Lax O'Sullivan Lisus Gottlieb LLP

Andrew has been involved in a wide range of commercial matters, with a focus on insolvency and restructuring, shareholder disputes, real estate disputes, and employment matters. He regularly goes to trial and engages in private arbitrations to advance and defend claims on behalf of large corporations, small businesses, and private individuals. Andrew acts for parties in insolvency and restructuring matters, including as counsel to the court-appointed Monitor or Receiver, for directors and officers of insolvent corporations, and for other stakeholders. Notable insolvency mandates he has been involved with include Target Canada, Urbancorp, Sears Canada, Tobacco, and the Cresford/Clover on Yonge CCAA proceedings. Andrew’s real estate litigation practice includes acting in court and in private arbitrations for developers, commercial landlords, and tenants. In addition, Andrew acts for both employers and employees in executive terminations, with a focus on the financial industry, and has significant experience in “departing employee” cases involving unfair competition and misuse of confidential information disputes.

Crawford Smith

Crawford’s litigation practice focuses on corporate and commercial matters, energy regulatory proceedings and securities and competition litigation, as well as public and administrative law and class action expertise. Crawford has appeared as counsel in all levels of court in Ontario, in the Supreme Court of Canada, in the Federal Court, in commercial arbitrations, and before a variety of administrative tribunals including the Ontario Energy Board, the Ontario Securities Commission, the Competition Tribunal, and the Environmental Review Tribunal. Crawford’s energy practice involves economic issues in multi-party litigation and frequent appearances as counsel before the Energy Board at hearings regarding rate regulation, infrastructure development and demand-side management. His securities practice includes acting as counsel for investment dealers, mutual fund dealers, registered representatives and other securities industry participants. Crawford also handles regulatory proceedings and investigations by the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada and the Ontario Securities Commission.

Hovsep Afarian

Hovsep Afarian is a recognized legal expert in the insurance industry. His expertise in insurance disputes is wide ranging, having acted in disputes involving D&O policies, cyber claims, fidelity bonds, E&O policies, CGL policies, property policies, life insurance policies, marine policies and environmental liability policies. Hovsep is a versatile, detail-oriented advocate with a proven record of success. He has appeared before all levels of Court across Canada as policyholder counsel and has been at the forefront of the developing cyber insurance industry. Hovsep has been involved in some of the largest and most significant insurance claims in Canadian history.

Jonathan Lisus

Jonathan’s practice focuses on commercial and public law trial and appellate litigation. He has deep experience with infrastructure and P3-related litigation, class actions for plaintiffs and defendants, product liability, aboriginal land claims, oppression remedies, and securities litigation. He appears as counsel in courts and arbitral tribunals across the country and the Supreme Court of Canada. Jonathan regularly appears as Special Counsel to the Canadian Civil Liberties Association in challenges to government action. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, a member of the Chief Justice of Ontario’s Advisory Committee on Professionalism, and a member of the Supreme Court Advocacy Institute, a select group of appointed advocates who provide pro bono peer review to counsel appearing in the Supreme Court of Canada. He maintains an active trial and appellate practice across Canada. Described by his peers as ‘the gold standard in this space, a phenomenal litigator’, for more than 30 years Jonathan has won landmark decisions across a broad variety of subject matter including competition law, constitutional law, liability of public authorities, professional liability, criminal law, financial services, franchise law and contract disputes. He has tried over 90 cases to judgment and argued over 55 appeals in provincial appellate courts and the Supreme Court of Canada.

Matthew Gottlieb

Matthew practises business litigation including corporate and commercial disputes, insolvency litigation, fraud and securities litigation. Matt’s extensive track record of success in complex, high-stakes disputes explains why he is recognized as one of Canada’s top litigation lawyers. He has significant expertise in trials and applications, in tribunal and arbitration hearings, and regularly appears at all levels of Ontario courts, the Federal Court of Canada, and the Supreme Court of Canada, and other courts and tribunals throughout the country. Matt has acted as counsel in many major proceedings, including those regarding Aon, the Stronach Family, Sears Canada, Mattamy Homes, Xplornet, and a number of material parties in complex insolvency proceedings. Matt is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and The International Academy of Trial Lawyers. He is a frequent instructor at many litigation related seminars held by The Law Society of Ontario, The Advocates' Society and other organizations.

Michael Currie

Michael acts for both public and privately held companies, with an emphasis on contractual disputes, franchise agreements, oppression claims, injunctions, and class actions. Michael has deep knowledge of the property development and automotive sectors in particular, including disputes under the National Automobile Dealer Arbitration Program (NADAP). Clients choose Michael for his acute attention to detail and strategic counsel. After a recent successful trial outcome, the judge observed that Michael and his co-counsel were “extremely well prepared”, “conducted highly focused and effective examinations”, and produced “focused and effective written closing submissions in very short order.”

