Shantona Chaudhury

Shantona is a versatile litigator with a wide breadth of experience in both private and public law, including civil and commercial litigation, class actions, professional negligence, professional discipline, constitutional law, public inquiries, and national security law. She has an outstanding reputation as an appellate advocate, arguing before various courts including the Supreme Court of Canada, the Ontario Court of Appeal, and the Federal Court of Appeal. She acts for both private and public sector clients at all levels of court, as well as before administrative tribunals.

Shantona was Lead Commission Counsel in two recent, complex, and high-profile federal commissions of inquiry: the Public Order Emergency Commission (2022-2023) and the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions (2023-2025).

Shantona has been recognized by the profession as an outstanding advocate, receiving the Toronto Lawyers Association’s Honsberger Award in 2025 and the Advocates Society’s Laidlaw Medal in 2023. She is a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, a honourary member of COMBAR, and is listed in Chambers, Lexpert, Best Lawyers (‘Lawyer of the Year’ in Appellate Practice in 2025 and 2022), Benchmark Litigation (Litigation Star and Top 100 Women in Litigation). She is the co-Executive Director of the Supreme Court Advocacy Institute, a national non-profit offering advocacy advice to lawyers appearing before the Supreme Court. Shantona clerked for the Justice Ian Binnie at the Supreme Court of Canada in 2006-2007. She speaks fluent French and is called to the bar in both Ontario and Québec.