We were the first firm to commence, certify and settle a securities class action in Ontario.
SWS specialises in disputes. The harder the better.
We are a law firm of established experts with stellar reputations who thrive on taking disputes to the courtroom – and winning – and resolving disputes outside the courtroom. For decades we have acted on major litigation involving corporate misconduct.
We were pioneers and remain leaders in devising and prosecuting class action litigation throughout Canada. We have litigated and settled the most complex and challenging class actions in Canadian history, resulting in billions of dollars of damages being recovered for the class members. But we have other strings to our bow and offer commercial services too. We close deals the way we resolve our cases: with imagination, foresight, and diligence.
When it comes to seeing action close-up, our lawyers have held leading positions in the profession and in Government, from the Treasurer (head) of the Law Society of Ontario to the head of the competition law section of the Canadian Department of Justice.
We aim high. We act accordingly. That’s what we do.
Claimant-side disputes are fueled by ideas. We generate bright, bold and innovative ideas. That’s because we’re not only experts in the law, we’re also experts in how it intersects with economics, markets and current affairs.
We have been involved in many groundbreaking and high-profile cases, so we understand that sometimes the best resolution for a dispute is outside the courtroom. But whether trying a case to a conclusion in a courtroom or before an arbitrator, or resolving a case in mediation, we are relentless.
We have confidence in our judgment and our abilities. For this reason, in appropriate cases we are prepared to assume some of the risk of the litigation in exchange for some of the benefit that our clients will obtain from a successful outcome. When it comes to funding a dispute, we have close relationships with the world’s major litigation funders and we can work with them to find solutions where appropriate to offload the litigation expenses and adverse cost exposure that claimants would otherwise need to assume.
Since the firm was founded we’ve been surging ahead and we still are to this day. Here are just some of our ‘firsts’.
We were the first firm to commence, certify and settle a securities class action in Ontario.
We were the first firm in Canada to obtain leave under Ontario’s Securities Act to commence an action in respect of a misrepresentation in the secondary market.
We were the first firm in Canada to obtain leave under Ontario’s Securities Act to commence an action in respect of a failure to disclose a material change.
We were the first firm in Canada to certify a consolidated class of direct/indirect purchasers in a price-fixing case.
We were the first firm in Canada to certify an antitrust class action in an international conspiracy case on a contested basis.
We secured the two largest funding packages in Canadian history, Amazon and Packaged Bread.
We were the first firm in Canada to settle a class action valued at more than $1 billion, Hepatitis C.
We were one of the first firms to commence a class action in Ontario.
We were the first firm in Canada to win a carriage dispute to decide which firm has the right to conduct the class action.
We were the first firm in Canada to certify a global class.
We were the first firm in Canada to certify a national class.