where Pirie and Matthew Latella are both recommended.

Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP has a diverse litigation practice, which draws upon the firm’s full service offering to cover all areas of commercial litigation. Notable strengths include class actions, employment disputes, contentious insolvency matters and natural resources-related issues. Employment partner Laurie Jessome chairs the advocacy group. Group vice chair Lara Jackson is noted for class actions and securities litigation.

A leader in Western Canada, Lawson Lundell LLP has a prominent Vancouver litigation offering, which is supported by experienced partners in the firm’s Calgary, Kelowna and Yellowknife offices. The group has a particularly strong reputation for cases involving in natural resources, securities, defamation and environmental law. Names to note include Marko Vesely, who has a focus on class actions and defamation, and Craig Ferris QC, who has strong experience in financial services and pensions litigation.

Since its establishment in 2017, McEwan Partners has worked to consolidate its offering and now houses 13 lawyers, including seven former judicial clerks, in its Vancouver base at the time of writing. The experienced team brings to bear diverse skills sets, with notable expertise in corporate and commercial litigation, class actions, and administrative law. Founding partner Kenneth McEwan QC is widely recognized as one of the leading litigators in BC.

McMillan LLP’s national practice is particularly prominent in Toronto, where it is a top choice for competition litigation, product liability and white-collar crime cases. Toronto-based David Kent enjoys a strong profile in the market and co-leads the class action defence, dispute resolution and intellectual property groups. Up-and-coming partner Benjamin Bathgate has experience in white-collar crime, professional liability and franchise disputes.

The leading litigation boutique in British Columbia, Vancouver-based Nathanson, Schachter & Thompson focuses exclusively on civil and business litigation and arbitration. The group is particularly well versed in mining, securities and shareholder disputes, regularly advising local, national and multinational companies in complex domestic and cross-border cases. Irwin Nathanson QC is recognized as a dean of the BC litigation bar, and Stephen Schachter QC is recognized for his trial and appellate experience.

A sizeable litigation boutique with a broad practice focus, Paliare Roland Rosenberg Rothstein LLP is a popular choice for commercial litigation, class actions and professional discipline cases. The group routinely acts for public and private companies, boards and individuals, and also enjoys close referral relationships with Canada’s leading full-service firms. Key figures include Chris Paliare and Linda Rothstein, who is particularly active in partnership disputes, class actions and regulatory matters.

Robert Fleming Lawyers stands out for its track record in challenging disputes, such as its recent representation of Equustek against Google in a leading international case regarding the court’s ability to control global content on the internet. The Vancouver-based boutique is also well known for its experience in fraud and shareholder oppression claims. Firm founder Robert Fleming is recommended.

Best known for its dominant Ontario team, Torys LLP continues to gain ground in the Quebec market, where it represents major household name clients, including Air Canada and Canada Post. Christopher Richter, who maintains an extremely broad civil, corporate and commercial litigation practice, is a key contact in Montreal. In Toronto the team is particularly well known for class actions. Senior litigator Sheila Block has particular expertise in corporate, securities and IP disputes, litigation chair Linda Plumpton is sought after for competition litigation and class actions, and Patricia Jackson is also noted for her thriving class action defence practice. Up-and-coming partner Crawford Smith left to join Lax O'Sullivan Lisus Gottlieb LLP.

Litigation boutique Woods LLP is recognized for its consistent presence in complex and high-stakes litigation and arbitration. The Montreal-based firm is experienced across the full scope of contentious matters, with notable expertise in class actions, insolvency claims and professional liability. James Woods Ad E ranks among Quebec’s most accomplished litigators.

Bennett Jones LLP has one of the most highly respected teams in Alberta, fielding experienced partners in Calgary and Edmonton. The firm also benefits from an increasingly prominent Toronto base, which is home to one of the market’s leading class action practices. In Western Canada, the group is best known for its premier reputation in the energy, mining and construction fields. Based in the Calgary office, Blair Yorke-Slader QC has a first-rate litigation practice, with unrivalled expertise in energy-related matters, while Munaf Mohamed co-chairs the fraud law practice and advises on a mix of civil fraud, product liability and energy litigation. Michael Mysak, also in Calgary, is recommended for his growing profile in securities and fraud litigation. In Toronto, Jeffrey Leon is sought after for securities litigation and class actions. Other names to note in Toronto are Michael Eizenga, who co-leads the class action group, and Robert Staley, who focuses on securities litigation and class actions.

Borden Ladner Gervais LLP’s litigation group is spread across platforms in Alberta, BC, Ontario and Quebec, with cross-office teams routinely teaming up to advise on complex cases on a national scale. Key contacts in Calgary include senior counsel Frank Foran QC and Randall Block QC, who is rated for his experience in energy and regulatory litigation. Vancouver-based Robert Deane leads the international trade and arbitration group, and Guy Pratte, who splits his time between Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, advises on commercial litigation, administrative law and constitutional law.

A force in Ontario and beyond, Toronto-based Lax O'Sullivan Lisus Gottlieb LLP has become a fixture in Canada’s most high-profile cases. The practice group excels across the full spread of civil, commercial and administrative litigation, as well as class actions and contentious restructurings. On the bench, the firm fields several heavyweight litigators, including Jonathan Lisus, who is widely lauded for his top-tier expertise in commercial and constitutional litigation. Matthew Gottlieb and Terrence O’Sullivan are also highly regarded for high-stakes business disputes. The department also benefits from an impressive band of up-and-coming partners, including Rahool Agarwal, who recently joined the firm from Norton Rose Fulbright, and Shaun Laubman. Crawford Smith also recently arrived from Torys LLP.

