Securities Litigation: The Public and Private Enforcement of Securities Law (LAW231H1S)

Securities litigation is among the most dynamic and important areas of commercial litigation practice in Canada. The practice area breaks into two principal sub-specialties: shareholder class actions before the courts and administrative/quasi-criminal proceedings before the Ontario Securities Commission. While procedurally and substantively distinct, these two areas have in common the private and public enforcement of Ontario's securities laws in the interest of investor protection and ensuring the integrity of our capital markets. The course will address from a practical and policy perspective both aspects of securities litigation practice.

The course will explore several recurring themes, including the interaction between public and private enforcement of our securities laws; the complementary and potentially competing goals of investor compensation, the deterrence of corporate malfeasance, the integrity of our capital markets, the competitiveness of our capital markets, and the role of courts and the OSC in reviewing mergers and acquisition transactions.

Course leaders will be regularly assisted by guest lecturers who are leading securities litigation practitioners (defense and plaintiff-side), sitting class action Judges, M&A practitioners, and leading experts in the fields of capital market economics and litigation finance.