Expertise
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Practice Areas:
Bar Admissions:
Education:
- University of Cambridge (1988) LLM
- University of Toronto (1965) LLB
- University of Cambridge (1962) LLB
- McGill University (1960) BA
Details
- Bio
- Associations
- News & Media
- Publications & Presentations
- Recognition
Ian Binnie , C.C., Q.C.
is Of Counsel to Lenczner Slaght.
One of Canada's most respected arbitrators and advocates, the Honourable Ian Binnie served for nearly 14 years as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada. When he retired in 2011 he was described by The Globe and Mail as "arguably the country's premier judge" and by La Presse as "peut-être le juge le plus influent au Canada dans la dernière décennie."
During his time on the country's top court (as only the fourth modern Justice appointed directly from the bar) Ian authored more than 170 opinions, including in landmark cases involving corporate and commercial disputes, issues of contractual interpretation and torts, patent interpretation and validity, aboriginal rights, copyright and protection of trade-marks, media law, punitive damages, expert evidence and many other aspects of constitutional, criminal and administrative law.
In his role, Ian shares strategic and practical advice, as well as his dispute resolution expertise, with his colleagues and the firm's clients. In doing so he draws not only on his judicial insights, but also his wealth of courtroom experience as one of Canada's top litigators. Over the course of three decades, he argued cases in most of the common law provinces and appeared regularly before the Supreme Court on a range of constitutional, civil and criminal matters.
Throughout his career as a litigator, Ian has often taken on public service roles as well. In the early 1980s he served for four years as Canada's Associate Deputy Minister of Justice. He was later appointed Special Parliamentary Counsel to the Joint Committee of the Senate and the House of Commons on the Meech Lake Accord. An elected member of the International Commission of Jurists, he has appeared before the International Court of Justice and various international tribunals in governmental litigation matters, and has acted as Canadian representative in high-profile disputes involving France and the U.S.
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International Commission of Jurists (Geneva) - Commissioner
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United Nations Internal Justice Council - Chair
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American College of Trial Lawyers - Fellow
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Commercial Bar Association (U.K.)
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Middle Temple Inns of Court (U.K.) - Member
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Canadian Council on International Law
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Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice
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Canadian Forum on Civil Justice
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The Advocates' Society - Advisory Group Member of the Modern Advocacy Task Force
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Canadian Bar Association
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L'Association des juristes d'expression française de l'Ontario
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The Philippe Kirsch Institute - Faculty
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Lenczner Slaght Achieves 20 Years at the Centre of the Lexpert Bull’s-Eye
The 2021 Lexpert®/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada continues to recognize Lenczner Slaght as the #1 firm in Toronto for Litigation and Commercial Litigation.
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Lexpert Recognizes Lenczner Slaght Lawyers for Litigation Excellence
An increasing number of our expert litigators continue to be recognized as the foremost litigators in their fields by peers and senior members of the legal profession.
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Who’s Who Legal: Canada 2020 Recognizes Lenczner Slaght’s Expert Litigators
In the latest edition of Who's Who Legal: Canada, Lenczner Slaght achieves eight recognitions in the Litigation chapter, with a total of ten expert litigators ranked.
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Lenczner Slaght Recognized as a Top-Tier Litigation Firm by Chambers Canada
Canada’s leading litigation firm and its expert litigators continue to be recognized by world-renowned directory, Chambers & Partners.
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Best Lawyers in Canada Recognizes Lenczner Slaght’s Litigation Expertise
Lenczner Slaght is proud to announce that 33 of our expert litigators are recognized in Best Lawyers in Canada 2021. Our lawyers received a total of 128 rankings, up from 100 in 2020.
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Lexpert Highlights Lenczner Slaght’s Professional Excellence
Lenczner Slaght’s litigators continue to be recognized by their peers as the foremost practitioners in their fields.
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Chambers Global Recognizes Lenczner Slaght for the 18th Consecutive Year
Canada’s leading litigation firm continues to be recognized for its dispute resolution expertise by world-renowned directory, Chambers Global, alongside notable full-service, national, and international firms.
