Lawyer Profile
Sheila R. Block
Toronto, Ontario
Overview
Sheila Block is one of the most recognized litigators in Canada. The depth of her experience, the exceptional quality of her advocacy skills, and her dedication to clients’ interests make her a highly sought-after advocate across all manner of disputes.
Sheila is a senior trial and appellate counsel with a broad civil litigation practice, including corporate/commercial and securities litigation, intellectual property, defamation and administrative law cases. She has appeared as counsel at all levels of court in Canada and before international arbitrations and other tribunals.
Sheila is the former chair of Torys’ Litigation and Dispute Resolution Practice and a former chair of Torys’ Executive Committee.
Justice Donald McLeod in the successful dismissal of a complaint before the Ontario Judicial Council
Nortel U.S. group of companies on all Canadian law matters relating to its cross-border restructuring proceedings under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act and Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, the sales of its business and assets in a series of auctions, and the ground-breaking global settlement of a dispute over apportionment of more than US$7 billion of net sales proceeds
Manulife Financial in its successful defence at trial of a class action in Ontario commenced by Manulife's former Barbados policyholders concerning benefits related to Manulife's demutualization, and in resisting an appeal of the trial decision before the Ontario Court of Appeal and an application for leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada
Sheila has spoken and written extensively on advocacy and civil litigation. Her publications include the Canadian edition of Steven Lubet’s Modern Trial Advocacy. Sheila has also taught advocacy for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy in Canada, the United States, England, Scotland, New Zealand and El Salvador, as well as for the U.N. War Crimes Tribunal in Rwanda and the Special Court in Sierra Leone. She has also conducted advocacy programs for the Foundation for International Arbitration Advocacy in Switzerland, France, England, Brazil, India and Singapore. She has participated in advocacy demonstrations at conferences, including the Cambridge lectures in Cambridge, England; the Canadian Bar Association Annual Meeting in London, England; the Advocacy Symposium in Toronto, Ontario; and the Institute for Continuing Legal Education in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She has taught an intensive advocacy course at the University of Toronto Law School and has taught in the LLM program in litigation offered by the Osgoode Hall Law School.
Sheila is a Trustee and the Former President for the Harold G. Fox Foundation, the Chair for the Touching Tiny Lives Foundation and a Trustee for the Foundation for International Arbitration Advocacy in Geneva. She is also on the President’s Council for the University of Ottawa, and the Advisory Board for the Program on Ethics, Business and the Law at University of Toronto Law School. As well, she was the former director for the Canadian Civil Liberties Association.
Practice Areas
Bar Information
Called to the bar: 1974 (ON)