Davit Akman is a Partner in our Toronto office and a member of the firm’s GCR100-ranked Competition, Antitrust and Foreign Investment Review Group. He is consistently recognized for his expertise in competition law and commercial litigation, including by Who’s Who Legal, Global Competition Review, Lexpert and Best Lawyers in Canada. Clients and peers have described Davit as “an excellent lawyer – very thoughtful, responsive, and strategic”, “diligent, efficient and creative” and “very savvy and knowledgeable”.
He advises domestic and international clients, including leading pharmaceutical, software, manufacturing, retail and technology sector companies, on all aspects of Canadian competition and foreign investment review law, including mergers and acquisitions, cartel investigations, private actions (including class actions), advertising and marketing practices, abuse of dominance and other reviewable trade practices.
Davit has secured regulatory clearance in cross-border and international transactions in a wide array of industry sectors, and advises non-Canadian investors (including state-owned enterprises) on Canadian foreign investment issues under the Investment Canada Act and other federal policies/legislation.
He has also served as counsel in a number of Canada's most important competition litigation cases, including matters before the Supreme Court of Canada and the Competition Tribunal. Davit represented the Commissioner of Competition in Commissioner of Competition v Visa Canada Corporation and MasterCard International Incorporated, the first price maintenance case heard by the Canadian Competition Tribunal. He was also counsel in Commissioner of Competition v Canada Pipe Company Ltd, the seminal abuse of dominance case in Canada. Davit represents parties in inquiries under the civil and criminal provisions of the Competition Act, including immunity and leniency applicants with respect to alleged price fixing and other cartels.
A significant portion of Davit's practice has involved defending national and cross-border class actions alleging anti-competitive conduct, including those related to cathode ray tubes, compressors, chocolate confectionary products and capacitors. He appeared before the Supreme Court of Canada in Sun-Rype Products Ltd v Archer Daniels Midland, one of Canada's leading antitrust class action cases. Davit’s current cases include representing Loblaw Companies Limited and George Weston Limited (and certain of their affiliates) in competition class actions across Canada related to commercial bread.
He clerked at the Supreme Court of Canada for
Justice Louise Arbour.