Shantona is a highly-regarded litigator known for her sharp intellect, powerful advocacy, pragmatism, and keen judgment. She is a versatile advocate with extensive experience in both private and public law, including civil and commercial litigation, class actions, professional liability and discipline, judicial reviews, constitutional law, public inquiries, and national security law. She has an outstanding reputation in appellate advocacy, and has acted in over 40 appeals in various courts including the Supreme Court of Canada, the Ontario Court of Appeal, the Divisional Court, and the Federal Court of Appeal.

Shantona was Lead Commission Counsel in two recent, complex, and high-profile federal commissions of inquiry: in 2022-2023, the Public Order Emergency Commission (the Rouleau Commission), a public inquiry into the Government of Canada’s first-ever invocation of the federal Emergencies Act; and in 2023-2025, the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions (the Hogue Commission).

Shantona’s accomplishments have been recognized by the legal profession. In 2025, she received the Toronto Lawyers’ Association’s Honsberger Award.  In 2023, she received the Advocates’ Society’s Douglas K. Laidlaw Award for Excellence in Advocacy.

Shantona is recognized as a leading litigator by major industry publications including Chambers Guide to Canada’s Leading Lawyers, Lexpert, Best Lawyers, and Benchmark Litigation. Shantona was selected as Best Lawyers “Lawyer of the Year” in Appellate Practice in 2022 and is on Benchmark’s list of the “Top 100 Women in Litigation”.

Chambers Canada notes that Shantona has been described as follows: “Shantona is brilliant in both written and oral advocacy and strategic thinking”; “Shantona hits above her weight, works like a demon and is highly sophisticated in her work and business acumen”; “She has established a first-class reputation as a litigator with specific expertise in appellate advocacy. She is excellent.”; “One of the strongest appellate and tribunal counsel in Canada”; “A superlative advocate”; “A brilliant legal analyst”; “Her performance earns her respect, as sources note that ‘the judges rave about her’”; “An ‘outstanding’ litigator and a ‘force to be reckoned with’”; “One of the smartest lawyers out there right now"; "A brilliant advocate”.

Shantona was named a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America in 2021, and became an offshore member of COMBAR (the Commercial Bar Association of England and Wales) in 2025.

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.

Born and bred in Montréal, Shantona is bilingual (English/French) and is called to the Bar in both Ontario and Québec.

Shantona obtained her B.C.L. from the University of Oxford; her B.C.L./LL.B. from McGill University; and her M.A. and B.A. from Queen’s University. She clerked for Justice Ian Binnie of the Supreme Court of Canada,  trained as a Middle Temple Fox Scholar pupil barrister in London, interned at the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, participated in the Parliamentary Internship Programme, and worked in the Montréal music industry.