Sandra Barton

Known for her strategic counsel and trial skills, Sandra Barton is a leading civil and commercial litigation lawyer based in Gowling WLG's Toronto office.

Sandra is recognized as one of the top corporate commercial litigators in Canada by the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory and The Best Lawyers in Canada.She has also been featured among the country's leading class actions lawyers in The Best Lawyers in Canada for the past four years.

In 2020, Sandra became a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, one of the premier legal associations in North America. The American College of Trial Lawyers is an invitation-only fellowship of lawyers from the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico "who have mastered the art of advocacy and whose professional careers have been marked by the highest standards of trial advocacy, ethical conduct, integrity, professionalism and collegiality."

Working seamlessly with clients and counsel across Canada and in foreign jurisdictions, Sandra has extensive experience in complex commercial litigation matters, class action defence, professional liability defence, and — as a registered trademark agent — in trademark and copyright disputes.

Her experience includes:

• Representing clients in complex contract disputes, shareholder disputes, oppression remedy claims, banking litigation, fraud claims, commercial real estate disputes (including public-private partnership/P3 financing and development), private arbitrations and mining claims
• Product liability claims
• Regulatory reviews of medical devices and pharmaceutical products
• Defamation
• Reciprocal enforcement of foreign judgments
• Court actions and regulatory prosecutions brought against professionals (defence)
• Copyright and trademark infringement claims

Sandra also has a certificate in mining law from Osgoode Professional Development.

A sought-after trial advocacy instructor, Sandra has trained lawyers across North America in a range of trial and appellate skills. She has served as an adjunct professor at Osgoode Hall Law School, and is a lead instructor in its annual Intensive Trial Advocacy Workshop for lawyers across Canada. Sandra is also a visiting instructor at the University of Notre Dame and regularly trains lawyers for The Advocates' Society. In 2021, Sandra was the recipient of The Advocates' Society Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Sandra serves on the board of directors of The Advocates' Society, and on the Board of Directors of Touching Tiny Lives, a foundation that supports children and families in rural Lesotho who are struggling to cope with the ravages of HIV/AIDS. Sandra also previously served on the Board of Directors for the Homes First Foundation, a Toronto foundation that provides affordable, stable housing and support services to help break the cycle of homelessness for those with the fewest housing options.