Biography: Commercial Litigation

Michael Barrack has litigated at every level of court in Canada, and has appeared at the London Court of International Arbitration on behalf of EnCana against the government of Ecuador. He has led dozens of cases ranging from criminal jury trials to civil and constitutional appeals before the Supreme Court of Canada. He has been described as an assertive litigator who is very strategic and creative, with effective examination skills and persuasive advocacy techniques.

Michael brings a sophisticated level of project management to all types of litigation, but especially to complex litigation. Over years of experience, he has developed case management techniques which ensure efficiency throughout the dispute resolution process. This begins with a careful examination of the client's goals in order to ensure that all efforts are properly directed. A client's perspective was recorded in Courtney Pratt's book Into the Blast Furnace – The Forging of a CEO's Conscience.

Michael joined TGF in 2008 after a distinguished career at McCarthy Tétrault where he was an active partner, which included being a member of its board of directors and founder of its pro bono programme.

He has been involved in the legal and wider community as, among other things, past president of the Advocates' Society, a founding director of Pro Bono Law Ontario, member of the Litigation Counsel of America, former vice chair of Unison Community Health Services, nominated as a director of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario, and a celebrity clown in the Santa Claus Parade.

Michael has been named in many lawyer listings including being named one of the 100 most creative lawyers in Canada and recognised in Chambers Global, Best Lawyers, Lexpert Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada, Who's Who Legal and Expert Guides to the World's Leading Litigation Lawyers.

Some of the major clients who have retained Michael to act for them while he has been practising at TGF include: former Justice Jack Ground as litigation trustee of Hollinger Inc to pursue the claims of Hollinger against its former advisors and directors; US Steel Canada to act as lead counsel in the first Investment Canada Act prosecution; The Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) to represent its interests before the Ontario Securities Commission; TransCanada Energy to represent its interests in a major dispute; Canadian Pacific Railway to conduct litigation with the Federal, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba governments; CP Ships Ltd in defence of a securities class action; the dissenting shareholders of Baffinland in the appraisal of their shares; security holders of Magna International Developments in court and before the Ontario Securities Commission; OMERS at the judicial inquiry into the activities of Mayor Hazel McCallion; and several major law firms to deal with issues affecting those firms directly.