Canadian Lawyer

w w w . C A N A D I A N L a w y e r m a g . c o m A u g u s t 2 0 1 4 37 MOST INFLUENTIAL TOP THE CORPORATE-COMMERCIAL MORAWETZ, WHO APPEARED IN THE TOP 25 in 2011, is no stranger to mainstream media attention. He has recently been involved in several significant cases, such as the lengthy trial to determine the allocation of Nortel Inc.'s assets. The cross-border bankruptcy trial, which began in May, will determine how much money should go to the company's Canadian parent and how much to its international subsidiaries. Morawetz also presided over the Sino-Forest Corp. class action settlement, a trial that reached a $117-million settlement this March. He is currently the team leader of Toronto's busy and influential Commercial List, and is an editor of the Canadian Bankruptcy Report. In December 2013, Morawetz was appointed regional senior judge for the Toronto Region. JUSTICE GEOFFREY MORAWETZ JUDGE, ONTARIO SUPERIOR COURT OF JUSTICE, TORONTO What the panel had to say: "As regional senior justice, Morawetz is one of the judges lead- ing eff orts to resolve motion delays plagu- ing civil litigation mat- ters in Toronto, where lawyers are growing increasingly impatient with the delays." A TOP 25 WINNER IN 2012, Perell continues to be a leader in class action cases and has made several significant rulings in class actions within the last year. In Bayens v. Kinross Gold Corp., Perell presided over a litigation funding deci- sion that outlined principles to be considered where a proposed funding arrangement is before the court. In a 2014 decision, Perell ordered the government to hand over all Ontario Provincial Police documents in its possession related to the investigation at the St. Anne's Indian Residential School in Fort Albany, Ont. Perell has brought his expertise to both Osgoode Hall Law School and the University of Toronto Faculty of Law as an adjunct professor. JUSTICE PAUL PERELL JUDGE, ONTARIO SUPERIOR COURT OF JUSTICE, TORONTO What voters had to say: "Perhaps the gutsiest judge on the Ontario bench." SOLIMAN IS CO-CHAIRMAN OF NORTON ROSE'S Canadian special situations team, which deals with proxy fights, hostile takeovers, and complex restruc- turings. Over the past several years, Soliman has been involved in almost every major proxy battle in Canada, acting for both issuers and activists. He was a member of the Agrium legal team in one of the most bitter, high-profile, and procedurally com- plex fights in corporate governance annals. He was also a member of the Telus team, which dealt with a variety of issues including empty voting. Soliman became a board member of the Toronto Sick Kids Hospital Foundation in 2012. WALIED SOLIMAN PARTNER, NORTON ROSE FULBRIGHT CANADA LLP, TORONTO What voters had to say: "He is one of the most innovative lawyers practising today."

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