Overview
With securities litigation and enforcement cases on the rise, and an increasingly complex securities regulatory framework to deal with, you need a litigation team to help you navigate the capital markets - expertly and efficiently.
As one of the strongest and most diverse litigation teams in Canada, the Gowling WLG Securities Litigation Group has served as trusted legal adviser to the majority of Canada's Schedule I banks, as well as Canada's top corporations and other market participants - including TSX-listed public companies, startup private issuers, investment dealers and advisers, directors and officers, investment funds, insurers, compliance personnel, and other registrants.
We've handled a range of litigation issues for each of these clients, including:
- Securities class actions
- Shareholder activism cases
- Securities enforcement matters, including OSC, IIROC, MFDA, SEC and other regulatory investigations
- Compliance issues
- Shareholder disputes and oppression
- Derivatives litigation
- Broker/dealer litigation
- Contested M&A/corporate transactions
- Accounting/auditing issues
- Corruption/foreign bribery matters
- Corporate governance issues
- White collar crime
- Crisis/risk management
- Internal investigations
- Cross-border investigation
In every case, our mission is simple: to formulate litigation strategies that best align with our clients' business interests. Whether through a negotiated settlement, alternative dispute resolution or the courtroom, the Gowling WLG team is committed to working with you to achieve the best possible results.
An unmatched legal team
The Gowling WLG team comprises seasoned professionals who are well-versed in securities litigation, including practitioners who have held senior positions at Canadian securities regulators - such as deputy director of enforcement, chief litigation counsel, prosecutors and litigation specialists at several Branches (Compliance/Registrant Regulation and Corporate Finance), as well as the insider trading/market manipulation unit of the Ontario Securities Commission.
Our team also includes former assistant Crown attorneys who have prosecuted securities matters. These experiences have enabled us to develop extensive expertise in Canada's complex securities laws and regulations, and have also allowed us to build exceptionally strong relationships with government agencies - to the direct benefit of our clients.
Highly credentialed litigators
Regularly ranked among the very best litigators by Canada's leading legal directories, including Chambers Global, Lexpert, Best Lawyers and Benchmark Litigation, Gowling WLG is known as a top securities litigation firm. Our practitioners have served on precedent-setting cases involving securities class actions, insider trading/tipping, contested M&A transactions, market manipulation, securities frauds, NI 43-101 obligations, auditor liability and white collar crime.
In light of their credentials, our practitioners are also frequently called on to lecture at leading securities law conferences and seminars, as well as at Canada's top universities.
Full-service support
Whether it be multi-jurisdictional securities class actions, wrongful dismissal claims by departing investment advisers, managing international investor fraud recovery matters or handling complex structured product litigation, we offer timely, effective solutions that will meet and exceed your needs.
Working seamlessly with you from offices across Canada, as well as in the U.K., Europe, Asia and the Middle East, our litigators also work closely with Gowling WLG's securities solicitors to draw from their expertise on take-over strategies, shareholder activism cases, insider reporting obligations and other requirements.
Key industry roles
Our practitioners have occupied key leadership positions in the Canadian securities industry. These positions include memberships on the OSC's Securities Advisory Committee (SAC) and its Securities Proceedings Advisory Committee (SPAC) and the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) Enforcement Committee. Members of our team also serve as chair of The Advocates' Society Securities Litigation Practice Group - one of the largest collective of securities litigators in Canada - and as the inaugural chair of the American Bar Association's Securities Litigation Sub-Committee responsible for Canada.
These key positions allow us to keep on top of the latest securities litigation trends - and keep our fingers on the pulse of the Canadian capital markets.
Cost-effective approach
We ensure you get the most value from your legal spend through the use of our in-house legal project management platform, Practical LPM™. By seamlessly managing the scope, costs, tasks and resources associated with your file, we help keep your legal matter on track, on time and on budget. We also reduce costs and ensure efficiency through the use of Go.Plead, a legal research and precedents tool built and maintained by our team.
Learn more
To learn more about how we can help you succeed, please contact any member of our team.
