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 Law Awards – Litigation & Dispute Resolution Boutique Law Firm of the Year (2020-2024)
• Canadian Lawyer – 5-Star Pro Bono Firm (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 22nd consecutive year, Lenczner Slaght has been ranked by Chambers Global 2024 for its dispute resolution expertise alongside notable full-service, national and international firms. This year, our litigation excellence is highlighted in the following areas:

• Disputes (International & Cross-Border)
• Intellectual Property: Litigation

In addition to the firm’s ranking, seven of our preeminent litigators are recognized as top litigators, globally:

• Sana Halwani (Intellectual Property: Litigation)
• Jordana Sanft (Intellectual Property: Litigation)
• Monique Jilesen (Dispute Resolution)
• Lawrence E. Thacker (Dispute Resolution: Arbitration)
• Tom Curry (Dispute Resolution)
• Peter Griffin (Dispute Resolution)
• Ian Binnie (Dispute Resolution: Most In Demand Arbitrators)

The Chambers Global rankings are the culmination of extensive research and interviews with firm clients and legal professionals around the world who have recognized Lenczner Slaght and its litigators for its extensive trial experience and commitment to delivering the best results for its clients. 

"The law firm addresses complex issues thoughtfully and thoroughly, providing business-oriented counselling."

"They handled a complex action with multiple parties in an efficient and pragmatic manner."

"Lenczner Slaght provide responsive service and excellent advice."

"They have a very impressive knowledge of all Canadian jurisdictions."

About Chambers

Chambers and Partners, headquartered in London, UK, publishes guides to the legal profession in 185 jurisdictions throughout the world. They conduct in-depth research throughout the year on legal knowledge and experience, ability, effectiveness, and client service.

After extensive research and interviews with firm clients and legal professionals across Canada, Chambers Canada 2025 highlights Lenczner Slaght’s litigation excellence in the following areas:

• Construction (Nationwide – Canada)
• 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, 22 Lenczner Slaght lawyers are further recognized as top litigators in their respective fields.

• Jim Lepore – Intellectual Property: Litigation (Nationwide – Canada)
• Brendan Morrison – Healthcare: Contentious (Nationwide – Canada)
• Brian Kolenda – Litigation: Securities (Ontario)
• Paul-Erik Veel – Dispute Resolution: Class Action (Defence) (Nationwide – Canada); Healthcare: Contentious (Nationwide – Canada)
• Matthew B. Lerner – Litigation: General Commercial (Ontario)
• Andrew Parley – Construction (Nationwide – Canada)
• 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)
• Eli Lederman – Litigation: General Commercial (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)

Following comprehensive peer review surveys and interviews with senior members in the legal profession, the 2024 Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory has recognized 34 of the firm’s expert litigators for their experience, knowledge, and precision, with 111 rankings spanning 19 practice areas.

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, Matthew Sammon, Eli Lederman, Rebecca Jones, Colin Johnston, Dena Varah, Jaan Lilles, Sana Halwani, Andrew Parley, Matthew B. Lerner, Paul-Erik Veel, Amanda Smallwood, Ian MacLeod, Brian Kolenda, Brendan F. Morrison, Christopher Yung, Jonathan Chen, Aaron Grossman, Andrea Wheeler, Margaret Robbins and Aoife Quinn.

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 2025 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, Andrew Moeser, Brian Kolenda, Amanda Smallwood, Ian MacLeod, Brendan F. Morrison, Aaron I. Grossman, Jonathan Chen, and Andrea Wheeler.

Further Meghan Bridges, Madison Robins, Margaret Robbins, Aoife Quinn, Lauren Mills Taylor, Kate Costin, David Salter, Jonathan McDaniel, Corey McClary, Caroline H. Humphrey, Sean Lewis, Jim Lepore, Jonathan D. Langley and Bonnie Greenaway are recognized in the latest edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in Canada.

