The Law Foundation of Ontario is pleased to announce the appointment of Monique Jilesen to the Class Proceedings Committee.
Monique is a Partner and Commercial Litigation lawyer at Lenczner Slaght. Effective January 1, 2023, she will be the firm’s Managing Partner, while maintaining her full-time litigation practice. Her practice focuses on class actions, contract and shareholder disputes, civil fraud cases, injunctions, professional liability, bankruptcy and insolvency matters, and securities and derivatives cases.
“Monique brings extensive and formidable experience to the Class Proceedings Committee,” said Paul Evraire, Q.C., the Committee’s Chair. “She is one of Canada’s leading litigators and an empowering leader. We’re so pleased to welcome her to the Committee.”
Monique was awarded The Advocates’ Society’s Douglas K. Laidlaw Award for Excellence in Advocacy in 2017. She teaches Trial Advocacy at Osgoode Hall Law School, in the Intensive Trial Advocacy Workshop, and for The Advocates’ Society. She is a member of The Advocates’ Society, the Canadian Bar Association, the International Women’s Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation, and the Commercial List Users’ Committee. Monique developed the award-winning website commerciallist.com, which assists lawyers and parties navigate actions on the Commercial List.
Monique received a BA in Political Science from Queen’s University and her LLB from Osgoode Hall Law School. She was called to the Ontario Bar in 2000.
Monique replaces Sandra Barton, partner at Gowling WLG. The Committee, as well as the Foundation’s Trustees and staff, thank Sandra for her dedicated service.
The Class Proceedings Committee is responsible for making decisions about whether applicant class action plaintiffs will receive support from the Class Proceedings Fund. Both the fund and committee were established in 1992 as an amendment under the Law Society Act. 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. The fund promotes access to justice by enabling plaintiffs to fully pursue their claims.
The Law Foundation of Ontario provided a $500,000 endowment to establish the Class Proceedings Fund and supports the work of the Class Proceedings Committee by administering the Class Proceedings Fund. The Class Proceedings Committee has five members, one appointed by each of The Law Foundation of Ontario and the Attorney General of Ontario, and three appointed jointly.
