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    Contact Sachini Withanage at 416-646-4647
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  2. Credit Card via telephone (Visa or Mastercard only): Contact Sachini Withanage at 416-646-4647
Partner

Chris Paliare

O.Ont., LSM., LL.B., LL.M.

Chris Paliare is one of Canada’s most highly sought after “Bet-the-Company” litigators. For nearly 50 years, Chris has acted in some of the most public, high-stakes litigation in Canada, spanning appeals, corporate and commercial litigation, class actions, high stakes estate litigation, constitutional litigation, employment law, administrative law, white collar crime, and more. He has dedicated his career to providing exceptional legal advice to all clients, including underserved individuals and communities.

 

Chris’ clients speak highly of his skill and expertise at his strategic approach to all of his cases. “He is professional in the way he does business, he is responsive to our requests or any needs we have, and he is thoughtful in the work he does.”

 

Chris, who was named one of Toronto’s most influential people by Toronto Life magazine, has earned vast range of accolades, including the Law Society Medal, the OBA Award for Excellence in Civil Litigation and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. He was inducted as a member of the Order of Ontario in 2011, and is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, the International Academy of Trial Lawyers and the International Society of Barristers.

Education

  • Unversity of Texas at Austin, LL.M., 1971
  • Osgoode Hall, LL.B., 1970

Bar Admissions

  • Ontario, 1973

Professional Affiliations

  • International Academy of Trial Lawyers (Eastern Canadian Chair), Fellow
  • International Society of Barristers, Fellow
  • American College of Trial Lawyers, Fellow, former Ontario Provincial Chair and Honourary Member of COMBAR
  • Canadian Bar Association
  • Chartered Institute of Arbitrators
  • LSUC, Certified Specialist in Civil Litigation
  • The Advocates' Society

Practice Areas

Awards and Honours

  • Ranking - Best Lawyers in Canada 2025 – Administrative and Public Law, Appellate Practice, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Class Action Litigation, Corporate and Commercial Litigation, Labour and Employment Law
  • Ranking - Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory: Class Actions; Employment (Employee); Employment (Employer); Labour Relations - (Labour); Litigation – Corporate Commercial; Litigation – Directors & Officers’ Liability; Litigation – Regulatory & Public Law; Workplace Human Rights (Employer)
  • Member of the Order of Ontario - Inducted into the order in 2011
  • Award - Toronto Lawyers Association Award of Distinction 2023
  • Award - Ontario Bar Association - Award of Excellence in Civil Litigation - 2016
  • Award - Osgoode Hall Law School Alumni Association - Gold Key Award for Outstanding Achievement – 2008
  • Medal - The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal - 2012
  • Medal - Law Society Medal – 2004
  • Honour - Specialist in Civil Litigation - Certified by the Law Society of Upper Canada
  • Honour - Toronto Life - One of Toronto's 50 Most Influential People – 2013
  • Honour – Fellow - American College of Trial Lawyers
  • Honour - Fellow - International Academy of Trial Lawyers
  • Honour - Fellow - International Society of Barristers
  • Honour - Honourary member of Combar
  • Thought Leadership - Lexpert Special Edition on Litigation - Recognized as a leader in Litigation - Corporate Commercial, Litigation - Directors' & Officers' Liability, Litigation - Regulatory & Public Law, Class Actions - 2023
  • Thought Leadership - Has supervised the conduct of multi-jurisdictional litigation. He is a frequent lecturer and speaker to professional industry groups on the impact of litigation trends.
  • Thought Leadership - Regularly teaches and lectures to members of the profession on a variety of current legal issues and advocacy.
  • Recognition - Best Lawyers - One of a group of 39 "most eminent and influential Bet-the-Company Litigators from across Canada
  • Recognition - Benchmark Litigation - Litigation Star and Top 50 Trial Lawyers in Canada
  • Ranking - Who's Who Legal Canada - Litigation - Most Highly Regarded
  • Ranking - Lexpert/American Lawyer Guide to Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada
  • Ranking - Lexpert Guide to the Leading US/Canada Cross-border Litigation Lawyers in Canada
  • Ranking - Best Lawyers in Canada - Lawyer of the Year - Administrative and Public Law (2015 and 2020), Labour and Employment Law (2011), Administrative and Public Law (2010)
  • Ranking - Best Lawyers in Canada - Administrative and Public Law, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Class Action Litigation, Corporate and Commercial Litigation, Labour and Employment Law - Since 2006
  • Ranking - The International Who's Who of Commercial Litigators (Law Business Research)
  • Ranking - Chambers Global - Dispute Resolution: Litigation - Canada - Since 2005

