Ranked in 1 Practice Areas
4

Band 4

Dispute Resolution: Class Action (Plaintiff)

Nationwide - Canada

2 Years Ranked

About

Provided by Angela Bespflug

Canada

Practice Areas

Class Action (Plaintiff)

Career

Angela is a strategic and innovative lawyer. Her work on several high-profile and historic class actions has garnered her national and international attention, and she has been recognized by the Federal Court as a “leading practitioner” in the field of class actions.

Angela was named Plaintiff Litigator of the Year by Benchmark Canada in both 2022 and 2021, ranked by Chambers & Partners in 2024 and 2023 for her work in class actions, and named one of the Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers of 2020 by Canadian Lawyer magazine. Angela is also recognized by Global Law Experts, Who’s Who, Global 100, Lawyer International, Lawyer Network, and Advisory Excellence for her work in class actions.

Cases on which Angela was class counsel have combined settlement values totalling more than $800 million.

Angela is lead counsel on a historic certified class action against Canada brought on behalf of Indigenous children who lost their cultural identity as a consequence of being apprehended off-reserve and placed into state care. The decision represents an important shift in the law and signals that Canada will no longer be able to deny legal responsibility for Indigenous children residing off reserve land. Angela is also counsel on several parallel proceedings in provincial courts, seeking reform of the Indigenous child welfare system and compensation for past harms.

Angela was lead counsel on a class action brought against the RCMP on behalf of female workers who had been subjected to sexual harassment, discrimination, and assault in the RCMP workplace. Despite the legal and logistical challenges associated with this complex action, Angela successfully negotiated a settlement with an estimated value of $100 million, which was approved by the Federal Court. The action was innovative and paved the way for class proceedings to be used as vehicles for addressing systemic sexual misconduct.

Angela is currently counsel on numerous certified class actions that seek to push the boundaries of the law, including actions focused on veterans’ rights, sexual misconduct, Indigenous rights, commercial wrongs, pension calculation errors, and privacy breaches.

Angela is an author on the subject of class actions and a regular presenter at conferences on class actions and emerging areas of the law.

Professional Memberships

• Member, Canadian Bar Association

• Member, The Advocates’ Society

Publications

• “Survivors reflect on Indian residential schools settlement.” May 22, 2020, The Lawyer’s Daily (Originally published by The Lawyer’s Daily (www.thelawyersdaily.ca), part of LexisNexis Canada Inc.)

• “Survivors seeking redress: A common issues trial.” April 2020, The Lawyer’s Daily (Originally published by The Lawyer’s Daily part of LexisNexis Canada Inc.).

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Nationwide - Canada

Dispute Resolution: Class Action (Plaintiff)

Angela Bespflug
4
Angela Bespflug
4
Band 4