ONTARIO
Miller Thomson stands out in Ontario for the diversity of its bench, its clients and its work, which spans a greater variety than that of many other firms, particularly those that are Toronto-centric. “Miller Thomson has an unusual model,” observes a local peer. “They are one of the biggest firms in Canada and cover almost every province. They have grown aggressively but have done so in a smart way. They do work that other firms don’t do, like insurance defense and family law.” Another peer notes, “Their [Toronto] commercial litigation team is quite deep, something like 15 partners, a lot of whom didn’t grow up in big firms. They’ll be on everything from public company disputes, mid- to high-end shareholder disputes. They actually do more trial work than more ‘Bay Street’-centric firms because they do work for more mid-tier entrepreneurial entities who have done well and so by nature are more litigious. They have toughed it out, they’re not going to be pushed around and get screwed. They are willing to fight over principles.” One such satisfied client addresses Miller Thomson as, “A terrific business law shop that is building significant bench strength in various areas. They are professional, and the lawyers we dealt with understand First Nations issues very well.” The firm is one of the few national entities whose strategic expansion has focused on developing bench strength in areas of Ontario such as London and the Waterloo Region, to the point where its concentration of litigators there is as dense as it is in Toronto.
Adam Stephens is namechecked by a peer as a “very good and able lawyer, particularly in shareholders’ rights cases.” Stephens also acts as the chair of the firm’s litigation group nationally. Also in Toronto, Kelly Charlebois acts almost exclusively on behalf of high-net-worth individuals in her trust-and-estates litigation, and area in which Miller Thomson maintains almost national-level niche. Toronto future star Eric Sherkin attends to a practice that balances commercial litigation with insolvency, defamation and professional negligence work. Sherkin acts for the plaintiffs on a claim for oppression and breach of contract. The plaintiffs claim there was an agreement to create a jointly owned company for purposes of pursuing certain opportunities, and that the defendants have improperly appropriated the opportunities to themselves.
Bobby Sachdeva, co-lead of the commercial litigation group, is championed by a peer for his “appropriate aggressiveness tempered by manners. There are so many proverbial assholes out there – no thank you! Give me someone more like Bobby Sachdeva to work with.” James Zibarras – Miller Thomson – in the FRAUD world, he might fly under the radar because frankly I don’t think he really seeks the fame and recognition, but he certainly knows a lot about the world of Mareva injunctions and fraud. Another peer asserts, “James Zibarras is great in the fraud world. He might fly under the radar because frankly I don’t think he really seeks the fame and recognition, but he certainly knows a lot about the world of Mareva injunctions and fraud.”
QUEBEC
Like its Ontario counterparts, Miller Thomson’s Montréal office is recognized for a broad range of litigation practices, several of which it is said to have “cornered a market” on.
Fadi Amine, managing partner of this office and is a celebrated class-actions based partner, generates considerable acclaim. A peer confirms, “Fadi is on the opioids class actions. He's great!”
Adina Georgescu is the head of the administrative law group and is active in expropriation, environmental and energy matters. “She has major class actions in environmental law,” confirms a peer. “She’s in a nuisance lawsuit in Brossard on the South Shore.” Stephane Trihey, a commercial litigation generalist, acts on a matter concerning the annulment of a will of Dickie Moore, the late Canadian hockey player who was also ran a successful construction equipment leasing business. Trihey represents the trustee and liquidator of Moore’s estate. Claudia Desjardins Bélisleis part of the Montréal office’s labor and employment group, a group that is said to “actually go[es] to court more often than many litigators! They act in front of many civil courts but also many administrative tribunals.”
Yves Robillard, an all-purpose commercial litigator whose practice emphasizes shareholder’s disputes, is another community favorite. “He’s doing quite well on a case I have with him right now,” testifies a peer, who then concedes humorously, “OK, he’s kicking my ass, if I’m being honest.”
