Lexpert magazine features articles and columns on developments in legal practice management, deals and lawsuits of interest in Canada, the law and business issues of interest to legal professionals and businesses that purchase legal services.
Issue link: https://digital.carswellmedia.com/i/1511709
70 www.lexpert.ca Pei, Nancy Smart & Biggar > (416) 595-2761 nppei@smartbiggar.ca Nancy Pei is a Principal in Smart & Biggar's Toronto office. With hands-on experience as a pharmacist and over 25 years of patent litigation expertise, Nancy has established a successful IP practice focused exclusively on the field of life sciences – including pharmaceuticals and biologics. As a patent litigator, Nancy advocates on behalf of innovative life sciences companies in cases relating to the PM(NOC) Regulations, in patent infringement/impeachment actions, s. 8 cases, related quantification reference proceedings and judicial review applications. She has represented clients before the Federal Court of Canada, the Federal Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court of Canada and the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. She also provides advice on matters relating to patent listing, data protection, Certificates of Supplementary Protection, the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board and access to information requests. Nancy is named as a leading Life Sciences legal practitioner in numerous international and national publications and in 2023 was named Toronto Lawyer of the Year for Biotechnology by Best Lawyers and One of the Top 100 Women in Litigation by Benchmark Canada. BSc (Pharmacy); LLB. Pharmacist, Patent and Trademark Agent, and Lawyer. Called to the Ontario Bar in 1997. Piché-Messier, Mathieu Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG) > (514) 954-3136 mpmessier@blg.com Mathieu is the national business leader of Commercial Litigation. He has significant experience in both civil and com- mercial litigation, particularly in the areas of extraordinary remedies (injunction and freezing orders), commercial fraud, high technology, industrial espionage, identity the, competition law, defamation law, entertainment law, intellectual property rights, aviation law, and international arbitration. Mathieu was a member of the parliamentary committees of the National Assembly responsible for reform of the Quebec Code of Civil Procedure. Recognized in Chambers Canada (Litigation: General Commercial - Quebec). Recognized by his peers for inclusion in e Best Lawyers in Canada and in Benchmark Canada as a Litigation Star and a Top 50 Trial Lawyer in Canada. He was inducted as a Fellow of the Amer- ican College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL) in 2018, and as a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America in 2021. Mathieu received the Advocatus Emeritus distinction for 2022 by the Barreau du Québec, to which he was called in 1998. He has acted for plaintiffs in preparing and enforcing seizures before judgment, injunctions, and Anton Piller, Mareva, and Norwich injunctions and orders. He has also acted as an independent supervisor solicitor for several Canadian law firms. Pitre, Stéphane Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG) > (514) 954-3147 spitre@blg.com Stéphane Pitre is Montreal's regional leader in BLG's Construction Group as well as the Insurance Tort Law Group. He is also a member of the Commercial Litigation Group and Class Actions Group. Stéphane's practice is focused on construction, engineering, sureties, and product liability, particularly in the areas of insurance, civil liability, commercial litigation, and class actions. Stéphane's expertise in the field of construction includes legal hypothecs, surety and bonds, calls for tenders and bids, and other aspects of claims by contractors. He is also experienced in issues relating to private international law. In that capacity, Stéphane has pleaded cases related to the jurisdiction of Quebec judicial authorities and before all courts, including the Supreme Court. He is recognized in Benchmark Canada: e Definitive Guide to Canada's Leading Litigation Firms & Attorneys as a Local Litigation Star: Quebec and a Litigation Star: Class Action, Commercial, Construction, Product Liability, and Recall. He was also selected by peers for inclusion in the 2024 edition (and since 2014) of e Best Lawyers in Canada. Called to the Quebec Bar in 1999. Poltak, Celeste Koskie Minsky LLP > (416) 595-2701 cpoltak@kmlaw.ca Partner, former head of the Class Actions Department, and former member of the Firm's Executive Committee. Celeste regularly appears before a variety of provincial courts, including the Court of Appeal, and has acted as counsel on numerous applications for leave to the SCC. She has worked on some of the most notable Canadian cases: Pearson v. Inco, Cloud v. Canada, Dolmage v. Ontario, Millwrights v. Celestica Inc., and Bayens v. Kinross. Her practice has also involved negotiations with the Federal Government regarding the Indian Residential Schools litigation, including the court approvals of that pan-Canadian settlement agreement, the Sixties Scoop, the "Purge" of LGBTQ persons from the military, in addition to acting as counsel at common issues trials such as Anderson v. Canada, Ruffolo v. Sun Life Assurance, and Smith v. Inco. Celeste has been published in the U of T Faculty of Law Review, Canadian Class Actions Review, and Lawyers Weekly. She is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and has lectured on class proceedings at Osgoode Hall Law School and the U of T Faculty of Law. She recently authored a chapter for the textbook Class Actions in Canada. Celeste was also a member of the LCO's Expert Advisory Panel respecting amendments to the Class Proceedings Act. Potter, E. Rebecca Thorsteinssons LLP > (416) 864-0855 erpotter@thor.ca Known for her strategic approach, honed advocacy skills, and breadth of tax knowledge, E. Rebecca Potter is a tax litigation partner at orsteinssons LLP. Becky has successfully represented clients at every level of court both provincially and federally, including obtaining a landmark win at the Supreme Court of Canada. In addition to her in-court experience, she has significant out-of-court experience negotiating favourable settlements for her clients. Becky also devotes time to assisting charities and not-for-profits with their interactions with the Canada Revenue Agency. Becky is an active member of the tax law community: she has served several terms as a Tax Litigation Practice Group Leader for e Advocates' Society, she speaks regularly at continuing legal education programs, she contributes frequently to written publications, and she participates in several formal and informal mentoring programs. For all of her success and contributions, Becky has been repeatedly recognized by several peer-review publications, including Lexpert and Best Lawyers. Lexpert-ranked leading litigation lawyers