Representative Work

  • Chris’ practice covers all aspects of counsel work, including appeals, complex corporate and commercial litigation, securities litigation, administrative law, public law, class actions, Charter of Rights and constitutional litigation, defamation, employment law, pension litigation, and white collar crime.

  • Has appeared in every level of trial and appellate court in the Province of Ontario, and on numerous occasions before the Supreme Court of Canada.

  • Acts on behalf of professionals who have come into conflict with their regulatory agencies, Chris regularly appears before the Divisional Court, the Court of Appeal for Ontario, and before disciplinary bodies, including on behalf of judges and lawyers.

  • Has supervised the conduct of multi-jurisdictional litigation. He is a frequent lecturer and speaker to professional industry groups on the impact of litigation trends.

  • SS&C v. Bank of New York Mellon and CIBC Mellon – breach of a licensing agreement in which liability was found against the defendants and our clients are claiming $880M in damages (2021 ONSC 2657).

  • Successfully represented the Kerbel appellants in Fram Elgin Mills 90 Inc. v. Romandale Farms Limited before the Court of Appeal for Ontario, in which the court ordered specific performance of a contract for the purchase and sale of land (leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada was denied) (2021 ONCA 201).

  • Successfully represented the plaintiff in Bain v. UBS Securities Inc. at trial and before the Court of Appeal for Ontario, a case involving one of the most significant damages awards for wrongful dismissal in Ontario (2018 ONCA 190).

  • Trinity Western v. Law Society – Supreme Court of Canada – Intervenor on behalf of The Advocates’ Society (2018 SCC 32).

  • On July 4, 2017, the Ontario Court of Appeal released its decision in Angus v. Municipality of Port Hope, which reviews key principles in determining whether obligations are pursuant to contract or trust.  Chris Paliare, Richard Stephenson, and Lindsay Scott successfully represented the Municipality of Port Hope as appellant (2017 ONCA 566).

  • Successfully represented the defendant in Cobb v. Long Estate before the Court of Appeal for Ontario, an appeal concerning the application of significant amendments to the Insurance Act in motor vehicle accident cases (2017 ONCA 717).

  • Represented Edith Neuberger in Neuberger v. York, 2016 ONCA 191, a leading case about estoppel and the conduct of Estate Trustees. Our client was successful at the Ontario Court of Appeal, and leave was denied at the Supreme Court of Canada (2016 CanLII 60508 (SCC)).

  • Successfully represented the plaintiff in Club Resorts Ltd. v. Van Breda before the Court of Appeal for Ontario and the Supreme Court of Canada, which redefined the test for the assumption of jurisdiction over foreign defendants in Ontario (2012 SCC 17).

  • Dunsmore – A historic decision of the Supreme Court of Canada that allowed farm workers the right to join trade unions applying s. 2(d) of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to override the prohibition in the Ontario Labour Relations Act (2001 SCR 1016).

  • Regina v. Murray Howard – Supreme Court of Canada successfully gave the client a new trial on a charge of murder (1989 1 SCR 1337).

Community Involvement

  • Canadian Macedonian Place – Vice-President and Board Member

  • Counsel to the Honourable Madam Justice Gloria Epstein with respect to the Dionne Quintuplet Review – 1998-99

Our People

See the rest of the team
Lindsay Scott Lily Harmer Denise Cooney Paul Davis Charlotté Calon Michael Fenrick Odette Soriano Jean-Claude Killey Tina Lie Jodi Martin Ren Bucholz Megan Shortreed