Mr Jeffrey Leon KC > Bennett Jones LLP > Toronto, Canada > Lawyer Profile

Mr Jeffrey Leon KC

416-777-7472 leonj@bennettjones.com

Work Department

Litigation

Position

Partner, Co-Head of Litigation

Career

A certified Specialist in Civil Litigation by the Law Society of Upper Canada and co-chair of the firm’s litigation department, Jeffrey has a general litigation practice with a focus on business litigation. Jeff acts in a variety of litigation matters, including securities, commercial, corporate, class proceedings, product liability, professional negligence and health care. As well, he has acted in administrative law matters and has appeared in both domestic and international arbitrations as counsel. He has been involved in numerous cross-border and international commercial disputes. Jeff is recognized as a leading practitioner in corporate and commercial litigation, securities litigation and directors’ and officers’ liability by The Lexpert/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada and is also recognized by The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory and Best Lawyers in those areas as well as class actions and professional liability. He has been named by Best Lawyers as one of a select group of “Bet-the-Company Litigators” and as the Lawyer of the Year 2010 in class action litigation (Toronto). Chambers Global: The World’s Leading Lawyers for Business recognizes Jeff in the area of dispute resolution as an “excellent attorney with an erudite approach to matters” and with “a significant presence at the appellate level.” In 2005, Jeff was awarded the Law Society Medal by the Law Society of Upper Canada in recognition of his outstanding service and contributions to the legal profession. In 2010, he became the second recipient of the Advocates’ Society’s Catzman Award for Civility and Professionalism, which recognizes individuals who have demonstrated a high degree of professionalism and civility in the practice of law. He is also a past President of the Advocates’ Society. A former law clerk to the Chief Justice of Ontario, he is a regular author, speaker and panellist, having published two books and numerous articles and participated in many CLE programs. He is a member of the editorial board of Corporate Liability (Federated Press). He serves as a Mentor under the Law Society of Upper Canada’s Civility Complaints Protocol and is a Founding Member of the Toronto Commercial Arbitration Society. Jeff has been a frequent guest lecturer at the University of Toronto Law School and Osgoode Hall Law School. He has for many years taught advocacy skills for The Advocates’ Society and for the Osgoode Hall Intensive Trial Advocacy Workshop. In the past, he also served as a Sessional Lecturer at the University of Western Ontario Law School and the Centre of Criminology, University of Toronto.

Memberships

Jeff is a fellow and Regent of the American College of Trial Lawyers, past vice-chair of the organization’s Access to Justice Committee, and past chair of the Ontario Province Committee and the Canada-United States Committee. He is a fellow and member of the Board of Directors of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers and a fellow of the International Society of Barristers. Jeff is also a fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America and an honorary member of the Commercial Bar Association (UK). He is the immediate past Chair of the Board of Directors of Pro Bono Law Ontario and is a member of the Dickson Circle. He is Co-Chair of the University of Toronto’s Tribunal and a member of the Law Alumni Association Council at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law.

Education

University of Alberta, BA (Hons), 1973, gold medallist | University of Toronto, MA, 1974 | University of Toronto, LLB, 1977