This program contains 2 hours and 50 minutes of Professionalism Content.
In-House Counsel: Free Registration
Law Firms + Legal Sector Service Providers: $249
Overview
Part of the wider Canadian Legal Innovation Forum, the Canadian Litigation Forum’s inaugural event launches in Toronto in November, 2019. The purpose of the forum is to build a national leadership network of litigators focused on innovation in their respective practice areas. It will focus on core, topical themes relevant to litigators and the attendant challenges faced by the businesses they work alongside. Proposed panel, presentation and debate themes outlined below.
Themes
Panel, presentation and interview topics for the Canadian Litigation Forum (full agenda below).
Setting the scene: the Canadian litigation landscape.
The business of litigation: navigating a post hourly fee world.
Winning better litigation results with legal expertise, technology, and a growth mindset
International Arbitration - a new paradigm emerges.
Investigations: trends and drivers.
Format
Half Day, afternoon forum (followed by networking drinks) in Toronto (November 26th)
100 attendees. Participants split between: law firms, in-house counsel and legal sector service providers.
This program contains 2 hour and 50 minutes of Professionalism Content.
Panelists
Agenda
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12.30 - 1.10 pm: Registration and Lunch
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1.10 - 1.15pm: Welcome by Forum MC & Founding Partners: Bentham IMF + Epiq
Jennifer Brown, Journalist + Forum MC
Nickolas Tzoulas, Associate Investment Manager and Legal Counsel, Bentham IMF
Carla Swansburg, President & General Manager (Canada), Epiq
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1.15 - 2.00pm: Setting the scene: the Canadian litigation landscape.
As the business and political landscape evolves in Canada and abroad, so does the complexity of litigation risk for Canadian companies. Companies are facing increasing risk in areas such as climate change litigation, enhanced privacy laws and uncertainty regarding corporate criminal penalties and deferred prosecution agreements. Here, the panel will present on and discuss these trends that are both present and on the horizon for companies when it comes to litigation risk. And, how Canadian lawyers can prepare and innovate to address them.
Aimee Collier, Assistant General Counsel, Ontario Power Generation
Michael Torrance, Chief Sustainability Officer | Associate General Counsel, BMO Financial Group
Patrick Cotter, General Counsel, Durham District School Board
Monique Jilesen, Partner, Lenczner Slaght
Chair: Jennifer Brown, Journalist
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2.05 - 2.50pm: The business of litigation
The business of litigation is evolving, particularly when it comes to disputes. Alternative financing structures, the emergence of law firms taking on more financial risk and alternative fee structures are all playing key roles. Litigation finance - litigation costs financed by a third party - provides a good example of how companies can better manage litigation risk and points to a new model for alignment of client, law firm and investor incentives. However, these financial innovations also create ethical implications. Some say it encourages the pursuit of profit over cases’ merits, burdens an overcrowded courts system and prompts other ethical considerations. This panel will look at the current and future landscape of the business of litigation in Canada and international jurisdictions.
Scott Morgan, Former Director of Legal Operations, Air Canada
Lauren Tomasich, Partner, Litigation, Osler
Paul Rand, Chief Investment Officer, Bentham IMF
Chair: Christine Dobby, Corporate Law Reporter, The Globe and Mail
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2.50 - 3.10pm: Afternoon Break
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3.15 - 4.05pm: International Arbitration
The international arbitration landscape is subject to uncertain politics concerning trade and investment and continues to evolve. This panel will focus on the tools companies have at their disposal to protect their interest in overseas international commercial contracts and investments. What options exist for arbitration in the current political context? And what opportunities and challenges does this evolution represent for in-house and external lawyers and their advisers as it relates to arbitration?
Ian Binnie C.C., Q.C., Of Counsel, Lenczner Slaght
Marine Assadollahi, General Counsel - North America, Fives
Myriam Seers, Senior Associate, Torys
Joel Richler, Arbitrator/Mediator, Bay Street Chambers
Chair: Paul Tichauer, Independent Arbitrator, Chair, CIArb Canada
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4.10 - 4.55pm: Winning better litigation results with legal expertise, technology, and a growth mindset.
Delivering better litigation results by using technology is a complex process. It requires the convergence of the right strategy, mindset and technology to succeed. On this panel, our speakers will explain the mindset and journey that led them to adopt and build technology to amplify their legal skills, train more powerful legal professionals, and deliver optimal client results.
Lisa Alleyne, Senior Legal Counsel, eDiscovery, Scotiabank
Carla Swansburg, President & General Manager (Canada), Epiq
Alan Bass, President, Korbitec Inc.
Natalie Worsfold, Tax Counsel, Counter Tax Lawyers
Chair: Peter Aprile, Tax Lawyer + Founder, Counter Tax Lawyers
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5.00 - 5.45pm: Investigations: trends and drivers.
Management of internal and external investigations is critical for in-house lawyers as well as for the external advisors supporting them. And - in recent years - a number of new trends have emerged in terms of the types of investigations being undertaken at companies. What new contexts are emerging when it comes to investigations? How can emerging investigation risks be best managed? And how can effective investigations teams collaborate best to meet these current challenges?
Leola Pon, General Counsel, The Toronto School District Board
Nicole Wells, Senior Managing Director, Forensic & Litigation Consulting, FTI Consulting
Laura McLaren, Associate General Counsel, Litigation & Managing Director, BMO Capital Markets
Gerald Chan, Partner, Stockwoods
Chair: Anita Balakrishnan, Editor, Law Times
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5.45 - 6.45 pm: Forum Close + Networking Drinks - Supported by FTI Consulting
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