Linda Fuerst

Linda Fuerst is one of Canada’s leading securities and commercial litigators. Named as “Securities Litigator of the Year” and inducted to the Hall of Fame by Benchmark Litigation Canada in 2023, Linda is also recognized by Benchmark Litigation Canada as one of the Top 100 Women in Litigation. Linda is ranked by Lexpert as one of the Top 500 Lawyers in Canada, by Chambers Canada as a leader in the fields of Securities Litigation and Class Action (Defence) and by Best Lawyers in the fields of Corporate Commercial Litigation, Class Action Litigation and Securities Law. Linda has also been recognized as a Leading Lawyer by The Legal 500 Canada for Dispute Resolution.

Linda’s litigation practice covers a broad range of commercial and professional liability matters, with a particular focus on securities litigation, class proceedings and regulatory issues. She has litigated civil, criminal and regulatory matters and has appeared before all levels of court in Ontario, the Supreme Court of British Columbia, the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia and the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal, and represented clients in connection with investigations and proceedings by the Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia and Nova Scotia securities commissions, CIRO (formerly IIROC and the MFDA) and the Competition Bureau. Ms. Fuerst has also directed internal investigations into matters including possible insider trading and backdating of stock options, manipulative trading and misconduct by senior executives of public and private corporations, including the payment and receipt of secret commissions and kickbacks.

Ms. Fuerst began her legal career clerking for the Chief Justice of the High Court of Ontario. She practised criminal law and served as a part-time assistant crown attorney before joining the Enforcement Branch of the Ontario Securities Commission as senior investigation counsel. Following a rotation at the US Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington, DC, she joined a well-known litigation practice in Toronto where she practised from 1994 to 2015. From 2015 to 2023, she practised at a global full-service law firm where she gained prominence for her handling of cross-border securities matters, including class actions and regulatory investigations, and complex and often highly sensitive internal investigations into potential corporate misconduct.

• Class action
• Commercial disputes
• Dispute resolution
• Government and regulatory
• Securities
• White collar crime

• Accounting
• Financial services
• Government and public policy
• Insurance
• Investment management