In recent years, Lenczner Slaght has received several industry-leading awards to recognize the firm’s excellence in litigation, client service, innovation, and commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion.

• Canadian Lawyer – 5-Star Pro Bono Firm (2023)
• Canadian Law Awards – Litigation & Dispute Resolution Boutique Law Firm of the Year (2020-2023)
• Precedent Innovation Awards – Data-Driven Decisions: The SCC Leave Project (2021)
• Chambers Canada Awards – Litigation/Dispute Resolution Law Firm of the Year (2021)
• Best Lawyers in Canada – Administrative & Public Law Firm of the Year (2022)
• Canadian Law Awards – Mid-Market Deal of the Year (2021)
• Benchmark Canada Awards – Ontario Firm of the Year (2021)
• Precedent Innovation Awards – Commerciallist.com (2020)
• Canadian Law Awards – Canadian Boutique Law Firm of the Year (2020)
• Benchmark Canada Awards – Medical Defense/Health Firm of the Year (2019 & 2020)
• Precedent Innovation Awards – R&R Lounge (2019)
• Legal Marketing Association’s Eastern Canada Your Honor Awards – Client Services: ReferToHer (2019)
• Legal Marketing Association’s Your Honor Awards – Content Marketing: commerciallist.com (2019)
• Benchmark Canada Awards – Ontario Firm of the Year (2018)
• Life Sciences Awards – Canadian Patent Contentious Firm of the Year (2017)
• Life Sciences Awards – Canadian Firm to Watch (2017)
• Legal Marketing Association’s Your Honor Awards – Website, Analytics, and SEO: litigate.com (2017)
• Chambers Canada Awards – Dispute Resolution Team of the Year (2015)

For the 21st consecutive year, Lenczner Slaght has been ranked by Chambers Global 2023 for its dispute resolution expertise alongside notable full-service, national and international firms.

In addition to the firm's ranking, five of our lawyers are recognized for their litigation excellence:

• Sana Halwani (Intellectual Property: Litigation)
• Jordana Sanft (Intellectual Property: Litigation)
• Tom Curry (Dispute Resolution: Litigation)
• Peter Griffin (Dispute Resolution: Litigation)
• Ian Binnie (Dispute Resolution: Most In Demand Arbitrators)

Clients had this to say about our firm:

"Lenczner Slaght is deserving of its reputation as one of the top civil litigation boutiques in Canada."

"It is an excellent firm with a team of strategic, engaged and experienced lawyers."

"The team has very good experience and provided well-researched advice regarding the litigation process. There was always someone available and never any doubts as to next steps and how our requirements would be met."

After extensive research and interviews with firm clients and legal professionals across Canada, Chambers Canada 2024 highlights Lenczner Slaght’s expertise in the following areas:

• Dispute Resolution: Class Actions (Defence) (Nationwide – Canada)
• Healthcare: Contentious (Nationwide – Canada)
• Insurance: Dispute Resolution (Nationwide – Canada)
• Intellectual Property: Litigation (Nationwide – Canada)
• Litigation: Administrative & Public Law (Ontario)
• Litigation: General Commercial (Nationwide – Canada)
• Litigation: General Commercial (Ontario)
• Litigation: Securities (Ontario)

In addition to the firm’s rankings, 17 Lenczner Slaght lawyers are recognized as the top litigators in their field.

