JSS Barristers

Glenn Solomon KC, BA, LLB, LLM, LLM, FCIArb, ICD.D, is a senior partner at JSS Barristers. Glenn's counsel and advocacy work is in the areas of civil litigation and administrative law. Glenn's civil litigation practice includes business litigation, and corporate commercial and contract disputes. As a civil litigator, Glenn is routinely engaged as legal counsel in lawsuits, arbitrations and appeals involving shareholder and business disputes, securities, oil and gas, real estate, debt collection, regulatory proceedings, constitutional law and wills and estates. In his administrative law work, Glenn has participated in many judicial reviews, including extensive appearances in the areas of privacy and access law.

Civil Litigation Career

Upon graduation from the University of Alberta, Glenn articled at the Court of Appeal of Alberta and the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta. There, he gained insights as to how Courts consider and assess cases. Thereafter, Glenn joined a large national firm (Bennett Jones). Glenn was admitted to the Alberta Bar in 1991, and has practiced law continuously since then. Glenn joined JSS Barristers in 1998 and became a Partner in 1999. He served as the firm’s Managing Partner from 2010 to 2013. Prior to that, he was the firm’s Chairman from 2007 to 2008.

Experience as a Civil Litigation Lawyer

Glenn has extensive experience and success as an advocate and advisor, including as arbitration counsel, as a trial lawyer and as an appellate counsel, and has appeared at all levels of court in Alberta, the Federal Courts of Canada, the Supreme Court of Canada (five times as lead counsel for primary parties in cases heard, and several further times as lead counsel for primary parties on leave to appeal applications), and at a variety of administrative boards and tribunals. Glenn is routinely retained on matters that involve high stakes, high profile, or significant reputational issues. His engagements are typically on legally complex, and factually and document intensive, disputes involving significant monetary consequences.

In one case in which Glenn was successful lead counsel, the Court said: “The facts are convoluted and have all the twists and turns of a diabolical law school property exam.”

Glenn has served as counsel and as an advisor to several administrative boards and quasi-judicial tribunals.

As lead or sole counsel in litigation matters, Glenn frequently represents international and domestic corporations, governments and regulatory bodies, and individuals. Glenn has also served as an arbitrator in private arbitrations.

A sampling of some of Glenn’s cases is provided in the “Experience” section below.

Fellowships and Designations

Glenn is a fellow with the London, UK-based Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. He serves on the executive of the Alberta Chapter of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. Glenn is also a Fellow of Litigation Counsel of America (LCA), the Trial Lawyer Honorary Society, and a member of several of its Orders (Advocate or Order of Veritas and Order of Certus). LCA fellowship is limited to one-half of one percent of lawyers. Glenn holds an Institute of Corporate Directors “Director” (ICD.D) designation.

Awards and Recognitions

In 2010, Glenn was awarded a Queen’s Counsel (now King's Counsel) designation by the Lieutenant Governor on behalf of the Queen in Right of Alberta.

Glenn has been awarded two distinct medals: in 2005, Glenn was honoured as a recipient of the Alberta Centennial Medal in recognition of his significant contributions to his fellow citizens, his community and Alberta; and he was honoured as a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012 in recognition of his significant contribution to his countrymen and his community.

Glenn has been the recipient of numerous awards and honours. Glenn has had an AV Preeminent peer review rating continuously since 2012, and an AV Preeminent judicial review rating continuously since 2015, in legal ability and ethical standards from LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell and Lawyers.com - the highest rating given. His peer and judicial review commentaries in Martindale-Hubbell include:

“A lawyer’s lawyer…”

“One of the best litigators I know.  He’s my first call.”

“Glenn is a first rate lawyer who fights very hard for his clients.”

“Mr. Solomon is one of the highest regarded and capable lawyers in Alberta. A truly strong lawyer, exceptionally responsive and top service to clients. Our firm has no hesitation in referring work to him on a conflict basis which is always done exceptionally. I have much esteem for Mr. Solomon.”

“A leading practitioner in complex commercial litigation. Top of my list for referrals, particularly with "high demand" files/clients.”

“Glenn is an extremely capable advocate in the court room. He presents his legal argument in a cogent and easily understood manner.”

Glenn has been consistently recognized as a peer-reviewed leading practitioner by Best Lawyers in Canada in Corporate and Commercial Litigation since 2015, and in Privacy and Data Security since 2021. In 2022 Best Lawyers in Canada recognized Glenn as the “Lawyer of the Year” in Privacy and Data Security in Calgary. Glenn has been recognized as a “Litigation Star” by Benchmark Litigation since 2012, in the areas of Administrative Law, Arbitration, Commercial Litigation, Energy Litigation and Insurance Litigation. Since 2014, Glenn has been recognized as a distinguished practitioner in Dispute Resolution by Chambers Global, the internationally renowned legal directory. Glenn is recognized as a Leading Individual by The Legal 500.

Glenn received a Canadian Lexpert Directory Repeatedly Recommended rating (peer review) in Personal Injury Litigation in 2008, 2011 and 2012, a Repeatedly Recommended Practitioner rating in Securities Litigation in 2014 through 2016, and a Leading Litigation Lawyer rating in Corporate and Commercial Litigation in 2020 and 2021. Glenn was the national recipient of the 2014 Lexpert Zenith Award in the field of Public Law.

Glenn has been recognized among Litigation and Product Liability Lawyers by Legal Media Group Guides to the World's Leading Litigation Lawyers, Expert Guides (2014 - 2016), as a "Top Rated Lawyer in Canada" by Corporate Counsel Magazine (2013 - 2014), The American Lawyer Magazine (2013 - 2014), and American Lawyer Media (2013 - 2014).