Based on in-depth research, client feedback, and interviews with leading lawyers in the industry, Lenczner Slaght also continues to be recognized for its litigation excellence in Construction, Insurance, Intellectual Property, and Restructuring and Insolvency.

DISPUTE RESOLUTION

Hall of Fame

• Tom Curry
• Peter Griffin

Leading Partners

• Matthew B. Lerner
• Monique Jilesen

Next Generation Partner

• Brian Kolenda

Recommended Lawyer

• Eli Lederman

Legal 500 had this to say about our expert litigators:

The team at Toronto-based boutique Lenczner Slaght regularly represents financial services, retail, insurance and mining-sector clients in litigation. Leadership of the group is shared between Monique Jilesen and Eli Lederman. Jilesen focuses her practice on class action defence, contract and shareholder disputes, civil fraud cases, injunctions, professional liability matters and bankruptcy and insolvency litigation. Lederman specializes in commercial litigation, commercial contracts work and shareholder litigation. Also noted are Peter Griffin KC (corporate-commercial litigation, class actions, securities matters, director liability); Tom Curry, Matthew Lerner and Brian Kolenda.

CONSTRUCTION

Lenczner Slaght’s construction litigation practice demonstrated strong growth during 2023/24 with the addition of eight new clients, including Bird-Design Build Construction and Northbridge General Insurance Corporation.

INSURANCE

Leading Partner

• Nina Bombier

Recommended Lawyer

• Mark Veneziano

Lenczner Slaght possesses a robust insurance litigation practice that is sought after for complex cases covering policy, coverage and defence matters. The Toronto boutique acts for a growing roster of insurance companies and insured entities and it added eight new clients during 2023/24, including XL Specialty (US) and CFT Clear Finance Technology. Practice head Nina Bombier specializes in insurance litigation, with a focus on professional negligence, product liability and environmental cases. Mark Veneziano is also a key contact for insurance disputes.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Leading Partners

• Sana Halwani
• Jordana Sanft

Recommended Lawyer

• Andrew Moeser

Dispute resolution boutique Lenczner Slaght houses an increasing prominent IP litigation practice that added 14 new clients to its roster during 2023/24, including Apple and MAGNA Pharmaceuticals. A strong choice for complex trial litigation, the team is particularly experienced in patent cases but its recent matters also span trademark and copyright-related proceedings. Sana Halwani covers the full range of contentious IP work and heads a department that additionally draws on experienced IP litigators Jordana Sanft and Andrew Moeser.

INSOLVENCY AND RESTRUCTURING

Recommended Lawyers

• Matthew B. Lerner
• Monique Jilesen

Lenczner Slaght's insolvency and restructuring capabilities take in representing creditors, debtors, monitors and receivers in litigation, as well as creditors’ rights matters, receiverships and enforcement in secured transactions. Monique Jilesen and Matthew Lerner share leadership of the practice from Toronto. Jilesen has substantial experience acting as counsel to creditors and receivers in multi-party restructuring and insolvency proceedings. Lerner, for his part, specializes in commercial litigation, real estate disputes, employment litigation and insolvency matters.

About 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.

Lenczner Slaght continues to receive worldwide recognition for its intellectual property expertise and is proud to advance to the Silver Tier in the 2024 edition of  IAM Patent 1000: The World’s Leading Patent Professionals.

After a comprehensive qualitative research process that included peer and client feedback, the directory identifies world-class firms and individuals who are deemed outstanding in patent litigation based on their depth of expertise, market presence and quality of work.

In addition to the firm’s ranking, five of our expert litigators are recognized for their in-depth knowledge and extensive trial experience in patent matters.

Martin Brandsma
Andrew Moeser
Sana Halwani
Jordana Sanft
Cynthia Tape

Congratulations to all!

