Expertise
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Practice Areas:
Bar Admissions:
Education:
- Osgoode Hall Law School (1990) LLB
- Queen's University (1987) B.A.
Details
- Bio
- Cases
- Associations
- Blog Posts
- News & Media
- Publications & Presentations
- Recognition
Peter J. Osborne
"He is dedicated to client service, is an excellent communicator and has vast experience in the area of commercial litigation." — Chambers Canada
Peter's advocacy practice includes securities matters, commercial and industrial disputes, cross-border restructuring and insolvency cases, class actions, governance issues as well as professional regulatory litigation and disciplinary proceedings. He appears regularly before a wide range of courts and tribunals across Canada, in cross-border proceedings and in arbitrations in numerous jurisdictions.
Peter routinely advises shareholders, officers, directors, special committees and boards of public as well as private companies in crisis situations and shareholder and governance disputes. He also acts for such clients in the context of cross-border litigation and insolvency proceedings. In addition, he both prosecutes and defends professional disciplinary proceedings.
Peter was counsel to the Government of Canada in the litigation and related insolvency proceedings involving alleged tobacco smuggling, which resulted in one of Canada's largest civil settlements and payment of more than $1.2 billion to the federal government.
He also represented the management directors in the restructuring of Canwest Global Communications Corp., acted for the court-appointed Monitors in the restructurings of Air Canada, Teleglobe Inc., Hollinger Inc., the U.S. parent in Calpine Canada Energy Ltd., the auditors in Sino Forest Corporation (class actions, CCAA) and Société Générale in a class action involving principal protected notes, among many others. This year he successfully represented the federal government in a $250 million dollar bid-rigging procurement case in the Federal Court of Canada.
For many years, Peter taught trial advocacy at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law and at Osgoode Hall Law School. He is also a regular instructor for continuing legal education programs of The Advocates' Society.
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Industrial Alliance Securities Inc v Kunicyn
Counsel to an investment advisor in an employment dispute arising from a regulatory investigation.
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Tiger Calcium Services Inc v Clark Sazwan
Counsel to the Plaintiff, Parallel49 in an Alberta action relating to alleged misrepresentations during the purchase and sale of a calcium chloride plant.
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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 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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Polman v The Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario
Counsel to the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario in the successful defense at the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario of alleged discrimination concerning the unification of the accounting professions in Canada.
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Djossou v Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario
Counsel to the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario, the regulatory body for professional accounts in the Province of Ontario, in an application before the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario.
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Mancinelli v Royal Bank of Canada
Counsel to Société Générale in a putative class action pending in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice relating to allegations of conspiracy and price fixing in the global foreign exchange market.
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Counsel to former General Counsel of US Steel Canada Inc. in CCAA insolvency proceeding.
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Re Allarco Entertainment 2008 Inc
Counsel to Shaftesbury Films in connection with the CCCA restructuring of Allarco, an Edmonton-based media company that operates Super Channel.
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Staines v Royal Bank of Canada
Counsel to the defendant Société Générale in a proposed class action alleging conspiracy and price fixing in connection with the international foreign exchange market. The plaintiffs seek billions of dollars in damages.
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American College of Trial Lawyers - Fellow
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The Advocates' Society - Member of the Board of Directors; Chair of the Modern Advocacy Task Force; Instructor
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Canadian Bar Association
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Ontario Bar Association
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CAIRP (Canadian Association of Insolvency and Restructuring Professionals
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INSOL (International Association of Restructuring, Insolvency and Bankruptcy Professionals
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Turnaround Management 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 adjunct faculty
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Bar Admission Course, Newfoundland and Labrador - Instructor
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Osgoode Hall Law School Alumni Association - Former Board Member
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Osgoode Hall Law School Mentor Program - Former Co-Chair
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Crescent School - Member of Board of Governors and Governance Committee
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Letters Rogatory: Who Should Pay? And How Much?
In an increasingly global society, obtaining evidence from witnesses outside of a party’s jurisdiction can be costly.
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Deceitful conduct of co-conspirator a bar to releasing bankrupt from judgment debt
When does a judgment debt arising out of fraudulent misrepresentation survive a bankruptcy?
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Personal injury award for intentionally inflicted bodily harm survives bankruptcy
Bankruptcy provides debtors with a fresh start. A clean slate, free from previous financial obligations. The general rule is that all previous debts are extinguished, subject to a very narrow band of exceptions, where the onus is on the creditor to establish the survival of the debt obligation post-bankruptcy.
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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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Who’s Who Legal: Canada 2020 Recognizes Lenczner Slaght’s Expert Litigators
In the latest edition of Who's Who Legal: Canada, Lenczner Slaght achieves eight recognitions in the Litigation chapter, with a total of ten expert litigators ranked.
