John Pirie

John Pirie leads the Firm’s Canadian Litigation and Government Enforcement Group. He acts for clients in complex litigation and investigations. Mr. Pirie’s practice includes a significant fraud law and asset recovery component, often involving matters in the financial services industry. He routinely acts for our clients in coordination with other Baker McKenzie offices globally. Mr. Pirie has expertise concerning asset recovery strategies and emergency relief measures related to fraud, including Mareva injunctions, Anton Piller orders, Norwich Pharmacal orders, global asset tracing and fraudulent conveyance proceedings. Mr. Pirie has acted as lead counsel on an array of reported cases in this field, and he has been recognized in Lexpert’s Annual Guide to the Leading Canada/US Cross-Border Litigation Lawyers, and in the Legal 500 for Dispute Resolution (Canada). He appeared in the Supreme Court of Canada on a case ranked by Lexpert Magazine as Canada’s #1 business decision for 2007. Mr. Pirie has previously been named one of Lexpert’s Rising Stars, a “top 40” award that recognizes Canadian lawyers with an outstanding record of success.

Firm/Organization: Baker McKenzie

Blogs: Canadian Fraud Law

Latest Articles

Canadian Fraud Law

Sino-Forest OSC hearing opens

By John Pirie & David Gadsden

September 9, 2014

On September 2, 2014, the Ontario Securities Commission commenced its high-profile hearing in the case of the Sino-Forest Corporation (“SFC“). SFC is alleged to have engaged in widespread fraud relating to its public financial disclosure. The specific allegations involve the fabrication or overestimation of revenue and assets, falsified evidence of ownership, backdated contracts, and undisclosed control over particular customers and suppliers.…

Canadian Fraud Law

The OSC’s introduction of no-contest settlement proceedings

By John Pirie & David Gadsden

June 17, 2014

In October 2011, the Ontario Securities Commission (“OSC“) raised the concept of offering no-contest settlements of the sort commonly employed by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC“). On March 11th of this year, after receiving some sharply divided feedback in months of public hearings, the OSC announced that it was moving forward with the introduction of a policy that would permit settlement of enforcement proceedings without requiring an admission by the respondent of misconduct (no-contest…

Canadian Fraud Law

RCMP charge two in yet another alleged investment fraud

By John Pirie

May 8, 2014

As reported by the Globe and Mail, CBC and other sources, the RCMP has charged two people after at least 160 investors were allegedly defrauded of more than $21-million. The RCMP has reported that from 2006 to 2010 investors were led to believe they could obtain substantial returns on their investments through day trading and resort and development properties. The RCMP say the majority of the money was not invested by the accused…

Canadian Fraud Law

“Fraud on the market” and securities class actions

By John Pirie & David Gadsden

April 2, 2014

Our team has been monitoring some key developments that could soon impact US and Canadian companies that list shares on US exchanges. One of 2014’s most important legal developments is likely to flow from the US Supreme Court’s ruling on “fraud on the market” theory, to be rendered in Halliburton Co. v. Erica P. John Fund Inc. (“Haliburton”). Oral argument in Halliburton took place on March 5, 2014. In Halliburton, the US Supreme Court has…

Canadian Fraud Law

Court approves gold-plated releases despite extensive fraud allegations

By John Pirie & David Gadsden

October 5, 2013

Our team acted for one of the parties in Labourers’ Pension Fund of Central and Eastern Canada v. Sino-Forest Corporation , where Justice Morawetz of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice approved Ernst & Young LLP’s $117 million settlement relating to class action lawsuits commenced by jilted investors following the downfall of former stock market darling, Sino-Forest Corporation. The $9.2B class action involves significant fraud allegations that call into question Sino-Forest’s structure, reporting and revenues, as well as the…

Canadian Fraud Law

Cybersecurity threats

By John Pirie

August 4, 2013

Cybersecurity threats are evolving with ever-increasing levels of sophistication. In the wake of a series of high profile data breaches, US President Obama recently commented that the nation’s “economic prosperity in the 21st Century will depend on cyber security”. Without question, cybersecurity is now a global problem facing an array of companies, firms, organizations and governmental bodies. Companies can incur significant costs and reputational damage as a result of cyberattacks, including costs related to…

Canadian Fraud Law

How should a Court divide a shortfall of money among victims of a Ponzi Scheme

By John Pirie & David Gadsden

January 30, 2013

Dividing up a shortfall from a Ponzi scheme was first posed before the United States Supreme Court in 1924. The infamous case of Cunningham v. Brown dealt with the original Ponzi scheme of Charles Ponzi and distributing remaining funds back to victims when his investment scheme was finally unravelled, but left victims with only a fraction of their original investments. Unraveling a Ponzi scheme to return a shortfall of money back among its victims is akin…

John Pirie

Sino-Forest OSC hearing opens

The OSC’s introduction of no-contest settlement proceedings

RCMP charge two in yet another alleged investment fraud

“Fraud on the market” and securities class actions

Court approves gold-plated releases despite extensive fraud allegations

Cybersecurity threats

How should a Court divide a shortfall of money among victims of a Ponzi Scheme

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