Barry Leon is a partner in the International Arbitration Group at Perley-Robertson, Hill & McDougall LLP. Barry has more than 30 years of experience as counsel, acting on many complex and significant cases for a wide variety of clients and involving many different industries. His industry experience includes financial services, natural resources and energy, technology and intellectual property, manufacturing, construction and projects, and consumer products.
He is an active member of numerous international arbitration and dispute resolution organizations and institutions, serving in executive positions, and on special task forces and commissions, and organizing international conferences and events. While Barry primarily acts as counsel in disputes, he also serves as an arbitrator and mediator on international and domestic cases. He is a member of ADR Chambers (commercial arbitrator and mediator) and the International Centre for Dispute Resolution's Panel of Arbitrators.
Barry regularly chairs conferences and panels, and speaks and writes extensively on various international disputes and related topics, including international and domestic arbitration, litigation, mediation and negotiation. He is regularly referred to and quoted in the media on arbitration, mediation and other legal topics.
Barry has received numerous professional recognitions over the course of his career, most recently:
· Law Business Research's The International Who's Who of Commercial Arbitration 2009-Leading Lawyer in Canada
· Woodward White's The Best Lawyers in Canada 2008/2009-international arbitration, alternative dispute resolution, class action litigation, and corporate and commercial litigation
· Lexpert/Thomson Canada's Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory 2008/09-Most frequently recommended practitioner in international commercial arbitration
· Legal Media Group's Guide to the World's Leading Experts in Commercial Arbitration 2008-Leading Lawyer in Canada
· Lexpert/American Lawyer's Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada 2009-Leading lawyer in international arbitration
· Lexpert's 2008 Guide to the Leading US/Canada Cross-Border Litigation Lawyers in Canada-Leading Lawyer in International Commercial Arbitration.
Disputes in which Barry has represented clients include:
· Counsel for major international computer services and software company in software licensing dispute with a European software company.
· Co-counsel for North American manufacturer in an ICC arbitration against a South-East Asian natural resources company for breach of a long term supply agreement.
· Member of Disputes Oversight Committee for owner of a major energy construction project.
· Co-counsel for American company and its Latin American affiliate in an international arbitration against Latin American country based on contractual claims.
· Counsel for Canadian film and entertainment company involved in an international arbitration and related court jurisdictional challenges with US production company and an international entertainment company.
· Counsel for Latin American energy company in dispute with Canadian equipment supplier.
· Counsel for minority shareholder in two regional airlines in ad hoc commercial arbitration to value the airlines and the minority interest, following a corporate oppression action against the majority shareholder, a major international airline.
Disputes in which Barry has served as arbitrator or expert include:
· Arbitrator in ICDR shareholder oppression arbitration between American and Canadian parties.
· Arbitrator in ad hoc arbitration concerning a commercial partnership break-up.
· Arbitrator in ADR Chambers arbitration of a contract dispute between Australian and Canadian parties.
· Expert witness in opposition to an anti-arbitration injunction in Latin America.
Credentials:
Admitted to Bar (Ontario), 1976
LL.B., University of Toronto, 1974
MBA, Richard Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario, 1971
BA, Political Science and Economics, University of Alberta, 1969
Memberships:
Arbitration Roundtable of Toronto
Institute for Transnational Arbitration
International Bar Association
International Commission of Jurists
International Law Association
London Court of International Arbitration
New York State Bar Association
The Advocates' Society
Professional Activities:
International Arbitration and Dispute Resolution Organizations and Institutions
· Executive Committee, Canadian National Committee (Arbitration Committee of Canadian Chamber of Commerce); Commission on Arbitration - ICC International Court of Arbitration.
· Vice-President and Director, Canadian Branch; International Commercial Arbitration Committee - International Law Association.
· Canada Chair, Litigation Committee - International Bar Association.
· Task Force on Diversity in ADR - CPR Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution.
· Canadian Advisory Committee; Panel of Arbitrators; Steering Committee for 2007-8 North America Series conferences - International Centre for Dispute Resolution (international division of the American Arbitration Association).
· Commission on Settlement in International Arbitration - Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR).
ARTICLES AND PUBLICATIONS
· "Med-Arb: in Ontario: Enforceability of Med-Arb Agreement Confirmed by Court of Appeal", co-author, New York Dispute Resolution Lawyer, vol. 2, no 1, Spring 2009.
· "Determined to Make the Horse Drink", International Bar Association's Mediation Newsletter, vol. 5, no. 1, April 2009.
· "An Arbitration Gone Bad Not Arbitration Gone Bad", Commercial Litigation Review, vol. 7, no. 1, February 2009.
· "Dispute Resolution in the Recession", The Lawyers Weekly, February 2009.
· "A Wake-up Call: It's Time to Protect Investment Protection", Institute for Transnational Arbitration's News and Notes, vol. 22, no. 2, Spring 2008.
· "The Canadian Position: Can Parties to an Arbitration Agreement Vary the Statutory Scope of Judicial Review of the Award?" ILSA Journal of International and Comparative Law, vol. 14, no. 2, Spring 2008.
