Paul Michell
-
(Chambers Canada)
“My experience with Paul was excellent. His approaches were professional, innovative and thorough and were a significant contributor to the successful outcome.”
Bio
Commended by a client as an ‘excellent lawyer’, Paul is a trial and appellate lawyer who excels at resolving complex issues across multiple practice areas. His practice focuses on commercial litigation and arbitration, judicial review, and appellate litigation, often with a regulatory or cross-border dimension. He has litigated cases involving failed hedge funds, derivatives, fraud and Ponzi schemes, arbitration-related court proceedings, conflicts of interest, shareholder disputes, construction and infrastructure, defamation, and employment law.
Paul has extensive experience at all levels in the Ontario and Federal Courts and the Supreme Court of Canada, and before administrative and arbitral tribunals. He has acts as an arbitrator, has been a presiding officer under the Competition Act, and has acted for corporations, public entities, regulators, individuals, investment funds and receivers.
A thought leader on prominent legal issues, Paul’s articles have been cited by the Supreme Court of Canada, the High Court of Australia, courts in Ontario, Alberta and New Brunswick, the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He has been an adjunct professor at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law since 2021.
Select Representative Mandates
-
Whearty v. Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care, 2024 ONSC 5638 (Div. Ct.) and Whearty v. Ontario (Human Rights Tribunal), 2025 ONSC 932 (Div. Ct.)
Acted for applicant in resisting dismissal of judicial review application for prematurity, and on judicial review of HRTO decision disqualifying counsel.
-
Aroma Franchise Company, Inc. v. Aroma Espresso Bar Canada Inc., 2024 ONCA 839
Acted for interveners ADRIC and TCAS on leading case on arbitrators’ duties of disclosure, independence and impartiality.
-
La Française IC2 v. Wires, 2024 ONCA 171
Acted for appellant in leading case on “choice of remedies” doctrine in resisting recognition and enforcement of foreign arbitral award.
-
Continental Currency Exchange of Canada Inc. v. Sprott, 2023 ONCA 61
Acted for appellant regarding imposition of a stay arising from inadvertent receipt of privileged information.
-
International Arbitration Concerning Alleged Breaches of a Patent Licensing Agreement
Acting in international arbitration seated in Toronto concerning alleged breaches of a patent licensing agreement (2022-2023).
-
Arbitration Defending $450 million Claim Arising Out of Construction of a Hydro-electric Generation Project
Acted in a significant construction arbitration defending $450 million claim arising out of construction of a hydro-electric generation project (2018-2022).
-
1515474 Ontario Inc. v. Soocellus Ontario Inc., 2020 ONSC 270
Acted on appeal to Divisional Court concerning appropriate remedy in shareholder oppression litigation.
-
Bent v. Platnick, 2020 SCC 23
Acted for law firm in significant appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada concerning anti-SLAPP legislation.
-
Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration) v. Vavilov, 2019 SCC 65 and Bell Canada v. Canada (Attorney General), 2019 SCC 66
Counsel for intervener Council of Canadian Administrative Tribunals regarding standard of review in administrative law.
-
Armour v. De Groot
Acted in international arbitration seated in Toronto concerning ownership of a valuable antique double bass (2021), including application to appoint an arbitrator in Armour v. De Groot, 2021 ONSC 3505…
Recognitions
Chambers
- Chambers Canada 2025: Band 6 - Litigation: General Commercial (Ontario)
- Chambers Canada 2019-2024: Band 5 - Litigation: General Commercial (Ontario)
- Chambers Canada, 2017-2018: General Commercial Litigation - Band 4
- The Legal 500 Canada, 2025: Leading Partner - Dispute Resolution, Ontario
Benchmark Litigation
- Benchmark Litigation Star, 2021-2025: Arbitration; Commercial Litigation
- Benchmark Litigation Star, 2020: Commercial Litigation
- Benchmark Litigation Star, 2015-2019: Arbitration; Commercial Litigation
Lexpert
- Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory, 2025: Litigation - Corporate Commercial; Commercial Arbitration; Litigation - Defamation & Media; Litigation - Regulatory & Public Law
- Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory, 2022-2024: Litigation - Corporate Commercial; Commercial Arbitration
- Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory, 2021: Litigation - Corporate Commercial; Commercial Arbitration; Litigation - Defamation & Media
- Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory 2013-2020: Litigation - Corporate Commercial
ALM 500
- Lexpert Guide to the Leading US/Canada Cross-Border Litigation Lawyers in Canada, 2014-2017: Corporate Commercial Litigation
Best Lawyers
- The Best Lawyers™ in Canada, 2025: Administrative and Public Law; Alternative Dispute Resolution; Appellate Practice; Corporate and Commercial Litigation; Director and Officer Liability Practice; International Arbitration; Labour and Employment Law
- The Best Lawyers™ in Canada, 2024: Administrative and Public Law; Appellate Practice; Corporate and Commercial Litigation; Director and Officer Liability Practice
- The Best Lawyers™ in Canada, 2022-2023: Administrative and Public Law; Corporate and Commercial Litigation
- The Best Lawyers™ in Canada, 2020-2021: Corporate and Commercial Litigation
Credentials
- Called to the Ontario Bar, 1997
- Clerkship: Justice Charles Gonthier of the Supreme Court of Canada
- B.C.L., University of Oxford, 1995
- LL.B., University of Toronto, 1994
- B.A., McGill University, 1990
Memberships
- Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, Fellow
- University of Toronto, Faculty of Law, Adjunct Professor
- University of Toronto, Discipline Appeals Board, Associate Chair
- ICC Canada Arbitration Committee, Member
- Toronto Commercial Arbitration Society, Member