Class Actions

Class actions remain top of mind for most businesses with operations or interests in Canada. Blakes is at the forefront of class actions defence and has one of the most experienced teams in the country. For nearly four decades since the advent of class actions in Canada, we have defended clients in hundreds of class actions across the country, including precedent-setting cases with industry-wide implications and multijurisdictional cases requiring global coordination. We have had notable class-action success at trial and in dispositive applications and motions. Developing an appropriate strategy to mitigate risk and manage the defence of a class-action claim is vital, and a keen understanding of our clients’ businesses and industry sectors allows us to be pragmatic in the advice we give.

Our Class Actions group is comprised of skilled trial lawyers and advocates that defend clients at all levels of courts and are skilled in strategic planning, mediations, arbitrations and negotiated settlements. A key advantage is the experience of our integrated and coordinated national team of leading litigators who have deep knowledge and experience in each of the major Canadian jurisdictions. This platform ensures that we are able to expertly advise about class actions law and effectively coordinate cases across the country.

Our Class Actions team draws on the strength of other leading practices within our Firm, including Competition & Antitrust; Environmental; Pensions, Benefits & Executive Compensation; Financial Services; Insurance; Employment & Labour; Cybersecurity; Life Sciences; Product Liability; Technology; Privacy & Data Protection; Anti-Spam; Consumer Protection; Franchising; Intellectual Property; Capital Markets; and Climate Change. We are also supported by our dedicated E-Discovery & Document Management and Blakes inSource teams. Our in-house innovative service delivery and advanced technologies significantly reduce the time and cost associated with large document cases. Additionally, we work with a broad range of independent experts, including doctors, scientists, economists, epidemiologists, biostatisticians and others, to assist in the presentation of a case and provide evidence at trial.

We also regularly work with U.S. and international law firms, advisers and experts to ensure effective coordination of claims that are international in scope and extend into Canada. Through our cross-border experience, strong communication and collaboration, we help ensure the best representation for our clients, making Blakes a leading Canadian class-action law firm.

As recognized leaders in this area, our litigators regularly participate in initiatives to improve class-action procedures across Canada, such as the Canadian Bar Association’s National Task Force on Class Actions, the International Association of Defense Counsel Canadian Class Action Task Force and the Ontario Bar Association's Class Actions Law Section Executive. We are often invited to speak about topics related to class actions. We have also assisted a number of industry groups with submissions to the Law Commission of Ontario, the Ontario Attorney General and the Legislative Standing Committee, leading up to the 2020 amendments to the Ontario Class Proceedings Act. Additionally, we have made submissions to the Government of Quebec in answer to its public consultation for an eventual class action reform in Quebec.