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Lenczner Slaght’s 19th Year at the Centre of the Lexpert Bull’s-Eye
Canada’s leading litigation firm continues to be recognized as the #1 firm in Toronto for Litigation and Commercial Litigation by the 2020 Lexpert®/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada.
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Lexpert Recognizes Lenczner Slaght’s Leading Litigation Lawyers
Peers and senior members of the legal profession continue to recognize our expert lawyers among the foremost litigators in their fields.
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Canadian lawyers have an edge in international arbitration, says Ian Binnie
Ian Binnie was quoted in the Law Times article Canadian lawyers have an edge in international arbitration, says Ian Binnie on November 27, 2019. The article is based on Ian's recent panel discussion at the inaugural Canadian Litigation Forum on the current landscape of international arbitration.
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Ian Binnie and Monique Jilesen shared their expertise at the inaugural Canadian Litigation Forum. Ian discussed the current international arbitration landscape for Canadian companies on the panel International Arbitration - a new paradigm emerges. While Monique discussed trends in litigation risk for Canadian companies on the opening panel Setting the Scene: The Canadian Litigation Landscape.
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ADR Advocacy: Advanced Techniques
Ian Binnie will be at The Advocates' Society's ADR Advocacy: Advanced Techniques program. The program will feature an exclusive fireside chat with Ian Binnie himself.
- Ian Binnie presented at The Advocates' Society's 18th Annual Spring Symposium, on the panel "A Question of Advocacy: Handling Questions from...
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35th Annual Joint Colloquium on International Arbitration
Ian Binnie and Peter Griffin presented at the 35th Annual Joint Colloquium on International Arbitration. They shared their expertise on the panel discussion Mastering Effective Techniques for Cross-Examination.
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Ian Binnie, C.C., Q.C. and Vanessa Park-Thompson contributed an article to the Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Medicine publication.
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Keep your greedy hands off my genes!
The U.S. Supreme Court's invalidation of gene patents is a victory for basic principles of patent law, but public policy concerns remain unresolved
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The Harold G. Fox Moot, 2014 Canadian Intellectual Property Moot
The Honourable Ian Binnie will hold the Fox Lecture on Friday, February 21, 2014.
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Ian Binnie moderates the topic at The Advocates' Society 50th Anniversary Symposium, The Future of Advocacy: The Next 50 Years, held in Toronto on December 4, 2013.
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Domestic Application of International Law: What Lawyers Need To Know
Ian Binnie presented on the topic Domestic Application of International Law: What Lawyers Need To Know at the session hosted by The Philippe Kirsch... -
Ian Binnie presented on the topic at the Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice Annual Conference How Do We Know What We Think We Know: Facts in the Legal System on October 9-11, 2013 in Toronto.
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Best Lawyers in Canada (2017-2021)
Administrative & Public Law, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Appellate Practice, Defamation & Media, Intellectual Property
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Best Lawyers in Canada (2020)
Toronto "Lawyer of the Year" in Alternative Dispute Resolution
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Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory (2014-2020)
Commercial Arbitration, Litigation - Corporate Commercial, Litigation - Defamation & Media, Litigation - Public Law, Professional Liability
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Chambers Canada (2016-2021)
Dispute Resolution: Most in Demand Arbitrators (Nationwide – Canada)
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Chambers Canada Lifetime Achievement Award (2018)
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Chambers Global (2017-2020)
Dispute Resolution: Most In Demand Arbitrators
Dispute Resolution: Arbitration (2017) -
Companion of the Order of Canada (2012)
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Honourary Colonel, 426 Squadron (Trenton) 2002-2005
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Honourary Doctor of Laws (2001-2013)
Law Society of Upper Canada, McGill University (2001), University of Western Ontario (2012), Trinity College, University of Toronto (2013)
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Lexpert Guide to the Leading US/Canada Cross-border Litigation Lawyers in Canada (2014-2017)
Commercial Arbitration, Corporate Commercial Litigation, Defamation & Media Litigation
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