Expertise
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Practice Areas:
Bar Admissions:
Education:
- Osgoode Hall Law School (1998) LLB
- Queen's University (1995) BA (Honours - Political Science)
- LawVision Group (2015) Legal Project Management
Details
- Bio
- Cases
- Associations
- Blog Posts
- News & Media
- Publications & Presentations
- Recognition
Monique Jilesen
"She is innovative, thoughtful, very smart, and very strategic." — Chambers (Client)
Monique is litigation counsel in complex proceedings from inception through trial. She focuses on class actions, contract and shareholder disputes, civil fraud cases, injunctions, bankruptcy and insolvency matters, and securities and derivatives cases. Monique’s clients include major financial institutions, pharmaceutical companies, technology companies, and other multinational corporations who routinely face challenging, cross-border disputes. She appears at all levels of Court and in administrative tribunals. Monique has a record of success at trial in bet the company disputes.
Monique is widely recognized as leading counsel. Benchmark Canada has identified her as one of Canada’s top 50 trial lawyers and Lexpert has identified her as one of the leading 500 lawyers in Canada. The Advocates’ Society awarded her the Douglas K. Laidlaw for Excellence in Advocacy.
Monique is a member of the Toronto Commercial List Users’ Committee, an Executive Member of the Advocates’ Society Commercial List Practice Group and the past chair of the Gale Cup Moot. She is a regular speaker on various topics, including expert evidence, class proceedings, and injunction advocacy. She also teaches in the Intensive Trial Advocacy Program at Osgoode Hall Law School.
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Counsel to the defendant accounting firm in a claim alleging negligence and breach of trust against a former partner of the firm.
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Reddy v Liberty Development Corporation
Counsel to the Vendors in a condominium development project where the purchasers allege that the pre-construction project was wrongfully terminated.
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Counsel to the GIP Primus, LP in oppression proceedings brought by the Monitor in the context of Algoma's CCAA proceeding.
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Petrochemical Commercial Company International Ltd v Nexus
Counsel to individual respondents in an application relating to a worldwide and multijurisdictional Mareva injunction, including Malaysia, Cyprus and Australia.
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Counsel in various proceedings on behalf of Ernst & Young, the court appointed Monitor of Hollinger Inc. and related entities in complex CCAA proceedings.
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Counsel to a household appliance manufacturer acquiring an asset under a right of first refusal in the context of Sears’ CCAA proceeding.
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PearTree Financial Services Ltd v Brownstein
Counsel to PearTree Financial Services involving the unlawful use of confidential client information by a departing employee and former joint venture partner.
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Cardinal v Cleveland Indians Baseball Company
Counsel for Douglas Cardinal in proceedings to restrain the use in Canada of the Cleveland baseball team's name and logo on human rights grounds.
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Counsel to the defendants in a class action alleging failure to disclose foreign exchange fees in registered accounts.
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Cygnus Electronics Corporation v Hitachi AIC Inc
Counsel to a defendant electronics company in a proposed Ontario class action relating to allegations of price-fixing in the market for electrolytic capacitors.
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The Advocates' Society - Chair of the Commercial Litigation Practice Group
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Canadian Bar Association
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Ontario Bar Association - Civil Litigation Section
E-Discovery Section -
International Women's Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation
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Turnaround Management Association
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Gale Cup Moot Committee - Past Chair
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Ontario Trial Lawyers Association Moot - Former Coach, Osgoode Hall Law School
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Osgoode Hall Law School - Former Adjunct Professor
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Women's White Collar Defense Association
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The Rules of Evidence Still Apply in PMNOC Section 8 Cases
It’s no surprise to litigators that some courts tend to be relaxed with the rules of evidence in civil cases. In many contexts, courts are prepared to admit inadmissible hearsay evidence and simply address evidentiary concerns by noting that such evidence may be given less weight. That type of approach was often taken in cases under section 8 of the Patented Medicine (Notice of Compliance) Regulations.
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The weight of the corporate veil: It will be lifted with only the strongest tools
The "corporate veil" is an old and well-establish concept. Corporations are separate legal entities under the law and, generally, liability will not flow through the corporation and onto the owners and directors. This is why a corporate bankruptcy doesn't result in a flurry of debt collectors knocking on the door of every shareholder.
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Benchmark Canada Highlights Lenczner Slaght’s Litigation Excellence
Benchmark Canada 2019 not only recognizes Canada’s leading litigation firm with the top tier ranking of “Highly Recommended in Ontario”, 17 Lenczner Slaght litigators are also ranked for their expertise.
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Canada’s leading litigation firm is proud to have acted in one of Lexpert’s Top 10 Deals of 2018. Algoma Steel Inc. was featured in the February issue of Lexpert Magazine as one of the most impactful deals in Canada last year. Lenczner Slaght represented GIP Primus, L.P. and Brightwood Loan Services L.L.C. in connection with the sale of the port assets with a team consisting of Peter Griffin, Monique Jilesen, Scott Rollwagen, Matthew Lerner, Christopher Trivisonno, Robert Trenker.
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Another Bull’s-Eye for Canada’s Leading Litigation Firm
Lenczner Slaght is once again recognized as the #1 firm in Toronto for Litigation and Commercial Litigation by the 2019 Lexpert/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada.
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Forum Highlights Perspectives of Women in Litigation
Monique Jilesen and Shara Roy were mentioned in the Lawyer's Daily article "Forum Highlights Perspectives of Women in Litigation" on December 5, 2018. The article revisits a Benchmark Women in Litigation panel, led by Monique Jilesen, and highlights the perspectives of the women panelists and their opinion on what can be done to bring more female voices to the table.
