Expertise
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Practice Areas:
- Bar Admissions:
- Education:
- Dalhousie University (1993) LLB
- University of Oxford (1992) BA (Honours - Jurisprudence)
- University of Toronto (1990) MA (Philosophy)
- University of Toronto (1989) BA (Honours - Politics and Philosophy)
Details
- Bio
- Cases
- Associations
- Blog Posts
- News & Media
- Publications & Presentations
- Recognition
Lawrence E. Thacker
"Larry provide[s] great, timely advice on strategy and he consider[s] legal and practical issues." — Chambers Canada
One of Canada's leading trial and appellate lawyers, Lawrence has broad experience in M&A and shareholder disputes, complex class actions, infrastructure disputes, procurement matters, securities issues, tax litigation, commercial arbitrations and insolvency restructuring. He has served as lead counsel in several complex international commercial arbitration matters involving large energy infrastructure and power generation projects. He appears regularly at all levels of the Canadian courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada.
Lawrence is also deeply involved in legal education. For a decade he was an adjunct professor in the Political Science Department at the University of Toronto, where he taught international law. Since 1998 he has been an adjunct professor at Osgoode Hall Law School, where he teaches trial advocacy and serves as a team leader and instructor in the school's Intensive Trial Advocacy Workshop. He also teaches courses in trial advocacy skills for The Advocates' Society.
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CERIECO Canada Corp v Bosco Chan et al
Defended individuals and corporations in an action commenced by the Canadian subsidiary of a Chinese state-owned corporation, alleging fraud in relation to a significant real estate development in Toronto.
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Julius Di Filippo and David Caron v The Bank of Nova Scotia et al
Counsel to a financial institution in a class action pertaining to allegations of price fixing in the precious metals market.
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Max Aicher (North America) Realty Inc v Stelco Inc
Counsel to a supplier of hot rolled steel bar products in successfully obtaining an interlocutory injunction preventing the termination of a supply agreement for a period of time.
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2007414 Ontario Inc v Berman et al
Counsel to the plaintiffs in an oppression and breach of contract dispute regarding real estate developments and not for profit corporations.
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Songbird Life Science Inc v Hyris Limited
Counsel to Hyris Limited, resisting an application before the Superior Court of Justice seeking injunctive relief. The application related to Canadian distribution of Hyris’s proprietary, COVID-19-specific diagnostic technology, which permitted users to conduct accurate COVID-19 testing “on site”, without the need for a medical laboratory.
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Canadian Thermo Windows v Seangio
Counsel to the moving defendants in a successful Anti-SLAPP motion, which determined when a motion is “made”.
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12178711 Canada Inc v Wilks Brothers, LLC
Counsel to G2S2 Capital Inc., a significant creditor, in connection with a contested CBCA restructuring of Calfrac Well Services Ltd.
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Counsel to the successful respondent in an arbitration about the contractual right to recover interest and other expenses from condominium corporations in relation to the construction of a community center in a private residential community.
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Maiero v Jovian Capital Corporation
Counsel to the defendant financial services companies at trial in a breach of contract claim brought by a financial planner and mutual fund salesman plaintiff seeking $50 million in management fees payable under a royalty agreement. Succeeded in reducing the damages payable to the plaintiff to under $90,000, and in obtaining the defendants’ costs of the proceedings of over $175,000.
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Galway Gold Inc v Republic of Colombia
Counsel to Galway Gold Inc in an investor-state arbitration against the Republic of Columbia before the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).
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University of Toronto - Adjunct Lecturer of International Law (1999-2009)
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Commercial Bar Association (comBAR) - Honourary Member
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The Advocates' Society - Member-at-Large of the Arbitration and Mediation Practice Group
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Canadian Bar Association
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Osgoode Hall Law School - Instructor and Former Adjunct Faculty
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University of Toronto (Faculty of Law) - Instructor and Former Law Faculty
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Ontario Bar Association
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Lawrence E. Thacker and Solomiya Zakharchuk co-authored the blog Mail (Un)Deliverable, published on commerciallist.com.
