Expertise
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Practice Areas:
Bar Admissions:
Education:
- Osgoode Hall Law School (1998) LLB
- Queen's University (1995) BA (Honours - Political Science)
- LawVision Group (2015) Legal Project Management
Details
- Bio
- Cases
- Associations
- Blog Posts
- News & Media
- Publications & Presentations
- Recognition
Monique Jilesen
"She is innovative, thoughtful, very smart, and very strategic." — Chambers Canada
Monique is litigation counsel in complex proceedings from inception through trial. She focuses on class actions, contract and shareholder disputes, civil fraud cases, injunctions, bankruptcy and insolvency matters, and securities and derivatives cases. Monique’s clients include major financial institutions, pharmaceutical companies, technology companies, and other multinational corporations who routinely face challenging, cross-border disputes. She appears at all levels of Court and in administrative tribunals. Monique has a record of success at trial in bet the company disputes.
Monique is widely recognized as leading counsel. Benchmark Canada has identified her as one of Canada’s top 50 trial lawyers and Lexpert has identified her as one of the leading 500 lawyers in Canada. The Advocates’ Society awarded her the Douglas K. Laidlaw for Excellence in Advocacy.
Monique is a member of the Toronto Commercial List Users’ Committee, the former Chair of the Advocates’ Society Commercial List Practice Group and the past chair of the Gale Cup Moot. She is a regular speaker on various topics, including expert evidence, class proceedings, and injunction advocacy. She is a Team Leader in the Intensive Trial Advocacy Program at Osgoode Hall Law School.
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Counsel to the Vendors of a multi-tower condominium project in a claim alleging breach of contract.
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Counsel to the defendant accounting firm in a claim alleging negligence and breach of trust against a former partner of the firm.
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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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Petrochemical Commercial Company International Ltd v Nexus
Counsel to individual respondents in an application relating to a worldwide and multijurisdictional Mareva injunction, including Malaysia, Cyprus and Australia.
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Counsel in various proceedings on behalf of Ernst & Young, the court appointed Monitor of Hollinger Inc. and related entities in complex CCAA proceedings.
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1544656 v Independent Electricity System Operator
Counsel for IESO in a dispute relating to the interpretation of a feed-in-tariff program contract.
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Counsel to a household appliance manufacturer acquiring an asset under a right of first refusal in the context of Sears’ CCAA proceeding.
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PearTree Financial Services Ltd v Brownstein
Counsel to PearTree Financial Services involving the unlawful use of confidential client information by a departing employee and former joint venture partner.
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Cardinal v Cleveland Indians Baseball Company
Counsel for Douglas Cardinal in proceedings to restrain the use in Canada of the Cleveland baseball team's name and logo on human rights grounds.
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Counsel to the defendants in a class action alleging failure to disclose foreign exchange fees in registered accounts.
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The Advocates' Society - Former Chair of the Commercial Litigation Practice Group
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Canadian Bar Association
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Ontario Bar Association - Civil Litigation Section
E-Discovery Section -
International Women's Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation
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Commercial List Users’ Committee - Member
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Turnaround Management Association
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Gale Cup Moot Committee - Past Chair
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Ontario Trial Lawyers Association Moot - Former Coach, Osgoode Hall Law School
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Osgoode Hall Law School - Former Adjunct Professor
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Women's White Collar Defense Association
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The LCO’s Class Actions Final Report: The Defence Perspective
As has now been widely reported, the Law Commission of Ontario has released its final report on class actions which makes recommendations to improve the system of class actions in Ontario. Our colleagues, Brian Kolenda and Derek Knoke, commented on those that will be of interest to plaintiffs in their blog post here. We provide the defence counsel perspective here.
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The Rules of Evidence Still Apply in PMNOC Section 8 Cases
It’s no surprise to litigators that some courts tend to be relaxed with the rules of evidence in civil cases. In many contexts, courts are prepared to admit inadmissible hearsay evidence and simply address evidentiary concerns by noting that such evidence may be given less weight. That type of approach was often taken in cases under section 8 of the Patented Medicine (Notice of Compliance) Regulations.
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The weight of the corporate veil: It will be lifted with only the strongest tools
The "corporate veil" is an old and well-establish concept. Corporations are separate legal entities under the law and, generally, liability will not flow through the corporation and onto the owners and directors. This is why a corporate bankruptcy doesn't result in a flurry of debt collectors knocking on the door of every shareholder.
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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 advance their position in the latest edition of world-renowned directory, Chambers Canada, with nine new rankings.
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Best Lawyers in Canada Recognizes Lenczner Slaght with 100 Rankings
In the latest edition of Best Lawyers in Canada, 28 Lenczner Slaght lawyers earned a total of 100 rankings, up from 86 in 2019.
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Lenczner Slaght launches centralized website for commercial list
Monique Jilesen was interviewed for the Law Times' recent article “Lenczner Slaght launches centralized website for commercial list” on June 21, 2019. In this article, Monique discusses the drive behind the launch of commerciallist.com.
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Lenczner Slaght Litigators Recognized for their Cross-Border Expertise
Seven Lenczner Slaght lawyers are ranked as leaders by peers and senior members of the legal profession for their cross-border experience.
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The 2019 Lexpert Directory Recognizes Lenczner Slaght with 89 Rankings
An increasing number of our expert litigators are recognized by their peers as the foremost practitioners in their fields.
