Jilesen will be the new managing partner at Lenczner Slaght LLP
The Law Foundation of Ontario recently announced the appointment of Monique Jilesen as the newest member of its class proceedings committee.
Founded in 1992, the committee is responsible for deciding whether applicant class action plaintiffs should receive support from the class proceedings fund. The fund provides financial support to approved class action plaintiffs for legal disbursements and indemnifies plaintiffs for costs that may be awarded against them in funded proceedings. Jilesen replaces Sandra Barton, a partner at Gowling WLG.
Jilesen is a commercial litigation partner at Lenczner Slaght LLP. She specializes in class actions, contract and shareholder disputes, civil fraud cases, injunctions, professional liability, bankruptcy and insolvency matters, and securities and derivatives cases.
She has been involved in the firm’s management throughout her career. Initially, she helped guide the student program and was in a business development and marketing role before serving on the management committee. Beginning January 1, 2023, she will take over the managing partner role while maintaining her full-time litigation practice.
She teaches trial advocacy at Osgoode Hall Law School, in Canada’s preeminent trial advocacy skills program, “Intensive Trial Advocacy Workshop,” and for The Advocates’ Society. In 2017, she received the Douglas K. Laidlaw Medal for Excellence in Advocacy. The Laidlaw Medal is the highest honour conferred by the Advocates’ Society for mid-career advocates to recognize their oral advocacy skills across diverse practice areas.
She is also an active member of the Canadian Bar Association, the International Women’s Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation, and the commercial list users’ committee. In 2018, she developed the award-winning website commerciallist.com, which assists lawyers and parties in navigating actions on the Superior Court of Justice’s commercial list.
She earned her law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School. She was called to the Ontario bar in 2000.
“Monique brings extensive and formidable experience to the class proceedings committee. She is one of Canada’s leading litigators and an empowering leader,” committee chair Paul Evraire said. “We’re so pleased to welcome her to the committee.”
