www.canadianlawyermag.com 57
made by those entities – we saw it go from
transgressions by junior mining companies,
to cannabis, and now a lot of cryptocurrency
and AI-related work.
That regulatory work also tends to be
more resistant to swings in the economic
cycle than something like commercial liti-
gation. Regulators keep investigating and
prosecuting compliance issues regardless of
whether the economy is strong, which makes
it a comparatively steady part of the practice.
On the class-action side, there's been a
bit less volume in Ontario lately. Amend-
ments to the Class Proceedings Act made
Ontario less appealing to plaintiffs'
lawyers, so there's higher volume now in
British Columbia and Quebec, where the
Stockwoods LLP
Stockwoods LLP has appeared in the rank-
ings since 2012, with peers this time around
highlighting the firm's securities litigation
and regulatory practice alongside its class-
action advocacy.
"Stockwoods is simply the best. Unbe-
lievably smart, great with clients, strategic,
sees the big picture and litigates to win,"
says one respondent.
Paul Le Vay, partner at Stockwoods in
Toronto, spoke with CL about what has
sustained that recognition.
Q: Peers specifically cited your securi-
ties litigation and regulatory work. How
has that practice area evolved for the
firm over the last decade or so?
A: Securities litigation and regulatory work
are two distinct but related concepts. Secu-
rities litigation involves regulatory work,
representing public market participants or
registrants in front of the Ontario Securi-
ties Commission, the Canadian Investment
Regulatory Organization, and other bodies,
involving breaches of Ontario securities law.
It also involves civil litigation, investor
claims, intra-industry claims, and securities
class actions. How that work has evolved is
really a function of the regulatory choices
Recognized among Canadian Lawyer's Top Litigation Boutiques
2026, Hunter Litigation Chambers brings sophisticated advocacy,
deep litigation expertise, and a forward-looking approach to
complex, high-stakes matters across Canada.