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Lenczner Slaght Recognized as a Top-Tier Litigation Firm by Chambers Canada
Canada’s leading litigation firm and its expert litigators continue to be recognized by world-renowned directory, Chambers & Partners.
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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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Task force aims to help modernize justice system and role of advocates
Peter J. Osborne was interviewed in The Lawyer's Daily article "Task force aims to help modernize justice system and role of advocates". This article discusses The Advocates' Society's Modern Advocacy Task Force, and how the task force will help modernize the justice system and the role of advocates beyond COVID-19.
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Lenczner Slaght Litigators Elected to The Advocates’ Society’s Leadership
We are pleased to announce that Anne Posno, Nina Bombier and Shara Roy have been elected to prominent executive positions at The Advocates’ Society, a preeminent organization dedicated to promoting effective advocacy and access to justice. Peter J. Osborne, Brian Kolenda, and Chris Kinnear Hunter will also be continuing their terms in their leadership positions.
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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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The Right To Be Heard: The Future of Advocacy in Post-Pandemic Canada
Peter J. Osborne is program chair of The Advocates' Society's symposium titled "The Right To Be Heard: The Future of Advocacy in Post-Pandemic Canada". The symposium, presented by the Modern Advocacy Task Force, will feature multi-disciplinary perspectives on access to justice and the role of oral, written, and Zoom hearings in post-pandemic Canada.
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Reading the Room (How to Testify Convincingly), What Judges and Lawyers Are Looking For
Peter J. Osborne spoke at The Canadian Institute of Chartered Business Valuators' Expert Witness Symposium as part of a panel "Reading the Room (How to Testify Convincingly), What Judges and Lawyers Are Looking For." In this session, he provided tips on maximizing your effectiveness as an expert witness.
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The Litigator of the Future: Technology to Simplify Work and Life
Peter J. Osborne spoke at The Advocates' Society's Fall Forum 2018. He was part of the program's faculty that explored the use of technology to simplify work and life.
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Current and Emerging Issues in Civil Sexual Assault
Peter J. Osborne spoke at OsgoodePD's program on Current and Emerging Issues in Civil Sexual Assault. He shared his expertise on the panel "Interplay Between Civil and Criminal Proceedings."
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The Barbara Wand Seminar in Professional Ethics, Standards and Conduct
Peter J. Osborne spoke at the panel "Recent Developments in Legislation and Jurisprudence Relevant to the Professional Practice of Psychology".
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36th Annual Intensive Trial Advocacy Workshop
Peter Osborne, Lawrence Thacker, Risa Kirshblum, Monique Jilesen, Eli Lederman, Matthew Sammon, Rebecca Jones, Jaan Lilles and Dena Varah were among the... -
Sudbury and District Law Association: Colloquium 2014
Peter Osborne was a panelist and presenter at the continuing professional development event presented by Sudbury District Law Association. Peter spoke on... -
Council on Licence, Enforcement and Regulation 2014 Annual Educational Conference
Peter Osborne delivered a presentation at the 2014 Annual Education Conference on September 11, 2014 with Dean Benard of Benard & Associates. Peter presented on Unauthorized Practice in Regulated Professions (a cross-border and cross-disciplinary approach and comment on strategies).
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35th Annual Intensive Trial Advocacy Workshop
Peter Osborne, Lawrence Thacker, Risa Kirshblum, Monique Jilesen, Eli Lederman, Matthew Sammon, Rebecca Jones, Jaan Lilles and Dena Varah were among the... -
Coloring Between the Lines - Weaving Together the Investigation and the Prosecution.
Peter J. Osborne co-presented a program at CLEAR's 2009 Annual Conference in Denver, Colorado.
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Benchmark Canada (2012-2020)
Litigation Star - Class Action, General Commercial, Insolvency and Securities
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Best Lawyers in Canada (2006-2021)
Administrative & Public Law, Corporate & Commercial Litigation, Insolvency & Financial Restructuring, Securities
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Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory (2012-2020)
Class Actions, Insolvency & Financial Restructuring, Litigation - Corporate Commercial, Litigation - Directors' & Officers' Liability, Litigation - Securities, Medical Negligence, Professional Liability
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Chambers Canada (2021)
Litigation: General Commercial (Ontario)
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Chambers Global (2012-2015)
Dispute Resolution: Ontario: Canada
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Lexpert Guide to the Leading US/Canada Cross-Border Lawyers in Canada (2013-2019)
Dispute Resolution, Corporate Commercial Litigation
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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 (2013-2020)
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Lexpert Top 40 Under 40
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Lexpert®/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada (2016-2021)
Corporate Commercial Litigation
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