The “Awards and Recognitions” tab, to the left, provides a listing of some of Glenn’s peer and industry reviews and awards.

Civil Litigation Philosophy

Through his years of experience as a civil litigation lawyer, Glenn has been guided by some general principles in his handling of cases:

Listen to the Client: In litigation, facts are weapons, and facts win cases. Clients have the facts. Sometimes this involves some digging within the client’s organization. Clients also have impressions about who their opponent is, and what motivates them. Those impressions are valuable insights to gain. Glenn strives to ensure that he obtains an early and fulsome understanding of the facts and the players from his clients.

Client Resources Are Helpful: It is often the case that the client will have human and technological resources that can be used to forward a case. In those instances, capitalizing on client resources results in a better product at less cost.

Communications Matter: A case is the client’s case. The client deserves to know what is, and is not, happening on their case. This involves timely, and informative, communications. Glenn prides himself on being a strong communicator. He provides reporting to clients as events occur within the litigation, offers explanations and insights as to the importance of those events, and provides options on how to deal with them.

Explanations are Essential: Merely providing a client with reporting filled with jargon upends the lawyer-client relationship. Lawyers advise and represent. Clients instruct. In order to instruct, clients need to understand events, consequences and costs. Glenn does not assume that clients understand every nuance within the litigation, and makes the effort to ensure that clients have a comprehensive view of important events in order to allow them to make informed decisions. Glenn believes that any civil litigation lawyer who truly understands a subject matter can explain it in clear and simple terms. If a client does not understand what the lawyer has said, the fault rests with the lawyer.

Litigation Involves Goals: Litigation must have a purpose. The client’s desired outcome is a necessary piece of information. Litigation counsel cannot achieve a client’s goals without knowing them. Those should not be assumed.

Risk Assessment is a Client Priority: Determining the chances of achieving the client’s desired outcome, and alternative acceptable outcomes, at the outset, in terms of success and quantum, is a key service that a civil litigator should provide. The client deserves to know what they are buying. As facts and nuances emerge, the impact of those on the risk assessment must be clearly communicated.

Litigation Strategy is a Requirement: Having the facts, analysis, explanations, options and goals allows the setting of a strategy. The strategy must be aimed at the client’s primary and collateral goals. A client’s goals will not be achieved without a plan. Having a plan maximizes the chances of success on each of the goals.  The strategy serves as a guide to all litigation decisions.

Proper Planning is Essential: Planning the execution of a litigation strategy occurs within a system of legal rules. It requires the rigorous application of project management, time management and resource management processes. It also involves ensuring that the right person, with the right skill set, at the right price, is assigned to each task in the interests of managing litigation costs and outcomes. Delegation to the most appropriate lawyer helps to maximize results at the lowest cost. Having a tasks matrix, with clear assignments of responsibility and timing, assists in managing litigation and ensuring that clients know what to expect and when. While it is a reality that there are opposing parties with other agendas that cannot be easily managed, managing one’s own agenda is achievable.

Technology Must be Implemented: Litigation is complex and document intensive. Employing state of the art technology for document management, analysis and case preparation is essential. Without it, costs increase and results get compromised.

Advancing Issues that Matter: A clearly articulated plan to achieve well-defined goals allows decisions to be made as to whether, and to what extent, interlocutory and other issues should be contested or pursued. Many issues can be managed without an expensive and distracting sideshow.

Writing and Speaking

As an author, Glenn has published numerous articles dealing with the practice of litigation, corporate and commercial disputes, administrative law, competition matters, personal property security, personal injury claims, collections, bankruptcy and insolvency, privacy law, court procedure, and other subjects. In addition, he has presented at, and moderated, a number of seminars for the legal profession in these and other areas of law and has been a guest lecturer at the Faculty of Law at the University of Calgary.  A list of some of Glenn’s writings, publications and lectures is provided below.

Community

Since 2014, Glenn has been a Board Member, by appointment from the Government of Alberta, of the Alberta Management Opted-Out & Excluded Long-Term Disability Income Continuance Plan Second Level Appeal Board. From May 2013 to May 2022 Glenn served on the Board of the Calgary Zoological Society and the Calgary Zoo Foundation (Wilder Institute). He served as Vice-Chair of both boards from May 2017 to May 2019, and as Chair of both boards from May 2019 to through May 2022.

English

The Law Society of Alberta

The Calgary Bar Association

Fellow, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators

Institute of Corporate Directors, Canada

Litigation Counsel of America

Glenn attended the University of Calgary where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science. Glenn obtained a law degree (LLB) from the University of Alberta. Glenn was on the Dean’s List for all 3 years of study at the University of Alberta, earned several scholastic awards and prizes, and served as the Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Alberta Law Review in 1989-90. Glenn has earned two Masters of Laws degrees (LLM) - one in Administrative Law and the other in Civil Litigation and Dispute Resolution - from Osgoode Hall Law School, York University.  Glenn has served as the Practitioner Advisor to the Alberta Law Review since 2005.

Glenn is married and has two adult children. He is shamelessly proud of his wife and children. Glenn plays drums and sings for the firm's rock band, the Advo-Cats, which plays music to benefit charities. The Advo-Cats is an example of how a group of very talented individuals can get together to perform below their lowest common denominator. Through its several iterations over the years, all of which have included Glenn, the Advo-Cats have raised approximately half a million dollars for charities. In his spare time, Glenn enjoys reading, playing any sports that involve keeping score, playing the drums, and riding Sea-Doos in unimaginably irresponsible ways which often result in Glenn and his ride being towed back to the marina. Glenn’s various exploits in the world of sports have resulted in several invasive surgeries. He remains undeterred.