Expertise
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Practice Areas:
- Bar Admissions:
- Education:
- University of Western Ontario (2007) LL.B. (Distinction)
- Richard Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario (2004) HBA (Distinction)
Details
- Bio
- Cases
- Associations
- Blog Posts
- News & Media
- Publications & Presentations
- Recognition
Matthew B. Lerner
"Matt has brought a new level of excellence to the profession. His legal expertise combined with business knowledge, personality and an absolute commitment to success separates him from his competition." — Client
Matthew’s litigation practice is focused on complex commercial litigation, including infrastructure and real estate disputes, and insolvency matters. He regularly acts for parties involved in shareholder or partnership disputes, commercial arbitration and in prosecuting or defending civil fraud claims.
Matthew has also acted on behalf of boards of directors and officers in the defence of large multi-jurisdiction class actions. He has been actively involved in a variety of insolvency proceedings, acting for the court-appointed officer or secured creditors.
Matthew also has significant expertise developed over many years in defending the interests of physicians involved in regulatory and malpractice matters.
Matthew has litigated at all levels of Court in Ontario and at many administrative tribunals. Matthew’s clients span a wide-range of industries; ranging from individual entrepreneurs to large real estate developers and public companies in the information and technology sector.
Since 2010, Matthew has been the Chair of the Lenczner Slaght Moot in Legal Ethics and Professionalism which is held annually for law students at Western Law.
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Bakaris v Southern Sun Pharma Inc et al
Counsel to the respondent corporation and director in a breach of contract application related to the acquisition of a license to grow and sell cannabis in Zimbabwe. Successfully stayed the matter in favour of arbitration.
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Counsel to Zurich in an action to rescind surety bonds worth nearly $300 million, and to recover over $68 million, due to collusion and misrepresentations in the bidding process for the St. Michael’s Hospital Redevelopment Project in Toronto.
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Bayer Inc v Onsight Pharmacy Group Inc, et al
Counsel to the defendant pharmacies in a dispute over alleged breaches of purchase and sale contracts for specialty pharmaceuticals.
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Oxford Learning Centres, Inc v Nash et al
Counsel to the defendant franchisee in proceedings concerning the disputed resale of a franchise.
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Confidential Commercial Arbitration
Counsel to the respondents in a partnership dispute concerning multiple high-value residential real-estate holdings in downtown Toronto.
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Spencer Properties Ltd v 1863315 Ontario Inc et al
Counsel to the successful defendants in resisting a summary judgment motion in an action for damages arising from the termination of a commercial lease.
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Icona Hospitality v 2748355 Canada Inc et al
Counsel to a major real estate development company on appeal in a dispute relating to a large residential development and the interpretation of a restrictive covenant agreement.
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GCT Canada Limited Partnership v Vancouver Fraser Port Authority and Attorney General of Canada
Counsel to Global Container Terminals in a judicial review of a decision of the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority refusing to consider Global Container Terminal’s proposed port expansion project.
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Counsel to Sears Holdings Corporation in connection with four Canadian class actions and related CCAA insolvency proceedings in Canada.
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Counsel to the GIP Primus, LP in oppression proceedings brought by the Monitor in the context of Algoma's CCAA proceeding.
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The Advocates' Society
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Ontario Bar Association
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Toronto Lawyers Association
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Canadian Bar Association
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The Supreme Court of Canada today released its long-awaited decision in Orphan Well Association v Grant Thornton Ltd. The Court reversed a decision of the Alberta Court of Appeal that allowed the trustee of a bankrupt oil and gas company to sell its profitable wells and disclaim unprofitable ones, leaving the public to bear the end-of life liability associated with those wells.
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Don’t Believe What You’ve Heard: Provincial statutory trusts do survive bankruptcy
A five-judge panel of the Court of Appeal for Ontario has upset the long-standing conventional wisdom among bankruptcy and insolvency practitioners in Ontario about the fate of provincially-created statutory trusts in bankruptcy.
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When intention matters: assessing the enforceability of termination clauses
An invalid termination clause is a former employee’s golden ticket for employment litigation, increasing a notice period from the statutory minimum to what is reasonable at common law. The monetary difference can be substantial. Given the financial implications, there is a large and growing body of case law on when a termination clause will be deemed unenforceable.
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Resignation or Termination? New Guidance on Navigating Constructive Dismissals
In most cases, an employee who resigns voluntarily from employment is not legally entitled to damages. However, the line between resignation and constructive dismissal has become increasingly blurred and is a common issue of contention in employment litigation. In the recent case of Persaud v Telus Corporation, the Ontario Court of Appeal provides useful guidance regarding the effect of conduct in determining whether a resignation is actually a constructive dismissal.
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So Apparently Pleadings Do Matter…
Lawyers are reminded of the importance of exercising care when drafting pleadings. In the recent case Strudwick v. Applied Consumer & Clinical Evaluations Inc., the Ontario Court of Appeal held that not even the particularly egregious conduct of the defendants warranted relaxation of the principle that a court’s jurisdiction to award damages is limited by the amount sought in the pleadings.
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Court's CCAA supervision trumps forum selection clause
An ongoing insolvency proceeding under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act can now be added to the short list of circumstances in which a court will decline to follow a forum selection clause in a commercial contract.
