A relatively new entry into the Toronto litigation boutique community, Adair Goldblatt Bieber is composed of partners from several other Toronto-based firms, and has, almost immediately upon arrival, taken the market by storm. “I come across Adair Goldblatt Bieber tons,” confirms one contemporary, “and I come across all of them. They mostly have a similar practice to me, general commercial litigators, but they also take on some other left-field really interesting work.” Perhaps as remarkable is the average age of the firm’s respective partners, which, in several cases, is 40 years old.
The three name partners, John Adair, Simon Bieber and Jordan Goldblatt, all generate acclaim. “John Adair in particular is on my radar, whether I like it or not,” quips one peer. “Every time I’m against him I have an absolute dogfight with him.” Adair is proving his stripes in a lightning rod of a case, representing a high-ranking former Minister of Cabinet in the Saudi government who is alleged, along with a number of close family and friends and the former Crown Prince, of embezzling a massive amount of money and moving it into various offshore havens and who, once stripped of his titles and position, fled to Canada. “This is major, a case that everyone is talking about,” confirms one peer, summing up the general consensus. Adair isalso co-lead counsel into a significant public inquiry into the construction of Ottawa’s transit line. Bieber is universally championed among Bay Street peers. “Simon is almost unparalleled at his vintage,” raves one, who addresses Bieber as “a phenomenal lawyer who is really good at bringing in the work and also doing it, as opposed to a lot of rainmakers that are great at bringing in work but can’t really do it themselves.” Bieber is also noted as “just a good guy and a great mentor.” Goldblatt is cheered by a client as being “professional, very personable and committed, extremely knowledgeable. He gets the job done and has an edge that you need in defending a client. [He is] Fast, efficient and very detailed and [he] Represents our best interests well.” Goldblatt is class counsel in an action alleging that an insurer wrongfully denied coverage of trip benefits where credits were available. A successful mediation in 2022 has resulted in a multi-million-dollar settlement, to be considered by court in 2023. Several future stars among the firm’s ranks would seem to have benefited considerably from this mentorship. Julia Wilkes receives resounding and widespread praise, with one peer calling her “tough as nails, practical, great and pleasant to work with.” Another peer testifies, “I had the pleasure of being opposing counsel to her on a very bitter business dispute which thankfully we shepherded to a settlement. I was really in awe of how she handled all of that.” Still another testifies, “She is extremely knowledgeable and explains the law well. She is a good listener, and I appreciate that she is willing to work with us on solutions. She has made herself available on short notice, which I appreciate.” Jordan Katz is called “unimpeachably smart, really cool, calm and collected. He comes across well beyond his years and has a strong background in quasi-criminal cases and also in the medical field.” Nathaniel Read-Ellis is yet another of the firm’s “next-generation” level of stars. “I’ve known Nate since law school,” confirms one peer. “He is a solid litigator and very insightful. We refer each other cases. He is not one of these people who is blinded by ego, he is just all about, ‘How do we move this forward?’ He’s very professional and has maturity and civility beyond his years. He’s going to wind up with one of those ‘civility’ awards.” Robert Stellick makes his debut as a future star in this edition, identified by a peer as “a more junior partner, but an excellent one. He’s about 7 years out seems like someone who’s been in a courtroom for 25 years.”
