Shantona represents both individual and institutional clients in civil and commercial litigation and has particular expertise in appeals. Her experience includes commercial disputes, class actions, torts, judicial review, professional discipline, professional negligence, administrative, constitutional, public international law, and national security law. Shantona has been counsel in over 40 appeals at the Ontario Court of Appeal, the Divisional Court, the Federal Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court of Canada. She also represents clients before the Superior Court of Justice and administrative tribunals.
Shantona was selected as Best Lawyer’s 2022 “Lawyer of the Year” in Appellate Practice. In 2021, she was named a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America. Also in 2021, She is ranked in the Chambers Guide to Canada’s Leading Lawyers, the Lexpert Directory, Best Lawyers, and Benchmark Litigation. She is on Benchmark’s list of the “Top 50 Women in Litigation”. She was selected as a Lexpert ‘Rising Star’ in 2017, and included on Benchmark’s “Under 40 Hot List” in 2018 and 2019.
The Chambers Guide to Canada’s Leading Lawyers notes that Shantona has been described as: "A superlative advocate" (2022); “One of the best young civil appellate advocates in Canada.” (2021); “A brilliant legal analyst” (2020); "Her performance earns her respect, as sources note that ‘the judges rave about her’” (2019); “An ‘outstanding’ litigator and a ‘force to be reckoned with’” (2018); “One of the smartest lawyers out there right now"; "A brilliant advocate” (2017).
Shantona is the co-Executive Director of the Supreme Court Advocacy Institute, a national non-profit organization offering advocacy training to counsel appearing before the Supreme Court of Canada. She is a former law clerk to Justice Ian Binnie of the Supreme Court of Canada. Shantona is fluently bilingual (English/French) and was called to the Bar in both Ontario and Québec in 2007. She obtained her B.C.L. from Oxford; her B.C.L./LL.B. from McGill; and her M.A. & B.A. from Queen’s University.
Prior to starting practice, she clerked for Justice Ian Binnie, trained as a Middle Temple Fox Scholar pupil barrister in London, interned at the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, interned at the Parliament of Canada, and worked in the music industry.
Bar Admissions
Law Society of Upper Canada (2007)
Barreau du Québec (2007)
Education
B.C.L., University of Oxford, 2009
B.C.L./LL.B., McGill University, 2005
M.A. French Literature, Queen’s University, 2001
B.A. (Hons.) French Studies, Queen’s University, 2000
Partner
Shantona Chaudhury
Publications
Chaudhury, B. Noga, C. Senese, "Rule 63: Stays Pending Appeal" in Noel Semple, ed., Civil Procedure and Practice in Ontario (CanLII)
Chaudhury and A. W. MacDonald, "Balancing the Public Interest in Expression and the Right to Sue: How Much Protection Should Anti-SLAPP Laws Provide?" in Todd L. Archibald, ed., Annual Review of Civil Litigation, 2019 (Toronto: Thomson Reuters, 2019)
Chaudhury, “Effective Commercial Arbitration: An Interview with Robert Armstrong, Ian Binnie, and Stephen Goudge”, in M. Huberman (ed.), A Practitioner’s Guide to Commercial Arbitration, (2017: Irwin Law) 291.
Chaudhury, “The Supreme Court of Canada Recognizes the Need for Procedural Innovation in the Management of Multi-Jurisdictional Class Actions (And Beyond?)”, (2017) 6:1 Commercial Litigation and Arbitration Review 5.
Chaudhury, “Causation in Law of Negligence: Where Are We Now? Where Are We Going? Clements v Clements; Ediger v. Johnston” (2012) 40:2 Advocates’ Quarterly 257.*
*Cited in: Ketler v. Nova Scotia (Attorney General), 2015 NSSC 170
Chaudhury, “Settlement Privilege 101”, LSUC CPD – “What Civil Litigators Need to Know About Privilege” (April 28, 2015)
Chaudhury, “Hryniak v. Mauldin: The Supreme Court issues a clarion call for civil justice reform” (Adv. Journal Winter 2014)
Chaudhury & N. Rouleau, ‘The Eric v Lola case – equality rights and de facto relationships in Québec’, (Adv. J. Autumn 2013)
Chaudhury and P. Pape, “Damages in Waiver of Tort”, for presentation by P. Pape, LSUC CLE – The Law of Damages.**
**Cited in: Andersen v. St. Jude Medical, Inc., 2012 ONSC 3660
Chaudhury, “Disruptive Physician Behaviour and Hospital Liability in Tort: Rosenhek v. Windsor Regional Hospital”, for presentation by P. Pape, Canadian Bar Association Health Law Summit