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Peter Griffin, Lawrence Thacker and Derek Knoke acted as counsel to G2S2 Capital Inc., a bondholder and lender to Calfrac Well Services Ltd. (“Calfrac”) in a restructuring and recapitalization implemented pursuant to a plan of arrangement (the "Plan of Arrangement") under the Canada Business Corporations Act ("CBCA").
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Creditor Democracy - The Supreme Court’s Reasons in Callidus
In Back to Methuselah, George Bernard Shaw famously wrote that an election was “as bad as a battle except for the blood”. That is perhaps dramatic in the context of the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (“CCAA”), but certainly a creditor vote can be a tense and contested affair. Such was the case when Callidus Capital Corp (“Callidus”), an asset-based or “distressed lender” and secured creditor, made a “second kick at the can” to approve a plan of arrangement already rejected by unsecured creditors, and found itself barred from voting on the plan for having acted for an “improper purpose”.
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Enforcing Arbitral Awards on the Commercial List
Lawrence E. Thacker and Sean Lewis co-authored the article Enforcing Arbitral Awards on the Commercial List, which was published on commerciallist.com.
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Copy and Paste: Avoiding Duplicative Procedures in National Class Actions
The proliferation of parallel class proceedings in multiple Canadian provinces often defeats the very purpose of class proceedings: the avoidance of a multiplicity of actions. In order to streamline procedures, ensure consistent results, and encourage judicial economy, judges in several provinces have started demanding greater co-ordination among both class counsel and the courts. In McKay v Air Canada, Chief Justice Hinkson took this trend even farther in approving a settlement distribution plan by simply reproducing the reasons of the Ontario Court in Airia Brands v Air Canada.
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Any action described by the Judge as novelty on steroids provides an opportunity for the Court to balance the opportunity to develop new law, with the importance of rigorously applying existing law. This duality arose in a motion in the class action Fisher v IG Investment Management Ltd (2015 ONSC 3525), recently decided by the Ontario Superior Court.
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Access to Justice a Key Concern in Certification Decisions
The Ontario Divisional Court has recently affirmed the importance of access to justice as a factor in determining whether to certify a proposed class action.
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Court Certifies Sino-Forest Class Action
The Sino-Forest class action has been certified, and leave was granted to bring a claim under the Securities Act for secondary market misrepresentations.
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2025 Lexpert Directory Highlights Lenczner Slaght’s Excellence in Advocacy
Peers and senior members of the legal profession across the country continue to recognize the depth and breadth of Canada’s leading litigation firm in the latest 2025 Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory.
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Lenczner Slaght Recognized in Chambers Global 2025
Canada’s leading litigation firm and its expert litigators are recognized for the 23rd consecutive year in world-renowned directory, Chambers Global.
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Lenczner Slaght Lawyers Recognized as Canada’s Leading Litigators
Following an in-depth peer review process across the legal profession, 21 Lenczner Slaght lawyers have been recognized in the 2024 Lexpert Special Edition: Canada’s Leading Litigation Lawyers guide for their extensive courtroom experience and subject-matter expertise.
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Chambers Canada Recognizes Lenczner Slaght’s Deep Bench of Expert Litigators
Canada’s leading litigation firm continues to advance their position in the latest edition of the world-renowned directory.
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Lenczner Slaght Litigators Recognized as the Best Lawyers in Canada
In the 2025 edition of Best Lawyers in Canada, Lenczner Slaght is proud to receive 168 total rankings, with 45 of our expert litigators recognized for their expertise across 25 practice areas.
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The 2024 Lexpert Directory Recognizes Lenczner Slaght’s Litigation 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 22nd Consecutive Year
Canada’s leading litigation firm and its expert litigators are increasingly recognized in the latest edition of world-renowned directory, Chambers Global.
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Lexpert Recognizes Lenczner Slaght’s Litigation Strength
An increasing number of our expert litigators continue to be recognized as the foremost lawyers in their fields by peers and senior members of the legal profession.
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Chambers Canada Recognizes Lenczner Slaght as a Top-Tier Litigation Firm
Canada’s leading litigation firm and its expert litigators continue to be recognized by world-renowned directory, Chambers & Partners.
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Lenczner Slaght Litigators Recognized as Best Lawyers in Canada
In the latest edition of Best Lawyers in Canada, 41 of our expert litigators are recognized for their expertise across 24 practice areas. The following lawyers have also been recognized as “Lawyer of the Year” for receiving the highest overall peer-feedback in their practice areas in Toronto.
