Contract disputes, debt collection, partnership breakdowns, defamation, breach of fiduciary duty. Get a litigator who knows when to push and when to settle.
Breach, repudiation, fundamental breach, damages, specific performance, declaratory relief.
Demand letters, judgment, examination in aid of execution, garnishment, sheriff sale.
Up to the provincial cap, currently $50,000 in Ontario. Form 7A, paper trial, settlement conferences.
Libel, slander, online defamation, anti-SLAPP motions, damages and injunctions.
Oppression remedy, derivative actions, share valuation disputes, buy-sell triggers.
Builders liens, holdback releases, construction trust claims, deficiency claims, Construction Act adjudication.
Will challenges, dependant support claims, executor disputes, capacity disputes, passing of accounts.
Plaintiff and defendant class action work, certification, notice, settlement administration.
Civil litigation is expensive, slow, and emotionally exhausting. A good litigator asks early: what is the recoverable amount, what is the realistic collection prospect, what is the cost of getting there, and is there a cheaper path. Demand letters resolve a meaningful share of disputes. Mediation and arbitration resolve another large share. Court should be the choice when the value justifies it and the defendant has assets.
Statement of claim, statement of defence, examinations for discovery, undertakings, pre-trial mediation, settlement conferences, trial. Most files resolve at discovery or mediation. Trials are rare and expensive. A litigator who pushes every file to trial is rarely serving the client. A litigator who only settles is leaving money on the table.
Ontario Small Claims Court hears claims up to $50,000. The process is faster, paperwork is lighter, and parties often appear without lawyers. Self-represented litigants can succeed with good preparation. For higher-stakes disputes, the Superior Court is the right venue despite the cost. A lawyer-drafted Form 7A or motion materials often pay for themselves in better outcomes.
Ontario's 137.1 anti-SLAPP regime allows defendants in defamation actions to bring early motions to dismiss claims that arise from expression on a matter of public interest. The bar for the defendant is low. The bar for plaintiffs to survive is high. Anti-SLAPP motions are heard within months and routinely reshape defamation strategy. Threatening to sue a journalist is no longer a clean tactical play.
Most civil litigation runs hourly with retainers refilled as the file progresses. Partial indemnity costs in Ontario routinely produce cost awards of 50 to 65 percent of actual fees to the successful party. Substantial indemnity costs apply where conduct warrants it. Some plaintiff-side files in personal injury, employment, and class action run on contingency.
The Ontario Small Claims Court monetary limit is $50,000, increased from $25,000 in 2020. Claims above $50,000 must proceed in the Superior Court of Justice.
Small Claims files commonly run 9 to 18 months. Superior Court actions typically run two to four years to trial, with most settling earlier at mediation or pre-trial.
Often yes. Ontario uses partial indemnity costs as the default, recovering roughly half to two thirds of actual fees from the losing party. Substantial indemnity costs apply in cases of bad faith or unreasonable conduct.
A statutory motion in Ontario under section 137.1 of the Courts of Justice Act allowing defendants in claims arising from expression on a matter of public interest to seek early dismissal. Standard procedure now in most defamation cases.
Most claims in Ontario have a basic two-year limitation period from when the cause of action was discovered. Some claims have different limits. Get advice quickly.
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