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Lenczner Slaght Recognized as a Top-Tier Litigation Firm by Legal 500
Legal 500 recognizes Lenczner Slaght as the “best litigation boutique in Canada.”
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Lexpert Recognizes Lenczner Slaght’s Excellence in Litigation
Our expert litigators continue to be recognized as the foremost litigators in their fields by peers and senior members of the legal profession.
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Lenczner Slaght Recognized as a “Litigation Powerhouse”
Canada’s leading litigation firm and its expert litigators continue to be recognized by world-renowned directory, Chambers & Partners.
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Lenczner Slaght Litigators Ranked as the Best in their Fields
Canada’s leading litigation firm is proud to announce that 25 of the firm’s 58 lawyers have been recognized in the Best Lawyers in Canada 2019 publication across multiple categories.
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Crown must pay costs after being ‘overly enthusiastic’
Monique Jilesen was mentioned in the Law Times article “Crown must pay costs after being ‘overly enthusiastic’” on July 30, 2018.
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Monique Jilesen, a partner at Lenczner Slaght Royce Smith Griffin LLP, says lawyers must tread carefully when they get into the merits of a proposed class action, even as early as certification, as parties try to get as much information as possible.
That’s especially the case with expert witnesses, since Canadian procedure doesn’t usually have discovery of expert witnesses in advance of trial.
“It was just a disproportionate request to what was being asked,” Jilesen says, who was not involved in the case.
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Lenczner Slaght Partners Featured in Latest Benchmark Recognitions
Benchmark Canada has recognized six Lenczner Slaght partners as the most talented litigators under 40 and two partners recognized as two of the top female litigators in Canada.
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Monique Jilesen will be a Co-Chair at The Advocates' Society's first ever program that focusses specifically about advocacy on the Commercial List. As a seasoned Commercial List litigator, Monique will be sharing expert tips about the dos and don'ts for 9:30 appointments, pre-trial hearings, judge-led mediations, electronic hearings, and more.
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Get Ahead of the Pack: Best Practices for Advising the Board When a Dispute is on the Horizon
At the 2019 Annual CCCA National Conference for in-house counsel, Monique Jilesen will be a member of the plenary panel called “Get Ahead of the Pack: Best Practices for Advising the Board When a Dispute is on the Horizon”. She will sharing expert practical advice on litigation avoidance, pre-litigation planning, and sharing risk.
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Gender, Diversity and Equality
Monique Jilesen was a panellist at the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers conference. She was part of a team discussing Gender, Diversity and Equality. This session contributed to the conference's theme of Practicing Law and Humanity and how the legal profession can achieve better diversity and equality in all areas.
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Cross-Examination: Strategies for Success
Monique Jilesen was a faculty member at The Advocates' Society's program Cross-Examination: Strategies for Success. The session was part of the Civil Litigation Skills Certificate program. Monique provided expert advice on how to take and keep control of witness testimony.
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An Evening With the Commercial List
Monique Jilesen hosted An Evening With the Commercial List, a popular event featuring Commercial List judges, and litigators at The Advocates' Society. This was an opportunity to see your fellow law professionals in a less formal setting.
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Successfully Managing Complex Litigation
Monique Jilesen and Shara Roy co-authored the Lawyer's Daily article Successfully Managing Complex Litigation which was published on November 29, 2018.
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Litigation Funding: A Tool for Risk Mitigation and Revenue Generation
Monique Jilesen was the moderator for two panels at Lexpert's Litigation Funding event. The first panel was called "What is litigation funding, what types of cases are suitable, how do companies typically use funding and how does the process work?" The second panel called "Due Diligence Process" covered the preparation needed, high-level assessment, and taking a deep dive on due diligence.
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Equitable and Inclusive Law Firm Hiring Practices: Challenges and Solutions
Monique Jilesen was a panellist on the Cavanagh LLP Professionalism Speaker Series at the University of Ottawa on November 15, 2018. She spoke about equitable and inclusive hiring practices in the law firm.
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Successfully Managing Complex Litigation
Monique Jilesen and Shara N. Roy spoke at the Benchmark Women in Litigation Toronto Forum. They participated on the panel “Successfully managing complex litigation” with in-house counsel from Fengate Capital Management, Telus and PwC.
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39th Annual Intensive Trial Advocacy Workshop
Monique Jilesen, Risa Kirshblum, Shara Roy, and Dena Varah taught at Osgoode Professional Development's 39th Annual Intensive Trial Advocacy Workshop on July 8-14, 2018.
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Douglas K. Laidlaw Medal for Excellence in Advocacy (2017)
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Lexpert Zenith Award (2018)
Mid-Career Excellence in Corporate Commercial Litigation
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International Academy of Trial Lawyers (2017)
Fellow
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Lexpert/ROB Special Edition: Canada's Leading Litigation Lawyers (2014-2018)
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Benchmark Canada (2017-2019)
Top 50 Trial Lawyer in Canada and Litigation Star - Class Action, General Commercial, Insolvency and Securities
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Benchmark Litigation (2017-2018)
Top 25 Women in Canadian Litigation
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Best Lawyers (2016-2019)
Corporate & Commercial Litigation, Insolvency & Financial Restructuring, Securities
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Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory (2014-2018)
Class Actions, Litigation - Corporate Commercial, Litigation - Directors' & Officers' Liability, Litigation - Securities
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Chambers Canada (2019)
Litigation: General Commercial (Ontario)
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Lexpert Guide to the Leading US/Canada Cross-border Litigation Lawyers in Canada (2013-2018)
Corporate Commercial Litigation, Litigation Lawyer to Watch (2013)
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