Nadia Campion

Nadia's practice focuses on complex commercial litigation including shareholder oppression applications, D&O liability, estates and trusts litigation, class actions and professional liability. Nadia also has an active land development and real estate litigation practice. She has extensive experience in trials, arbitrations and administrative hearings before the Superior Court of Justice and the Ontario Court of Appeal, as well as the Ontario Securities Commission, and the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada. She has particular expertise in Toronto Commercial List proceedings. Fluent in English and French, Nadia also represents clients from Quebec. Nadia has been recognized by Legal 500, Best Lawyers, The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory and Chambers Canada for Commercial Litigation. She has been recognized by Benchmark Litigation as one of their Litigation Stars, as one of Canada's Top 100 Women in Litigation, and on the 40 and Under Hot List. Nadia is a frequent speaker, writer, and commentator for the Law Society of Ontario, the Ontario Bar Association, the Advocates’ Society, and the Cambridge Forum on Class Actions. She is also one of four members of the Class Proceedings Committee, which is part of the Law Foundation, appointed by the Attorney-General of Ontario.

Paul Fruitman

Paul’s litigation practice focuses on contract disputes, infrastructure and construction disputes, health law, employment law, shareholder disputes, oppression claims, professional negligence, and product liability matters. He has extensive expertise acting for healthcare institutions and professionals in civil and regulatory proceedings, and acts as counsel to corporate directors and officers, in shareholder disputes and oppression claims. Paul has appeared at all levels of court in Ontario, including as trial counsel in jury and non-jury matters, at the Federal Court and the Federal Court of Appeal, and in a range of administrative and arbitral tribunals. Paul has acted as counsel in many major proceedings, including the $1 billion class action against SNC Lavalin and alleged nomination fraud involving the Ontario PC Party. Recent clients include the University Health Network and Meta, among others. Paul frequently presents on litigation topics and trial advocacy, and is a frequent instructor at Osgoode's Annual Intensive Trial Advocacy program. He is a member of the OBA’s Alternative Business Structures Task Force and the CBA’s working group for Solicitor-Client Privilege Claims. His writing has appeared in the Annual Review of Civil Litigation and The Advocates’ Quarterly and he is a regular contributor to The Advocates’ Journal.

Paul Michell

Paul is a trial and appellate lawyer. His focus is commercial litigation and arbitration, judicial review and public law. He has particular expertise in complex cases with a regulatory or cross-border dimension. Over 25 years of practice, he has built experience in a broad range of industries. Paul excels at resolving difficult issues through innovative litigation strategies. Clients rely on him for insight and a creative approach to simplify and resolve their most challenging disputes. Paul has extensive trial and appellate experience at all levels in the Ontario and Federal Courts, and has been counsel in 11 appeals in the Supreme Court of Canada. He has prosecuted cases before a wide range of administrative and arbitral tribunals. He acts as an arbitrator, as a presiding officer under the Competition Act, and a tribunal Chair, and has been an Adjunct Professor at the Faculty of Law, University of Toronto for two decades.

Rahool Agarwal

Rahool acts for both plaintiffs and defendants on complex commercial and civil litigation. His experience includes class actions, contractual disputes, franchise litigation, shareholder disputes, contested corporate transactions, directors' and officers' liability, commercial arbitrations and complex fraud cases. He is frequently engaged in time-sensitive matters and has extensive experience bringing and defending urgent court proceedings. Rahool has also acted in a broad range of constitutional and public law matters of significant public interest, including cases involving the constitutionality of a safe injection site, the application of state immunity to claims of torture, and the discretion of physicians to unilaterally withdraw life support. He has appeared in trial and appellate courts in Ontario, BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Quebec, and in six cases in the Supreme Court of Canada. He also regularly appears before the Toronto Commercial List. Rahool is an active member of the South Asian Bar Association and The Advocates’ Society. He is a regular speaker at professional development programs related to substantive law, legal ethics & practice, and equity, diversity and inclusion. He was previously a member of The Advocates’ Society’s 10+ Committee, the coach of the Lakehead University Wilson Moot team, and a member of the board of directors of the South Asian Legal Clinic (Ontario).

Shaun Laubman

Shaun practises corporate commercial litigation, including shareholder and partnership disputes, fraud cases, franchise litigation, estate litigation and real estate disputes. He is an experienced trial and appellate counsel and has successfully represented clients before all levels of court in Ontario, as well as before administrative and arbitral tribunals. Shaun also has extensive experience with fast-moving cases involving Mareva and injunctive relief. Shaun is the Past Chair of the OBA’s Civil Litigation Section and a member of the Commercial List Users’ Committee. He currently serves as a chairperson for the University of Toronto’s Academic Discipline tribunal. Previously, Shaun clerked for the judges of the Ontario Court of Appeal, and practised at a major international law firm in New York for several years. Shaun has been recognized as a leading lawyer by The Legal 500, Chambers Canada and in Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory and The Best Lawyers in Canada. He is a past recipient of the Lexpert Rising Stars: Leading Lawyers Under 40 award.

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