Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2021 
Celeste Poltak focuses extensively on class proceedings litigation and is a partner in our class actions department. She regularly appears before a variety of courts throughout Canada, including the Courts of Appeal in over six provinces, and the Supreme Court of Canada. She has developed a particular expertise in class proceedings, having worked on some of the most notable Canadian cases, (eg. Indian Residential Schools; Sixties Scoop; LGBTQ Purge from the Canadian Armed Forces; the first environmental contamination certified action in Canada; institutional abuse; Archdiocese sexual assault) including a variety of common issues trials across the country and is well published in the area.
Celeste has lectured for many years on class proceedings at Osgoode Hall Law School, the Advocates’ Society, the OBA, Law Society and as adjunct faculty at the University of Toronto. She was a long-standing member of the Firm’s Executive Committee and past Chair of the Student Committee. Celeste also sits on the Class Actions Committee of the Advocates’ Society and is a member of the editorial board of the Canadian Institute’s Class Action Journal. She is a co-author of the textbook Class Actions in Canada (Emond Publishing) and was named Class Action Lawyer of the Year in 2023 by the Women in Law Awards as well as receiving the Lexpert Zenith Award in 2018 for mid-career excellence. In 2024, Celeste was honoured to receive the Ontario Bar Association’s Award of Excellence in Class Proceedings.
Celeste has been recognized by Lexpert as a leading practitioner in class proceedings, named a Future Litigation Star by Benchmark Canada and has received a Chambers ranking in Class Proceedings. She has also been selected for inclusion in the of The Best Lawyers™ in Canada every year since 2021.
Celeste is a member of both the ADR Institute of Canada and ADR Institute of Ontario.