• Paul-Erik Veel – Dispute Resolution: Class Action (Defence) (Nationwide – Canada); Healthcare: Contentious (Nationwide – Canada)
• Matthew B. Lerner – Litigation: General Commercial (Ontario)
• Sana Halwani – Intellectual Property: Litigation (Nationwide – Canada)
• Jaan Lilles – Healthcare: Contentious (Nationwide – Canada)
• Dena N. Varah – Healthcare: Contentious (Nationwide – Canada)
• Rebecca Jones – Healthcare: Contentious (Nationwide – Canada); Litigation: Administrative & Public Law (Ontario)
• Matthew Sammon – Construction (Nationwide – Canada); Employment & Labour: Non-Unionised Employees; Healthcare: Contentious (Nationwide – Canada)
• Jordana Sanft – Intellectual Property: Litigation (Nationwide – Canada)
• Monique Jilesen – Litigation: General Commercial (Ontario)
• Nina Bombier – Insurance: Dispute Resolution (Nationwide – Canada)
• Mark Veneziano – Healthcare: Contentious (Nationwide – Canada)
• Risa Kirshblum – Healthcare: Contentious (Nationwide – Canada)
• Lawrence E. Thacker – Dispute Resolution: Arbitration (Nationwide – Canada)
• William C. McDowell – Litigation: Administrative & Public Law (Ontario)
• Tom Curry – Dispute Resolution: Class Action (Defence) (Nationwide – Canada); Healthcare: Contentious (Nationwide – Canada); Litigation: General Commercial (Ontario)
• Peter Griffin – Dispute Resolution: Class Action (Defence) (Nationwide – Canada); Litigation: General Commercial (Ontario); Litigation: Securities (Ontario)
• Ian Binnie – Dispute Resolution: Most in Demand Arbitrators (Nationwide – Canada)

The 2023 Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory recognizes the professional excellence of 31 lawyers at Lenczner Slaght, who have been ranked among Canada's best in the annual peer-based ratings conducted by Lexpert, a leading source of news and information about the Canadian legal profession.

The following Lenczner Slaght lawyers have been selected through peer surveys as leading practitioners in their field: Ian Binnie, Peter Griffin, Tom Curry, William C. McDowell, Anne Posno, Lawrence E. Thacker, Risa Kirshblum, Mark Veneziano, Scott Rollwagen, Nina Bombier, Monique Jilesen, Jordana Sanft, Eli Lederman, Matthew Sammon, Rebecca Jones, Colin Johnston, Jaan Lilles, Dena Varah, Sana Halwani, Matthew B. Lerner, Andrew Parley, Paul-Erik Veel, Amanda Smallwood, Ian MacLeod, Brian Kolenda, Andrew Porter, Brendan F. Morrison, Jonathan Chen, Andrea Wheeler, Christopher Yung, and Delna Contractor.

Also in this directory, Lexpert has once again placed Lenczner Slaght at the centre of the Bull's Eye – its highest possible rating for a litigation practice.

Click here for the Lexpert® "Litigation – Toronto" Bull's-eye graphic.

Click here for the Lexpert® "Commercial Litigation – Toronto" Bull's-eye graphic.

Best Lawyers in Canada is an annual guide to the international legal profession.

Since the annual peer ratings were inaugurated in Canada in 2006, Lenczner Slaght has been recognized for the excellence of its practitioners in a wide range of areas.

The 2024 Best Lawyers in Canada guide recognizes the following Lenczner Slaght lawyers: Ian Binnie, Peter Griffin, Tom Curry, William C. McDowell, Anne E. Posno, Lawrence E. Thacker, Risa M. Kirshblum, Cynthia L. Tape, Mark A. Veneziano, Scott Rollwagen, Nina Bombier, Monique Jilesen, Jordana Sanft, Eli S. Lederman, Matthew Sammon, Rebecca Jones, Colin Johnston, Jaan Lilles, Dena N. Varah, Sana Halwani, Matthew B. Lerner, Andrew Parley, Paul-Erik Veel, Brian Kolenda, Amanda Smallwood, Ian MacLeod, Andrew Porter, Brendan F. Morrison, Aaron I. Grossman, Jonathan Chen, and Andrea Wheeler.

Further, Lidiya Yermakova, Delna Contractor, Meghan Bridges, Madison Robins, Margaret Robbins, Aoife Quinn, Kate Costin, Caroline H. Humphrey, Mark Andrews-Lee, Lauren Mills Taylor, and Bonnie Greenaway are recognized in the latest edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in Canada.

Following comprehensive research, client feedback, and interviews with leading lawyers in the industry, Lenczner Slaght continues to be ranked in Tier 1 for Dispute Resolution. The firm is also recognized for its expertise in Insurance, Intellectual Property, Labour and Employment, and Restructuring and Insolvency.

