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/1541334
Lexpert-ranked leading litigation lawyers Chernos, David Chernos Flaherty Svonkin LLP > (416) 855-0402 dchernos@cfscounsel.com David's practice focuses on corporate and commercial litigation, with an emphasis on matters involving shareholders' disputes (including those involving family and other closely held companies), insolvency and corporate restructuring, income tax, directors', officers' and professional liability, and insurance coverage disputes. David also has broad experience in complex estates litigation matters, having acted for numerous trustees and beneficiaries, as well as Ontario's Office of The Children's Lawyer. He has appeared as lead counsel before the Ontario trial courts, the Ontario Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court of Canada, and the Tax Court of Canada. Since 2012, David has been recognized as one of Canada's leading Corporate Commercial Litigation lawyers by The Lexpert/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada and in the Lexpert Special Edition – Litigation. Member, The Advocates' Society. Ontario Bar, 1993; JD, 1991, Queen's University; BA (Honours), 1988, University of Toronto. Chaudhury, Shantona Pape Chaudhury LLP > (416) 364-8794 shantona@papechaudhury.com Shantona is a partner at Pape Chaudhury LLP. She acts for both individual and institutional clients in matters involving commercial litigation, class actions, torts, professional discipline, professional negligence, administrative, constitutional, and national security law. She has considerable experience in appellate litigation, having acted in over 40 appeals at all levels of Court in Ontario and the Supreme Court of Canada. She was Lead Counsel to the Foreign Interference Commission (the Hogue Commission) from 2023-2025, an inquiry into allegations of foreign interference in Canada's electoral processes and democratic institutions, and co-lead counsel to the Public Order Emergency Commission (the Rouleau Commission) from 2022-2023, an inquiry into the federal government's first-ever use of the Emergencies Act. She received The Advocates' Society's Douglas K. Laidlaw Award for Excellence in Advocacy in 2023 and the Toronto Lawyers Association's Honsberger Award in 2025. Ranked in Chambers Canada, Lexpert, Benchmark, and Best Lawyers. Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America and honorary member of the commercial bar of England. Fluent in French and called to the bars in Ontario and Québec (2007); BCL from Oxford, BCL/LLB from McGill, and MA & BAH from Queen's University. Chênevert, Karine Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG) > (514) 954-3180 kchenevert@blg.com Partner Karine Chênevert brings her multi-jurisdictional expertise to a broad range of litigation areas including class actions, conflicts between shareholders, governance, competition, securities, privacy, consumer protection, and special remedies such as injunctions. She regularly acts for significant clients in class actions involving securities, allegations of conspiracy, and consumer protection claims. Her commercial litigation practice includes advising clients on highly complex commercial litigation and representing them before civil courts and administrative tribunals and in arbitration proceedings. Chênevert has extensive experience in governance and advises directors and officers regarding ethical and corporate governance practices. She acts as a trainer in the university certification program in corporate governance offered by the Collège des administrateurs de sociétés. She has participated, as a delegate of the YBAM, in parliamentary commission hearings of the Quebec National Assembly on the Act to Amend the Code of Civil Procedure to prevent improper use of the courts and promote freedom of expression and citizen participation in public debate. Recognized in The Best Lawyers in Canada Corporate and Commercial Litigation and Class Action Litigation. 52 www.lexpert.ca Catanu, Bogdan Woods LLP > (514) 982-6157 bcatanu@woods.qc.ca A partner at Woods LLP, Bodgan Catanu has a practice focusing on complex commercial disputes. He has extensive experience in high-stakes contractual matters, class actions, and corporate litigation. He has pleaded before the first instance and appeal tribunals of the province of Quebec. He acted as lead counsel in several commercial arbitrations, notably a $250-million supplier-distributor UNCITRAL arbitration. He was recently co-lead counsel for certain bondholders of Nemaska Lithium Inc. in claiming a $93-million make-whole payment. He played a leading role in defending BCE Inc.'s privatization worth approximately $52 billion against a challenge by bondholders. He later defended the purchasers sued by BCE Inc. for a $1.2-billion break fee. He contributed significantly in the asset- backed commercial paper (ABCP) market litigation. Chan, Gerald Stockwoods LLP > (416) 593-1617 geraldc@stockwoods.ca Gerald Chan practises criminal, constitutional, administrative, and select civil litigation. He defends white collar criminal/ regulatory cases (e.g., RCMP IMET, OSC, FSRA, Competition Bureau) during investigations, at trial, and on appeal. He also represents lawyers and law firms facing negligence and conflict allegations. Gerald is a fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers and has been recognized as one of the Top 50 Trial Lawyers in Canada (Benchmark). He has been counsel in over 20 cases in the Supreme Court of Canada and is an advocacy advisor with the Supreme Court Advocacy Institute. Gerald has co-authored and co-edited numerous legal texts. He teaches on the faculty of the National Criminal Law Program and University of Toronto Faculty of Law. He is a bencher of the Law Society of Ontario, vice chairman of the Appeal Division of the Law Society Tribunal, and trustee of the Law Foundation of Ontario. He was named Top 25 Most Influential (Canadian Lawyer, 2019), White-Collar Crime/Enforcement Litigator of the Year (Benchmark, 2023), and Criminal Defence Lawyer of the Year, Toronto (Best Lawyers, 2024). Gerald graduated co-gold medallist from Osgoode Hall and clerked for Justice Abella at the Supreme Court of Canada.