Norton Rose Fulbright boasts a nationwide litigation offering with experience across the full range of contentious matters, and particular expertise in the energy, infrastructure, transportation and financial services sectors. Vancouver-based Daniel Bennett QC heads the national practice and is recognized for his experience in both commercial and administrative litigation. Clarke Hunter QC in Calgary enjoys a strong reputation for energy-related disputes, while in Montreal, Pierre Bienvenu Ad E co-heads the global arbitration group. Jean Bertrand Ad E and Sophie Melchers, who focuses on white-collar crime and anti-corruption matters, are also leaders in the Montreal market. Orestes Pasparakis, who co-heads the Canadian special situations team, is a key contact in Toronto. Rahool Agarwal left to join Lax O'Sullivan Lisus Gottlieb LLP and Ryan Dalziel joined Hunter Litigation Chambers.

Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP is consistently excellent in the disputes space nationwide, benefiting from top-level talent throughout its platforms in Calgary, Toronto, Vancouver and Quebec. The Calgary group is recognized for its energy litigation capability, with David Tupper highly sought after for energy, construction and securities cases. In addition, the Calgary team was recently boosted by the arrival of Renee Reichelt from McCarthy Tétrault, who brings significant banking and securities litigation expertise. Key contacts in Toronto include Michael Barrack, who handles criminal, civil and constitutional cases, and Bradley Berg, who advises on a wide range of commercial and civil matters. Montreal managing partner Robert Torralbo is highly regarded for class actions work, and James Sullivan QC is a stand-out litigator in Vancouver. Vancouver-based William Kaplan QC recently retired.

Dentons has a sizeable national practice, which benefits from well-staffed teams in five offices across Alberta, BC, Ontario and Quebec. In addition to a strong domestic presence, the team can also draw upon its global platform for supplementary support in multi-jurisdictional cases. Of recent note, the firm has continued to develop its profile in Ontario, particularly on the class actions side where it was recently instructed by Amazon to advise on four multi-jurisdictional class actions. Gordon Tarnowsky QC heads the national team from Calgary and is recognized for his experience in energy litigation and arbitration. Matthew Fleming, who is the deputy head of the national practice, is recommended for securities litigation and class actions in Toronto. Other key contacts include David Wotherspoon, who leads the Vancouver litigation practice, and Montreal litigation head Margaret Weltrowska.

JSS Barristers is widely recognized as the go-to litigation boutique in Alberta. The Calgary-based firm is consistently involved in cases spanning all of the the region’s main economic sectors, with energy, construction, financial services and real estate litigation all being particular areas of expertise. Founding partner Carsten Jensen QC acts for governments, airlines, and major independent oil and gas companies, and is particularly noted for shareholder and oil and gas disputes.

Supported by an extensive national and international network, Gowling WLG has a dynamic litigation practice that is active across Canada and beyond. The firm is particularly well versed in shareholder, insolvency and construction disputes, and also houses standalone offerings in class actions, product liability and arbitration. David Bishop spearheads the Calgary advocacy group and is sought after for directors’ and officers’ defence, product liability and class actions. Toronto-based Scott Kugler heads the Canadian commercial litigation group and focuses on class actions and shareholder disputes. Also recommended are Martin Palleson and Alexandre Sami, who lead the Vancouver and Montreal advocacy teams respectively.

McCarthy Tétrault is consistently excellent in complex litigation and is able to provide genuinely seamless Canadian disputes advice across its nationwide platform. The firm is able to resource big-ticket cases with cross-office teams, a recent example of which is its representation of Philip Morris International and Philip Morris USA in a number of health care cost recovery lawsuits brought by Canadian provincial governments worth a combined C$200bn. In Toronto, Paul Steep stands out for his expertise in securities litigation, including class actions, and Sarit Batner is recognized for her strong courtroom experience. Simon Potter Ad E in Montreal is noted for his focus on trade and competition issues. Michael Feder QC and Miranda Lam are litigators to note in Vancouver, while associate Sandra Aigbinode Lange is highlighted as a rising star in Calgary.

DLA Piper (Canada) LLP’s practice fields effective teams in Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario, and also benefits from its ability to plug into the firm’s extensive global network for support on cross-border cases. In Vancouver, John Landry focuses on civil and regulatory litigation, with significant experience in international trade, energy and rail-related cases. Toronto-based David Foulds co-chairs the national practice alongside Landry, and has a robust record in projects and infrastructure-related litigation. Other names to note are David Neave, who chairs the Vancouver dispute resolution group, and Calgary office managing partner Heather Treacy QC.

Fasken’s litigation practice has a presence in all of Canada’s four key markets but it is particularly prominent in Toronto and British Columbia, where it fields one of the most experienced benches in the province. The firm’s is a top choice for resources-related litigation, an also has expertise in financial services, technology and public law litigation. The national group is led from Vancouver by Geoffrey Cowper QC, whose practice spans commercial law, public law and human rights. Other key names in Vancouver are Mark Andrews QC, who has acted as counsel in over 200 published judgments of the BC and Federal Courts, and corporate and commercial litigator Tracey Cohen QC. Other key figures include Toronto-based Sarah Armstrong, who serves as firm-wide arbitration chair, Marc-André Fabien Ad E in Montreal, and Robert Maxwell in Calgary.