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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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Legal 500 Recognizes Lenczner Slaght’s Top-Tier Litigation Expertise
Canada’s leading litigation firm is “recognized across the country as a force in complex disputes” according to Legal 500.
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Matthew Lerner Named a 2020 Lexpert Rising Star
This prestigious honour celebrates leading lawyers under the age of 40 who have an outstanding track record of success and have demonstrated exemplary leadership at their firm and in the community. Matthew is a deserving winner.
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Lawyers producing podcast for more easily accessible CPD training
Matthew B. Lerner is mentioned in the Law Times article "Lawyers producing podcast for more easily accessible CPD training". Matthew is a host of the podcast, LAWPOD.
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Lexpert Recognizes Lenczner Slaght’s Leading Infrastructure Lawyers
Our expert litigators continue to be recognized as foremost litigators in their fields by peers and senior members of the legal profession.
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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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Top 10 business decisions of 2019: From bankruptcy to beer
The Guarantee Company of North America v Royal Bank of Canada is named in the Lawyers' Daily's article Top 10 Business Decisions in Canada for 2019. Matthew B. Lerner and Scott Rollwagen are mentioned as counsel to the successful appellant, The Guarantee Company of North America. Matt is also quoted in the article.
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Legal 500 Recognizes Lenczner Slaght as a “Litigation Powerhouse”
Legal 500 distinguishes Canada’s leading litigation firm for its “deep bench and first-class trial experience.”
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Professionalism for In-house Lawyers
In Episode #8 of the LAWPOD podcast, Matthew B. Lerner interviews two seasoned in-house counsel on their roles, with a specific focus on ethics and professionalism.
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The Rise and Fall of Heenan Blaikie with Norm Bacal
In Episode #7 of the LAWPOD podcast, Matthew B. Lerner interviews Norman Bacal on the professionalism lessons learned from the rise and fall of his former firm, Heenan Blaikie.
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Fast Moving Train of Legal Technology
Matthew B. Lerner is a host of the LAWPOD podcast. In Episode #3, Matthew interviews Carla Swansburg and Noah Waisberg on how innovation in legal technology is quickly changing the way we practice law.
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COVID-19: Litigation Fallout - What Organizations Need to do to Mitigate Their Risk
Matthew B. Lerner spoke on Canadian Lawyer's webinar "COVID-19: Litigation Fallout - What Organizations Need to do to Mitigate Their Risk." His panel discussed the heightened risk of liabilities and the resulting litigation fallout for all organizations as businesses take stock on how best to mitigate the financial impact of the pandemic.
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Discoveries: An Update for Litigators
Matthew B. Lerner presented at the LSO program Discoveries: An Update for Litigators. He shared his expertise on the panel Getting to the Answer – Issues that arise in the discovery process.
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Alive and well: Construction Lien Act deemed trust after bankruptcy
Matthew Lerner and Scott Rollwagen co-authored the article Alive and well: Construction Lien Act deemed trust after bankruptcy in The Lawyer's Daily February 8, 2019 edition. They discuss the recent decision in Guarantee Company of North America v Royal Bank of Canada that has upset the long-standing conventional wisdom among bankruptcy and insolvency practitioners in Ontario about the fate of provincially-created statutory trusts in bankruptcy.
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Successful Advocacy in Insurance Mediations
Matthew B. Lerner spoke at OsgoodePD's program on the panel "Advocacy at the Mediation, Part 2 (After the Opening: Crucial Turning Points and Breaking Impasses)". He shared his expertise on finding creative solutions and approaches to commonly-encountered problems in mediations.
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Examinations for discovery - Advanced Skills Workshop
Matthew B. Lerner served as Faculty at the Osgoode Professional Development Intensive Trial Advocacy Workshop, Advanced Skills Series. -
Examinations for Discovery: Advanced Skills Workshop
Eli S. Lederman chaired a one day skills workshop on May 13, 2016 for Osgoode Professional Development. Matthew Lerner served as an instructor for the... -
A new approach to resolving questions of law on pretrial motions
Matthew Lerner and Stephen G.A. Pitel co-authored an article which appeared in the January 19, 2015 issue of Law Times.
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Benchmark Canada (2018-2020)
Future Star - Arbitration, Bankruptcy, General Commercial
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Benchmark Litigation (2017-2020)
Under 40 Hotlist
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Best Lawyers in Canada (2018-2021)
Construction Law, Corporate Commercial Litigation, Health Care Law, Medical Negligence
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Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory (2018-2020)
Litigation - Corporate Commercial, Medical Negligence, Professional Liability
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Lexpert Rising Stars (2020)
Leading Lawyers Under 40
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Lexpert Special Edition: Canada's Leading Infrastructure Lawyers (2020)
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Lexpert Special Edition: Canada's Leading Litigation Lawyers (2020)
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Lexpert®/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada (2021)
Corporate Commercial Litigation
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The Legal 500 Canada (2018)
Labour and Employment (Recommended Lawyer)
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The Legal 500 Canada (2020-2021)
Restructuring and Insolvency (Recommended Lawyer), Labour and Employment (Recommended Lawyer) (2020)