Adrian Pel

Associate

Toronto
[email protected]
416.367.6040

Adrian is developing a broad commercial litigation practice. His areas of focus include: (i) shareholder and partnership disputes, including oppression claims; (ii) securities, competition, and product liability class actions; (iii) judicial review applications; and (iv) regulatory investigations and prosecutions.

Adrian acts for individuals, public and private companies, financial institutions, healthcare institutions and public bodies. He has acted on matters before commercial arbitrators, the Ontario Court of Justice, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (including the Commercial List), the Divisional Court, and the Ontario Court of Appeal. He has also worked on class actions matters before the Federal Court and in several other provinces.

Adrian summered and articled at BLG’s Toronto office.

Experience - Commercial Litigation

  • Act for financial institutions including banks, trust companies, and money services businesses in a range of civil litigation matters.
  • Acted for the majority shareholders of a technology growth equity company, in defending an oppression claim in an arbitration that involved complex valuation issues.
  • Act for an automotive manufacturer in proceedings brought under the National Automobile Dealer Arbitration Program (NADAP).
  • Defeated a motion to impose a certificate of pending litigation over a disputed property, in the context of a complex dispute over the existence of a partnership (2022 ONSC 6295).
  • Acted for a privately-held technology company in a lawsuit against a former executive for misappropriating company property that involved the successful execution of an Anton Piller (civil search) order.
  • Acted for a publicly-listed technology company in litigation with a publicly-traded investment holding company.
  • Successfully represented the purchaser of a property in an application for specific performance (2022 ONSC 3823).

Experience - Class Actions

  • BMO InvestorLine Inc., a “discount broker”, in defeating a certification motion and ensuing appeal relating the payment of mutual fund “trailing commissions” (2023 ONSC 16 aff’d 2024 ONSC 533).
  • BMO Investments Inc., a mutual fund trustee/manager, in defending ongoing class actions relating to the payment of “trailing commissions” (2021 ONSC 3589).
  • A pharmaceutical company, in defending class actions in multiple Canadian provinces, including government healthcare recovery claims (2023 ONSC 6792; 2024 BCCA 58).
  • A hospital, in successfully obtaining the dismissal of a proposed privacy class action on the basis of delay.

Experience - Public Law & Regulatory

  • Public school boards, in responding to judicial review applications before the Ontario Divisional Court (2023 ONSC 349; 2024 ONSC 2919).
  • A defendant, in a prosecution under the Fire Protection and Prevention Act.

Beyond Our Walls

Professional Involvement

  • Executive Member, Ontario Bar Association, Class Actions Section​
  • Member, The Advocates' Society
  • Member, Canadian Bar Association

Community Involvement

  • Volunteer, Pro Bono Ontario Hotline

Awards & Recognition

  • Recipient of the Principal David L. Johnston Medal in 2019 for distinguished academic standing and outstanding contribution to the McGill Faculty of Law in the areas of academic, social and community life.

Bar Admission & Education

  • Ontario, 2020
  • LLB/BCL, McGill University, 2019
  • MA, University of Toronto, 2015
  • BA, University of Cambridge, 2014