Dispute Resolution

Hall of Fame

• Peter Griffin

Leading Lawyers:

• Matthew B. Lerner
• Monique Jilesen
• Tom Curry

Next Generation Partner

• Brian Kolenda

Rising Stars

• Margaret Robbins

Recommended Lawyers

• Eli Lederman
• Christopher Yung

Legal 500 had this to say about our expert litigators:

Lenczner Slaght, one of the market’s standout boutiques, operates at the forefront of business-related disputes, routinely appearing at all levels of court and regularly acting on matters with a multijurisdictional element. Eli Lederman co-leads the team alongside Monique Jilesen, a specialist in class action, contract, shareholder and derivatives disputes; the pair are supported by corporate and commercial litigation star, Brian Kolenda, as well as managing partner Tom Curry who thrives on business, administrative proceeding, IP and professional liability disputes, in addition to judicial reviews. Brian Kolenda is a more junior partner who counts professional negligence, defamation and civil fraud proceedings among his core strengths.

Insurance

Leading Lawyer

• Nina Bombier

Recommended Lawyer

• Mark Veneziano

Toronto litigation powerhouse Lenczner Slaght is a popular choice for complex and strategic insurance disputes. The group is equipped to handle the full range of policy, coverage, and defence matters and routinely acts both for and against insurers and reinsurers. Department head Nina Bombier is recommended for her record in coverage disputes, including large environmental contamination cases. Mark Veneziano’s litigation practice also has a significant insurance dimension.

Intellectual Property

Leading Lawyer

• Sana Halwani

Recommended Lawyer

• Andrew Moeser
• Jordana Sanft
• Cynthia L. Tape

A leading disputes boutique in Toronto, Lenczner Slaght is routinely involved in parent, copyright and trademark disputes before the Federal Court, the Federal Court of Appeal, the Ontario Superior Court and the Supreme Court of Canada. Sana Halwani leads the practice, catering to a broad client roster of pharmaceutical, IT, biotechnology, gas, software, media, generic drug and telecommunications companies; her team was recently bolstered by the December 2021 arrival of Jordana Sanft, a patent and trademark disputes expert with an in-depth knowledge of the life sciences and pharmaceutical industries, who arrived from Norton Rose Fulbright.

Labour and Employment

Recommended Lawyer

• Matthew Sammon
• Aoife Quinn
• David Salter

Litigation powerhouse Lenczner Slaght specializes in complex employment law disputes, in line with its firm-wide strength. The team, which acts for small tech start-ups through to multinational financial institutions, also advises on employment strategy and policies. Matthew Sammon fronts the practice and brings to bear strong experience in contentious employment matters, including wrongful dismissal and the misappropriation of trade secrets.

Restructuring and Insolvency

Recommended Lawyer

• Delna Contractor
• Christopher Yung
• Matthew B. Lerner
• Monique Jilesen

Lenczner Slaght fields a dedicated restructuring and insolvency team, with a wealth of litigation expertise. Its wide scope of knowledge benefits clients seeking advice on bankruptcies, creditors’ rights and receiverships. Both Matthew Lerner and Monique Jilesen lead the practice from Toronto.

About the Legal 500

The Legal 500 rankings are based on a series of criteria that recognize the practice area teams who provide the most cutting edge and innovative advice to corporate counsel. The research is based on feedback from 300,000 clients worldwide, submissions from law firms and interviews with leading private practice lawyers, and a team of researchers who have unrivalled experience in the legal market.

IAM Patent 1000, the guide to leading private practice patent professionals and firms, is dedicated to recognizing best-in-class patent prosecution, licensing and litigation practitioners on a global basis. 

After an extensive qualitative research process that included peer and client feedback, Lenczner Slaght is proud to once again be ranked in the 2023 edition of IAM Patent 1000: The World’s Leading Patent Professionals.

In addition to the firm’s ranking, Andrew Moeser, Sana Halwani, Jordana Sanft, and Cynthia L. Tape are also recognized for their in-depth knowledge and extensive trial experience in patent matters.

Managing Intellectual Property’s 2023 IP STARS handbook, a leading guide to the world’s foremost IP firms and practitioners, has once again recognized Sana Halwani and Jordana Sanft for their patent and trademark expertise.

