Kirsten Crain

Partner

Toronto
Ottawa
KCrain@blg.com
416.367.6404  613.787.3741
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Kirsten is an experienced trial lawyer. She has conducted trials and hearings across the country. Kirsten’s broad litigation practice includes complex commercial litigation (including class actions and multi-jurisdictional proceedings), intellectual property litigation, and administrative law matters. These include matters for clients in a range of sectors, including financial services, construction, transportation and pharmaceutical/health.

She appears as counsel in the Federal Court of Canada and before the Superior Courts of Ontario and Québec. She has also represented clients in a vast range of administrative law proceedings before national and provincial tribunals and boards. In addition to courtroom advocacy, Kirsten is a trusted advisor to boards and senior leaders. Kirsten is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.

She serves as a director on the BLG LLP partnership board, and is a past director of The Advocates’ Society.

Experience

  • Counsel to Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. in the trial of three actions, including a class action, in respect of a train derailment in Lac-Mégantic. Ouellet v. Compagnie de chemin de fer Canadian Pacifique, 2022 QCCS 4643, aff’d 2025 QCCA 230.
  • Counsel to Metrolinx and Infrastructure Ontario in an arbitration proceeding regarding the construction of a major infrastructure project in the GTA.
  • Counsel to AIC Limited in an Ontario class action concerning “market timing” trading in mutual funds of AIC Limited (trial pending April 2025).

Beyond Our Walls

Professional Involvement

  • Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers
  • Past Director, The Advocates' Society
  • Past Chair, Education Committee, The Advocates’ Society
  • Past Vice-Chair, Standing Committee on Advocacy and Practice, The Advocates’ Society
  • Past Member, Ontario Superior Court of Justice Civil Working Group

Awards & Recognition

  • Selected by peers for inclusion in the 2025 edition (and since 2019) of The Best Lawyers in Canada® (Administrative and Public Law, Corporate and Commercial Litigation).
  • Recognized in the 2024 edition (and since 2021) of Benchmark Canada - The Definitive Guide to Canada's Leading Litigation Firms & Attorneys as a Litigation Star and in the "Top 100 Women in Litigation", and in the 2020 edition (and since 2015) as a Future Star.
  • Recognized in the 2024 edition (and since 2020) Lexpert Special Edition: Litigation.
  • Recognized in the 2025 edition (and since 2022) of The Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory (Litigation - Corporate Commercial), and the 2025 and in the 2021 editions (Litigation - Regulatory & Public Law).
  • Recognized in the 2021 edition of The Best Lawyers in Canada (Corporate and Commercial Litigation as well as Administrative and Public Law).
  • Recognized in Acritas Stars 2019: Independently Rated Lawyer (Nominated as a stand-out lawyer by senior in-house counsel).

Bar Admission & Education

  • Ontario, 2001
  • LL.B (Great Distinction, Dean’s Honour List), McGill University, 1999
  • M.Sc. (Distinction), London School of Economics and Political Science, 1996
  • B.A. in Economics (Distinction), McGill University, 1995