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46th Annual Intensive Trial Advocacy Workshop (ITAW)
Lawrence Thacker, Risa Kirshblum, Monique Jilesen, Brendan Morrison, and Jonathan Chen will participate as instructors at the 46th Annual Intensive Trial Advocacy Workshop (ITAW), hosted by Osgoode Professional Development. Jonathan McDaniel and Kate Costin will also take part in ITAW, serving as Mock Expert Witnesses. This program will gather over 100 experts in advocacy skills training and guest speakers who are active members of the Bench and Bar. Attendees will have the opportunity to develop and refine their advocacy skills.
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2024 Snapshot: Through the Lens of Lenczner Slaght
Lenczner Slaght launches our 2024 Snapshot, which highlights the most significant developments, decisions, and trends in litigation from the past year across 20 areas of expertise. Reflect on 2024 and look ahead to 2025 through the lens of our expert litigators.
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2023 Snapshot: Through the Lens of Lenczner Slaght
Lenczner Slaght launches our 2023 Snapshot, a look at the most significant developments, decisions, business takeaways, and trends in litigation from the last year, across 15 practice areas. Revisit 2023 and look ahead to 2024 through the lens of our expert litigators.
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From Gold Mining in the Nevada Desert to Seeking Declaratory Relief on the Commercial List
Lawrence E. Thacker and Sean Lewis co-authored the blog From Gold Mining in the Nevada Desert to Seeking Declaratory Relief on the Commercial List, which was published on commerciallist.com.
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44th Annual Intensive Trial Advocacy Workshop
Lawrence E. Thacker, Risa M. Kirshblum. Sana Halwani, and Jonathan Chen were invited to share their expertise at Osgoode Professional Development's 44th Annual Intensive Trial Advocacy Workshop.
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Intensive Workshop: Negotiation Skills and Strategies for Litigators
Lawrence E. Thacker joined a faculty at The Osgoode Intensive Workshop Negotiation Skills and Strategies for Litigators on April 11, 2017. -
36th Annual Intensive Trial Advocacy Workshop
Lawrence Thacker, Risa Kirshblum, Monique Jilesen, Eli Lederman, Matthew Sammon, Rebecca Jones, Jaan Lilles and Dena Varah were among the distinguished... -
How ADR and court actions can actually work together
Lawrence Thackers article appears in the April 3, 2015 issue of the Lawyers Weekly published by Lexis Nexis Canada Inc. This article describes the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution in combination with, or supplementary to court proceedings.
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Lawrence Thacker and Mark Veneziano co-authored an article in the September, 2014 issue of the Class Actions Defence Quarterly.
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35th Annual Intensive Trial Advocacy Workshop
Lawrence Thacker, Risa Kirshblum, Monique Jilesen, Eli Lederman, Matthew Sammon, Rebecca Jones, Jaan Lilles and Dena Varah were among the distinguished...
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Benchmark Canada (2012-2025)
Litigation Star – Arbitration, Class Action, Commercial, Insolvency, Securities, Tax
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Best Lawyers in Canada (2019-2025)
Alternative Dispute Resolution, Class Action Litigation, Corporate & Commercial Litigation
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Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory (2011-2019, 2021-2025)
Commercial Arbitration (2024), Litigation - Corporate Commercial, Litigation - Directors' & Officers' Liability, Litigation - Securities, Class Actions - Up and Coming (2016), 25 Cross-Border Litigators to Watch (2006)
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Chambers Canada (2020-2025)
Dispute Resolution: Arbitration (Nationwide – Canada)
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Chambers Global (2024-2025)
Dispute Resolution: Arbitration (Canada)
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Lexpert Guide to the Leading US/Canada Cross-border Litigation Lawyers in Canada (2014-2017)
Corporate Commercial Litigation
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Lexpert Special Edition: Canada's Leading Energy Lawyers (2021)
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Lexpert Special Edition: Canada's Leading Infrastructure Lawyers (2021)
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Lexpert Special Edition: Canada's Leading Litigation Lawyers (2015-2017, 2019, 2021, 2023-2024)
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The Lexpert®/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada