Our Team

Lexpert/Thomson Canada’s Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory 2010 and 2011—Most frequently recommended practitioner in class actions litigation, corporate/commercial litigation, directors' and officers' liability and in securities litigation; consistently recommended in international commercial arbitration, public law litigation and in professional liability; repeatedly recommended in defamation and media litigation, intellectual property litigation, commercial insurance litigation and in product liability litigation 

Chambers & Partners’ Chambers Global: World’s Leading Lawyers for Business, The Client’s Guide 2008-2011—Leading lawyer in Ontario in dispute resolution

Lexpert/American Lawyer Media’s Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada 2008-2012—Leading lawyer in class action litigation, corporate commercial litigation, directors’ and officers’ liability, and in securities litigation

Law Business Research’s Who’s Who Legal, The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers 2008-2011—Leading lawyer in commercial litigation ("second to none")

Woodward White’s Best Lawyers 2012—Toronto Bet-the-Company Litigation Lawyer of the Year

Woodward White’s Best Lawyers in Canada 2009-2012—Leading lawyer in administrative and public law, bet-the-company litigation, class action litigation, international arbitration, corporate and commercial litigation, defamation and media law, director and officer liability, legal malpractice law and securities law

Law Business Research’s Who’s Who Legal: Canada 2010—Leading lawyer in commercial litigation

Practical Law Company’s Which Lawyer? Yearbook 2007, 2009 and 2010—Leading Ontario lawyer in dispute resolution

Real Time News' LawDay 2009—Leading lawyer in appellate advocacy, class action/defence, product liability, complex litigation, directors and officers liability and white collar crime

Practical Law Company’s Cross-Border Dispute Resolution Handbook 2008 and 2009—Leading practitioner in dispute resolution

Lexpert's 2008 Guide to the Leading US/Canada Cross-Border Litigation Lawyers in Canada—Leading lawyer in corporate commercial, class action and securities

Lexpert/Thomson Canada’s Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory 2008—Most frequently recommended practitioner in class actions litigation, directors' and officers' liability litigation, international commercial arbitration, corporate/commercial litgation and in securities litigation; consistently recommended in public law litigation, defamation and media litigation, and in professional liability; repeatedly recommended in intellectual property litigation and product liability

The Advocates' Society 2008—The Advocates' Society Medal

Lexpert's Guide to the U.S./Canada Cross-border Litigation Lawyers in Canada 2007—Leading litigation lawyer in international commercial arbitration

Law Society of Upper Canada—2006 Law Society Medal

Ontario Bar Association—2006 Award for Excellence in Civil Litigation

Lexpert/Thomson Canada’s Guide to the 100 Most Creative Lawyers in Canada 2006—Leading lawyer in corporate litigation

Law Business Research’s Who's Who Legal: International Who's Who of Business Lawyers 2005—One of the world's top 10 commercial litigators

Legal Media Group’s Guide to the World’s Leading Litigation Lawyers 2005—Leading litigator in Canada

Lexpert-Thomson Canada’s Guide to the Leading 100 Canada/U.S. Cross-Border Litigators in Canada 2005—International commercial arbitration; corporate commercial, class action and securities litigation

February 2004—Toronto Lawyers’ Association Award of Distinction

Women’s Executive Network 2004 and 2003—Power 50 Most Influential Women in Canada

2003—University of Ottawa Common Law Honour Society

Lexpert, September 2003—One of Canada’s top 25 women lawyers

Lexpert, July/August 2002—One of Canada’s top 25 corporate litigators

1999—Laidlaw Medal for Advocacy

Sheila has represented

• Investigation for the NHLPA re Goodenow, Saskin and the salary cap
• Counsel to Professor David Johnston on the Mulroney/Schreiber inquiry
• Coors Brewing Company in an international arbitration over the Coors Light license
• CanWest Global Communications in litigation before the Ontario Securities Commission and the Ontario Superior Court concerning CanWest’s takeover bid for Western Broadcasting
• Barrick Gold in its successful attack on Lac Minerals’ poison pill
• Toronto mayor Mel Lastman in Louie v. Lastman
• Procter & Gamble on a patent infringement damages reference in the Federal Court of Canada and in Patented Medicines (Notice of Compliance) cases in the Federal Court and Federal Court of Appeal
• the Government of Quebec on its acquisition of control of Asbestos Corporation before the Ontario Securities Commission, the Divisional Court and the Ontario Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada
• the Ontario Labour Relations Board in the appeal by Ellis Don to the Supreme Court of Canada, challenging the Board’s full-Board consultation process
• The Globe and Mail in its defence of a class action concerning copyright and electronic media
• Manulife in a class action brought by former policyholders
• Pfizer in the Federal Court and Federal Court of Appeal in Patented Medicines (Notice of Compliance) proceedings
• Federally Regulated Employers–Transportation and Communications (FETCO) in the Supreme Court of Canada intervention in the Air Canada pay equity case in 2005
• the federal government on the judicial review of a C$5 billion pay equity award made against it by the Canadian Human Rights Commission
• Ontario First Nations Limited Partnership in its action against the Crown’s win tax
• Sun Life Assurance Company in its successful trademark infringement action against Sun Life Juice
• Cartier in its successful trademark infringement action against Lunettes Cartier

Sheila has spoken and written extensively on advocacy and civil litigation. Her publications include the Canadian edition of Steven Lubet’s Modern Trial Advocacy. Sheila has also taught advocacy for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy in Canada, the United States, England, Scotland, New Zealand, El Salvador and Brazil, as well as for the U.N. War Crimes Tribunal in Rwanda and the Special Court in Sierra Leone. She has also conducted advocacy programs in Switzerland and France. She has participated in advocacy demonstrations at conferences, including the Cambridge lectures in Cambridge, England; the Canadian Bar Association Annual Meeting in London, England; the Advocacy Symposium in Toronto, Ontario; and the Institute for Continuing Legal Education in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She has taught an intensive advocacy course at the University of Toronto Law School and has taught in the LLM program in litigation offered by the Osgoode Hall Law School.

Harold G. Fox Education Fund (Trustee and Vice President)
Touching Tiny Lives Foundation (chair)
Universitory of Ottawa (President's Council)
American College of Trial Lawyers (Fellow, 1991)
International Society of Barristers (Fellow, 1992)
Commercial Bar Association of England (honorary member)
Canadian Civil Liberties Association (former director)

The Advocates' Society
Supreme Court Advocacy Institute, National Advisory Committee
President's Council, University of Ottawa
American College of Trial Lawyers (Fellow, 1991)
International Society of Barristers (Fellow, 1992)
Commercial Bar Association of England (honorary member)