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Benchmark Canada Highlights Lenczner Slaght’s Litigation Excellence
Benchmark Canada 2019 not only recognizes Canada’s leading litigation firm with the top tier ranking of “Highly Recommended in Ontario”, 17 Lenczner Slaght litigators are also ranked for their expertise.
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Canada’s leading litigation firm is proud to have acted in one of Lexpert’s Top 10 Deals of 2018. Algoma Steel Inc. was featured in the February issue of Lexpert Magazine as one of the most impactful deals in Canada last year. Lenczner Slaght represented GIP Primus, L.P. and Brightwood Loan Services L.L.C. in connection with the sale of the port assets with a team consisting of Peter Griffin, Monique Jilesen, Scott Rollwagen, Matthew Lerner, Christopher Trivisonno, Robert Trenker.
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Another Bull’s-Eye for Canada’s Leading Litigation Firm
Lenczner Slaght is once again recognized as the #1 firm in Toronto for Litigation and Commercial Litigation by the 2019 Lexpert/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada.
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Forum Highlights Perspectives of Women in Litigation
Monique Jilesen and Shara Roy were mentioned in the Lawyer's Daily article "Forum Highlights Perspectives of Women in Litigation" on December 5, 2018. The article revisits a Benchmark Women in Litigation panel, led by Monique Jilesen, and highlights the perspectives of the women panelists and their opinion on what can be done to bring more female voices to the table.
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Lenczner Slaght Recognized as a Top-Tier Litigation Firm by Legal 500
Legal 500 recognizes Lenczner Slaght as the “best litigation boutique in Canada.”
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8th Biennial Women in Litigation Symposium
Monique Jilesen will be co-chairing The Advocates' Society's 8th Biennial Women in Litigation Symposium. The program will discuss how to make your mark in the courtroom, finding your unique advocacy style, and celebrating success as women in litigation.
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Surviving a Breakup: Dealing with Departing (and New!) Employees, Confidential Information, and IP
Sana Halwani, Monique Jilesen, Brian Kolenda, and Sarah Millar will be presenting at the GC Forum's Q3 event on October 3.
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Commercial List Users’ Committee Annual Retreat And Reception
At CLUC's 2019 Annual Retreat and Reception, Monique Jilesen will share her expertise on the panel What's Happening at the Commercial List.
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Ahead of the pack: Advising the board on looming disputes
In Monique Jilesen’s Lawyer’s Daily article “Ahead of the pack: Advising the board on looming disputes”, she summarizes what corporate counsel can do to effectively manage and contain a crisis while balancing the interests of the board, stakeholders and the public.
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Get Ahead of the Pack: Best Practices for Advising the Board When a Dispute is on the Horizon
At the 2019 Annual CCCA National Conference for in-house counsel, Monique Jilesen will be a member of the plenary panel called “Get Ahead of the Pack: Best Practices for Advising the Board When a Dispute is on the Horizon”. She will sharing expert practical advice on litigation avoidance, pre-litigation planning, and sharing risk.
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Gender, Diversity and Equality
Monique Jilesen was a panellist at the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers conference. She was part of a team discussing Gender, Diversity and Equality. This session contributed to the conference's theme of Practicing Law and Humanity and how the legal profession can achieve better diversity and equality in all areas.
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Cross-Examination: Strategies for Success
Monique Jilesen was a faculty member at The Advocates' Society's program Cross-Examination: Strategies for Success. The session was part of the Civil Litigation Skills Certificate program. Monique provided expert advice on how to take and keep control of witness testimony.
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An Evening With the Commercial List
Monique Jilesen hosted An Evening With the Commercial List, a popular event featuring Commercial List judges, and litigators at The Advocates' Society. This was an opportunity to see your fellow law professionals in a less formal setting.
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Successfully Managing Complex Litigation
Monique Jilesen and Shara Roy co-authored the Lawyer's Daily article Successfully Managing Complex Litigation which was published on November 29, 2018.
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Litigation Funding: A Tool for Risk Mitigation and Revenue Generation
Monique Jilesen was the moderator for two panels at Lexpert's Litigation Funding event. The first panel was called "What is litigation funding, what types of cases are suitable, how do companies typically use funding and how does the process work?" The second panel called "Due Diligence Process" covered the preparation needed, high-level assessment, and taking a deep dive on due diligence.
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Douglas K. Laidlaw Medal for Excellence in Advocacy (2017)
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International Academy of Trial Lawyers (2017)
Fellow
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Lexpert Zenith Award (2018)
Mid-Career Excellence in Corporate Commercial Litigation
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Lexpert/ROB Special Edition: Canada's Leading Litigation Lawyers (2014-2018)
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Benchmark Canada (2017-2019)
Top 50 Trial Lawyer in Canada and Litigation Star - Class Action, General Commercial, Insolvency and Securities
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Benchmark Litigation (2017-2019)
Top 25 Women in Canadian Litigation
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Best Lawyers in Canada (2016-2020)
Corporate & Commercial Litigation, Insolvency & Financial Restructuring, Securities
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Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory (2014-2019)
Class Actions, Insolvency & Financial Restructuring, Litigation - Corporate Commercial, Litigation - Directors' & Officers' Liability, Litigation - Securities
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Chambers Canada (2019-2020)
Litigation: General Commercial (Ontario)
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Lexpert Guide to the Leading US/Canada Cross-Border Lawyers in Canada (2013-2019)
Dispute Resolution, Corporate Commercial Litigation, Litigation Lawyer to Watch (2013)
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