Lenczner Slaght has also been recognized as one of Canada’s most notable patent contentious firms.

After an extensive survey of in-house counsel and clients from across Canada, Canadian Lawyer Magazine has once again named Lenczner Slaght one of Canada's Top 10 Civil Litigation Boutiques in 2020.

The Lenczner Slaght lawyers that are Most Frequently Recommended for their cross-border expertise in Dispute Resolution include:

• Monique Jilesen
• Risa M. Kirshblum
• Tom Curry
• Peter Griffin

Following an in-depth peer review process, the 2022 Lexpert Special Edition: Canada's Leading Litigation Lawyers guide recognizes 15 Lenczner Slaght lawyers for their extensive courtroom experience and subject-matter expertise.

The following prominent litigators are ranked:

• Brendan F. Morrison
• Paul-Erik Veel
• Matthew B. Lerner
• Sana Halwani
• Jaan Lilles
• Rebecca Jones
• Eli S. Lederman
• Matthew Sammon
• Jordana Sanft
• Monique Jilesen
• Nina Bombier
• William C. McDowell
• Tom Curry
• Peter Griffin
• Ian Binnie

Lenczner Slaght is once again recognized as the #1 firm in Toronto for Litigation and Commercial Litigation by the 2023 Lexpert/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada.

Click here for the Lexpert® "Litigation – Toronto" Bull's-eye graphic.

Click here for the Lexpert® "Commercial Litigation – Toronto" Bull's-eye graphic.

Determined by extensive peer surveys, the bull's-eye charts are created using a comprehensive point system that identifies lawyers who have been consistently cited as the leaders in their areas of practice. Lenczner Slaght has held the centre position since the introduction of the litigation bull’s-eye in 2001.

8 of our expert litigators are also recognized for their individual excellence in advocacy in the 2023 Lexpert/ALM 500 Guide.

• Paul-Erik Veel – Corporate Commercial Litigation
• Matthew B. Lerner – Corporate Commercial Litigation
• Sana Halwani – Intellectual Property, Intellectual Property Litigation
• Monique Jilesen – Corporate Commercial Litigation
• William C. McDowell – Corporate Commercial Litigation
• Tom Curry – Corporate Commercial Litigation; Directors' and Officers' Liability Litigation; Securities Litigation
• Peter Griffin – Class Actions; Corporate Commercial Litigation; Directors’ & Officers’ Liability Litigation, Securities Litigation
• Ian Binnie –  Arbitration; Corporate Commercial Litigation

Endowed with what peers agree is “the deepest litigation talent roster in Toronto,” Lenczner Slaght commands brand-name respect among its Bay Street peers. Recognized in the 2023 Benchmark Canada rankings are the following leading litigators:

Top 50 Trial Lawyers in Canada, Litigation Star: Peter Griffin

Top 100 Women in Litigation, Litigation Star: Monique Jilesen, Sana Halwani

Litigation Star: Tom Curry, William C. McDowell, Lawrence E. Thacker, Mark Veneziano, Eli S. Lederman, Matthew Sammon, Rebecca Jones, Jaan Lilles, Dena N. Varah, Matthew B. Lerner, Andrew Parley, Paul-Erik Veel

Future Star: Delna Contactor

In the latest edition of Who's Who Legal: Canada, Lenczner Slaght achieves eight recognitions in the Litigation chapter, with a total of eight expert litigators ranked.

The following Lenczner Slaght lawyers are recognized:

• Sana Halwani – Life Sciences, Patents
• Sarah Millar – E-Discovery Practitioners
• Jordana Sanft – Life Sciences, Patents
• Monique Jilesen – Litigation
• William C. McDowell – Litigation
• Tom Curry – Litigation
• Peter Griffin – Litigation (Most Highly Regarded), Restructuring & Insolvency
• Ian Binnie – Litigation, Arbitration

About Who’s Who Legal: Canada

Who's Who Legal: Canada is an annually published directory of leading Canadian lawyers across 35 areas of business law, based on comprehensive peer review surveys and interviews with general counsel and lawyers in private practice.