Lenczner Slaght

Managing Partner: Tom Curry

Number of Partners: 25 (plus 14 counsel) Number of lawyers: 84

Languages: English, Estonian, Farsi, French, German, Hebrew, Polish, Spanish

Firm Overview: 

Widely recognised as Canada’s leading litigation practice, Lenczner Slaght has successfully represented clients’ interests in some of the most complex, high-profile cases in Canadian legal history. Lenczner Slaght regularly provides advice and guidance to all levels of government, financial institutions, educational institutions, public authorities, corporations, boards, and commissions. The firm’s lawyers are distinguished by their depth of both courtroom and boardroom experience. Lenczner Slaght assists clients in navigating delicate and complex situations in order to make the right decisions. The firm also appears before all levels of the courts, arbitration panels, administrative bodies and regulatory tribunals. Every member of the firm is committed to ensuring that the highest quality of advocacy is delivered to its diverse group of private and public clients. In short, they are expert litigators.

Main Areas of Practice: 

Appeals: 

A broad range of disputes arising in virtually every aspect of commercial and professional activity. Senior litigators are well known and respected in the appellate courts and are frequently retained as counsel to provide opinions on and argue appeals.

Arbitration: 

Complex cases in multiple, often competing jurisdictions in a wide range of business sectors that include infrastructure, mining, oil and gas, technology and financial services representing Canadian and international clients in disputes governed by all of the widely recognised rules of arbitration.

Class Actions: 

Canadian, cross-border and multi-jurisdictional cases involving shareholder and securities claims, negligence, product liability, health and medical malpractice, insurance, pensions and environmental liability.

Commercial Litigation: 

Complex corporate and securities matters, contract disputes, regulatory proceedings, competition matters, defamation, oppression and other statutory claims, franchising matters and real property litigation.

Competition & Antitrust: 

Individual and class actions alleging breaches of the Competition Act such as misleading advertising, price fixing and conspiracy and all types of regulatory and criminal investigations, including those conducted by the federal Competition Bureau.

Construction & Infrastructure: 

Acting for owners and developers, contractors and subcontractors, lenders and underwriters, and architecture and engineering firms in the full spectrum of construction matters, from insurance and liability claims, to progress payments and holdbacks, to defects, omissions and other performance issues on projects ranging from residential developments to multi-billion-dollar infrastructure projects across Canada and internationally.

Defamation & Media: 

Acting as litigation or advisory counsel in libel issues arising across print, broadcast and digital media channels and representing plaintiffs and defendants through libel trials, on appeal and before the Supreme Court of Canada.

Employment: 

Employment strategy, policies and practices, employment standards, restrictive covenants, confidentiality, wrongful dismissal and workplace management.

Injunctions: 

Representing individuals and organizations in high profile, and multi-jurisdictional matters, including all types of injunctive relief, including prohibitive, mandatory, and temporary Injunctions, as well as Mareva, Anton Piller, and Norwich Orders.

Insolvency & Restructuring: 

Commercial reorganisations and restructurings, receiverships, bankruptcies and other facets of insolvency litigation, creditors’ rights and secured transaction disputes.

Insurance: 

The full spectrum of insurance, re-insurance matters and coverage including expected or intended damage or injury; known loss; trigger of coverage; allocation among insurers; sudden and accidental, as well as the absolute, pollution exclusion; late notice; clean-up costs as damages; owned property exclusion; alienated premises exclusion; post-acquisition coverage; drop-down issues and the obligations owed by a primary insurer to an excess insurer.

Intellectual Property: 

Matters involving patents, trademarks, copyright and competition law — acting for national and multinational clients in the pharmaceutical (both generic and innovators), biotech, medical devices, nutrition, media, recording and broadcasting industries, among others.

Product Liability: 

Liability litigation support to makers of pharmaceuticals and medical devices, processed food and beverages, personal care products, motor vehicles, trains, boats, and planes, elevators and escalators, heating and plumbing systems, construction and building materials, industrial equipment, and computer hardware and software in cases involving multiple insurer claims that often cross borders.

Professional Liability & Regulation: 

Representation or prosecution of various regulated professionals including physicians, psychologists, dentists, engineers, nurses, lawyers, investment advisors and others before investigative and disciplinary tribunals, as well as boards and committees of professional organisations, self-governing bodies and in civil proceedings.

Public Law: 

Acting as counsel for all levels of government, for government agencies and Crown corporations and for companies conducting business with governments and their agencies, as well as for individuals and organisations dealing with specific regulators and/or overall regulatory regimes.

Securities Litigation: 

The defence of claims against investment dealers and advisors, class proceedings alleging breach of public disclosure requirements, representation before securities commissions and other regulators and directing internal investigations.

Trusts & Estates Litigation: 

Complex, high-profile disputes and volatile emergency situations where preservation of assets is a priority, especially in estates disputes over incapacity and related issues.