Best Lawyers in Canada for Appellate Practice

John's advocacy is tried and tested, having conducted dozens of lengthy and complex arbitrations, trials, and administrative hearings. John has a robust appellate practice, having appeared at the Court of Appeal for Ontario on over 40 appeals and before the Supreme Court of Canada on multiple occasions. John does not shy from challenge. Some of John’s most notable cases are the product of his creative, boundary-testing approach, and passion for applying the law creatively to achieve sen...

Geoff Cowper is a leading litigator with a national reputation and has been counsel in dozens of leading cases in a wide range of areas, including commercial litigation, class actions, constitutional law, and administrative law. Geoff’s experience includes conducting trials in several jurisdictions, ranging from summary trials to cases requiring over 200 days of hearing. He has appeared in over 150 appeals, including numerous appearances before the Supreme Court of Canada, and has repre...

Fredrick Schumann is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Administrative and Public Law, Appellate Practice, Corporate and Commercial Litigation and Criminal Defence. Fredrick, who practices law in Toronto, Ontario, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Fredrick is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: Mr. Halt graduated as the gold medal recipient from the University of Saskatchewan in 1986 and in 1988-89 he had the honour of serving as a law clerk to Madam Justice Bertha Wilson of the Supreme Court of Canada. Following his clerkship, Mr. Halt relocated to Calgary and has since practised civil litigation, including insurance with an emphasis on professional liability, corporate commercial litigation, securities litigation, franchise litigation, insolvency, construc...

Stephen Aylward is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Administrative and Public Law and Appellate Practice. Stephen, who practices law in Toronto, Ontario, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Stephen is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Chris G. Paliare, OOnt, LSM, is a top lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Administrative and Public Law, Appellate Practice, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Class Action Litigation, Corporate and Commercial Litigation and Labour and Employment Law. Chris 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 an...

Anne Tardif is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Appellate Practice, Corporate and Commercial Litigation, Director and Officer Liability Practice and Professional Malpractice Law. Anne, who practices law in Ottawa, Ontario, has been recognized since 2020. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Anne is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Jessica Orkin has a broad litigation practice including criminal, civil and administrative law matters, with an emphasis on constitutional, human rights, Aboriginal rights and access to information law matters. Jessica appears at all levels of court, including the Court of Appeal for Ontario and the Supreme Court of Canada. She is also a frequent speaker at legal conferences and seminars. Jessica received her law degree from the University of Toronto. She also holds an M.Phil. degree in Devel...

Alyssa Tomkins is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Administrative and Public Law, Appellate Practice, Corporate and Commercial Litigation and Director and Officer Liability Practice. Alyssa, who practices law in Ottawa, Ontario, has been recognized since 2022. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Alyssa is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Perry R. Mack, K.C. is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Alternative Dispute Resolution, Appellate Practice, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Construction Law, Corporate and Commercial Litigation, Director and Officer Liability Practice, Insurance Law, International Arbitration and Personal Injury Litigation. Perry R., who practices law in Calgary, Alberta, has been recognized since 2006. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting t...

Andrew Lokan practises in the areas of constitutional law, appellate advocacy, complex commercial litigation, and administrative and labour law. Andrew advocates before all levels of court in Ontario and has appeared in more than 35 cases at the Supreme Court of Canada and over 30 cases at the Ontario Court of Appeal. He has also appeared before courts in several other provinces on constitutional and administrative law cases. He is co-author of Lokan & Dassios, Constitutional Litigation i...

As the senior partner in his firm, Paul is a leading constitutional, labour and administrative law lawyer, arguing significant cases before the Supreme Court of Canada, the Courts of Ontario, and labour and administrative tribunals. Paul was appointed by Associate Chief Justice Dennis O'Connor to act as lead commission counsel to the Commission of Inquiry into the Actions of Canadian Officials in Relation to Maher Arar. Previously, Paul acted as lead commission counsel in the Walkerton Inquir...

Paul co-founded Pape Chaudhury LLP with Shantona Chaudhury in 2018. Paul has over 45 years of experience as both trial and appellate counsel and has acted in many cases of significance. Paul’s litigation practice focuses on complex commercial, securities,class action, professional negligence, and administrative matters, with special emphasis on appeals in these and other areas. Paul is a senior and leading member of the Ontario Bar. Paul has been described as an “outstanding appel...

A senior partner with McLennan Ross, Graham has assisted clients to resolve all types of civil claims. Graham has focused on commercial litigation, including class action proceedings, professional liability claims against accountants and construction litigation. Based in Edmonton, Alberta, Graham conducts cases in Edmonton, Calgary, British Columbia and Ontario. Graham has appeared before all levels of Court in Alberta, the B.C. Supreme Court, the Ontario Court of Justice, the Northwest Terri...

Chris is a Partner with Harper Grey and has over 25 years’ experience with all aspects of civil litigation. The focus of Chris’ practice is complex, multi-party disputes. He is counsel in some of Canada’s largest and most technically challenging cases in the fields of product liability, environmental contamination and construction. Chris’ education and background in the field of chemical engineering makes him particularly adept at dealing with complex issues and eviden...

Fahad Siddiqui leads our public strategy group. He advises clients on bet-the-company litigation, regulation, and reputational problems. Fahad has successfully brought and defended cases involving contested legislation and regulatory decisions, M&A transactions, commercial claims, shareholder claims, proxy contests, board disputes, contract claims, insolvency disputes, and defamation. His recent work includes acting for international streaming services in a challenge to new internet regul...