Biography: Product Liability Defence

Steven Sofer is a partner in Gowlings' Toronto office, practising in the area of advocacy.

Steven has been actively involved in class actions for over 10 years, acting on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants.

In addition to coordinating the litigation of a tobacco manufacturer across Canada, Steven's practice concentrates on securities matters, including coordinating internal investigations and responses to regulatory inquiries. He has acted for regulators and has represented a number of registrants before regulators. Steven has also been involved in many broker/client actions, representing both brokers and clients.

Steven was lead plaintiff counsel in an action brought by 200 investors who were victims of an alleged Ponzi scheme against lawyers, accountants, financial institutions and others. The claim was certified and a settlement was approved by the court. Steven was also part of a team that successfully opposed certification in an action brought against a tobacco manufacturer and acted for an accounting firm in the YBM litigation.

While on secondment with the enforcement branch of a provincial securities regulator, Steven investigated one of the largest insider trading cases in Canada, and investigated and prosecuted a number of penny stock dealers for conduct unbecoming a registrant.

Steven has been listed as a leading lawyer in several legal industry publications, including The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers and Who's Who Legal: Canada.

Steven was the co-editor of Canadian Cases on the Law of Securities. He has written with respect to insider trading and other securities law issues, and has given many speeches related to insider trading, class actions and regulatory investigations.

Steven has participated four times at the Ontario Securities Commission's biannual investigators' conference on subjects that include insider trading.