About IAM Patent 1000

Over five months, IAM conducted in the region of 1,800 interviews with numerous lawyers, patent lawyers and in-house counsel to gather market intelligence on the leading players in the field. Individuals qualify for a listing in the IAM Patent 1000 when they receive sufficient positive feedback from peers and clients with knowledge of their practice and the market within which they operate. Only those individuals identified by market sources for their exceptional skill sets and profound insights into patent matters feature in the IAM Patent 1000.

Managing Intellectual Property’s 2024 IP STARS handbook, a leading guide to the world’s foremost IP firms and practitioners, continues to recognize Sana Halwani and Jordana Sanft.

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

About Managing Intellectual Property’s IP STARS

IP STARS rankings are based on rigorous and extensive research carried out over a six-month period, starting from September each year. This includes a comprehensive and authoritative survey of the IP legal market. Research analysts from all over the world gather information from firms and their clients through interviews, emails and online surveys, as well as from existing public data. Rankings are determined by assessing the strength of the firm’s IP team, workload, outcomes achieved for clients and track record. Judgments about which firms to include in the rankings, and which tier and practice area they should be in, take account of all this information.

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

The 2023 Lexpert Special Edition: Canada's Leading Litigation Lawyers guide recognizes 22 Lenczner Slaght lawyers for their extensive courtroom experience and subject-matter expertise. We’re advocates, first and foremost, and our experience is why clients turn to us in the most difficult situations. We know courts, and courts know and trust us. We complement this excellence in advocacy with a deep understanding of our clients. In short, we are expert litigators. 

The following lawyers are recognized:

• Jonathan Chen
• Brendan F. Morrison
• Brian Kolenda
• Paul-Erik Veel
• Matthew B. Lerner
• Andrew Parley
• Sana Halwani
• Jaan Lilles
• Dena N. Varah
• Rebecca Jones
• Eli S. Lederman
• Matthew Sammon
• Jordana Sanft
• Monique Jilesen
• Nina Bombier
• Mark Veneziano
• Lawrence E. Thacker
• Anne E. Posno
• William C. McDowell
• Tom Curry
• Peter Griffin
• Ian Binnie

Congratulations to all!

About Lexpert Special Edition: Canada’s Leading Litigation Lawyers

This special year-end edition is published as a supplement to the December Report on Business magazine distributed with The Globe and Mail. The rankings are compiled from Lexpert’s annual peer review survey that determines Canada’s leading lawyers in over 60 practice areas, plus personal interviews with senior members of the legal profession.

The 2024 Lexpert®/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada recognizes Lenczner Slaght as the #1 firm in Toronto for Litigation and Commercial Litigation for the 23^rd consecutive year.

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

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

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

“We are pleased to continue to be recognized by our peers as Canada’s leading litigation firm,” says Monique Jilesen, Managing Partner of Lenczner Slaght. “For 23 consecutive years, we have remained at the centre of the Lexpert Bull’s Eye. This is a testament of our firm's unwavering commitment to training, mentoring, and developing leading litigators who are able to deliver the best results for our clients.”

The following 10 expert litigators are further recognized for their litigation excellence in the 2024 Lexpert/ALM 500 Guide.

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

Congratulations, all!

About the Lexpert®/American Lawyer 500: Leading Practitioners

The rankings in this guide are derived from the results of the annual Lexpert peer review surveys and personal interviews with senior members of the legal profession. Published since 1997, The Lexpert®/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada identifies the most frequently recommended lawyers across Canada in 39 practice areas. It is used as a resource for American and Canadian in-house counsel and law firms in need of Canadian legal expertise.

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 is proud to be recognized in the Litigation chapter.

The following Lenczner Slaght lawyers are recognized:

• Brian Kolenda – Litigation
• Sana Halwani – Life Sciences, Patents
• Sarah Millar – E-Discovery Practitioners, Litigation: E-Discovery Lawyers
• Matthew Sammon – Litigation
• Jordana Sanft – Life Sciences, Patents
• Monique Jilesen – Litigation
• William C. McDowell – Litigation
• Tom Curry – Litigation
• Peter Griffin – Litigation, 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.