· "Vienna in Springtime", co-author, chap. 5, The Vis Book: A Participant's Guide to the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot, ed. Janet Walker, NY: JurisNet, LLC, 2008.
· "Med-Arb: Ontario's Appeal Court Brings More Effective Dispute Resolution One Step Closer", co-author, International Bar Association's Mediation Newsletter, December 2007.
· "Place of Arbitration Critical to Compelling Pre-Hearing Evidence From Non-Parties", The Institute for Transnational Arbitration's News and Notes, vol. 21, no. 2, Spring 2007.
· "A Road Not Taken: Canadian Court Misses Opportunity to Confirm That Patent Disputes Are Arbitrable", co-author, International Bar Association's Arbitration Newsletter, September 2006.
· "Safe to Apologize: New Law in British Columbia", co-author, International Bar Association's Mediation Newsletter, September 2006.
· "Canada on the World Stage in International Arbitration", Chartered Institute of Arbitrators' Arbitration, vol. 72, no. 2, May 2006.
· "Special Considerations When a State is a Party", co-author, American Arbitration Association's Dispute Resolution Journal, February-April 2006.
· "Arbitration of Patent Infringement and Validity Issues Worldwide", co-author, Harvard Journal of Law & Technology, vol. 19, spring 2006.
CONFERENCE LEADERSHIP
· Co-Chair - International Association of Procedural Law Conference, Toronto, June 2009, presented by New York University School of Law and Osgoode Hall Law School (York University), and Moderator - Lessons from International Commercial Arbitration.
· Co-Chair - Being Counsel in International Arbitration: What You Need to Know, Toronto, June 2009, presented by Osgoode Professional Development and The Advocates' Society.
· Co-Chair - International Bar Association Litigation Conference, "Crisis Litigation: The Role of the Lawyer", Toronto, 2008 presented by Litigation Committee, Corporate Counsel Forum and North American Forum, IBA.
· Organized first 'Heads of Litigation Retreat', Toronto, 2008 - meeting of leaders of dispute resolution practices from around the world (co-founded and co-organized 'Heads of Litigation' meetings in conjunction with past five International Bar Association annual conferences).
· Chair - The Roger Fisher Tribute, Toronto, 2007??(tribute to Professor Roger Fisher by 26 dispute resolution organizations from around the world).
· Co-Chair - 72nd Biennial Conference of the International Law Association (ILA 2006), Toronto, 2006.
SPEECHES, PRESENTATIONS AND TEACHING
· Course Co-Chair, Federated Press' "Mitigating Risks of Doing Business with Brazil", Russia, India and China, and speaker "Why Arbitration Clauses are Essential When Doing Business in Brazil", Russia, India and China, 2008", 2008 and 2009.
· "Negotiating and Drafting Commercial Arbitration Clauses in International Contracts", Canadian German Lawyers Association's Dispute Resolution: Canada and Germany, 2008.
· "Corporate Strategies for International Dispute Resolution", International Centre for Dispute Resolution's North American Dispute Resolution Series, "ADR After NAFTA", Chicago, 2008.
· Keynote Address: "Canada's Legal System: Should We Be Proud?", Association of Progressive Muslims of Canada's Eid-ul-Fitr Dinner at Parliament Hill, Ottawa, 2007.
· "International Arbitration: Fresh Ideas for a Changing World" and "Judicial Review of Arbitration Awards in the United States, France and Canada", International Law Weekend, ILA American Branch, New York, 2007.
· "Canada and the ICSID Convention", Canadian Council for International Law 36th Annual Conference, Ottawa, 2007.
· "ADR After NAFTA", International Centre for Dispute Resolution's North American Dispute Resolution Series, Toronto, 2007.
· "Risk Assessment: Avoiding the Pitfalls and Mistakes in International Arbitration," International Centre for Dispute Resolution's North American Dispute Resolution Series, Mexico City, 2007.
· "Tertulias: Roundtable Discussion," International Centre for Dispute Resolution's 5th Annual Miami International Arbitration Conference -Arbitration in Las Americas: A 360° View, Miami, 2007.
· "Selection and Appointment of Arbitrators," International Centre for Dispute Resolution's The Common Law/Civil Law Gap: Issues and How International Arbitrators May Resolve Them", New York, 2006.
· "Mediation in the Court Process" (co-chair), International Bar Association conference, Chicago, 2006.
· Panel Chair, "Special Considerations When a State is a Party", Canadian Bar Association/ICC International Court of Arbitration's Arbitration Conference, 2005.
· Panel Chair, "Appointment, Challenge and Replacement of Arbitrators: The Role and Importance of Appointing Authorities", Canadian Bar Association/UNCITRAL's Arbitration Conference, 2004.
· Panel Chair, "Enforcement of Awards Resulting from Energy Disputes", Canadian Bar Association/ICC International Court of Arbitration's Arbitration Conference, 2003.