Overview
Christopher McGoey is a civil and commercial litigator recognized for his encyclopedic capacity to interpret and distill complex legal principles for the benefit of his clients and colleagues. He has experience with all levels of Court in Ontario, including the Ontario Court of Appeal and Commercial List. As a litigator, Christopher’s personal goal is to obtain the best financial and commercial outcome for his clients, while avoiding unnecessary disputes. He is appreciated by his peers for his civility and by his clients for his empathy. Christopher is particularly attracted to work on novel legal issues, including appeals, and has worked with leading test case litigators from across Canada.
Civil litigation: acting for individuals and corporations on a wide range of issues including corporate oppression claims, contract disputes, copyright ownership, defamation, and professional regulation.
Insolvency and restructuring: representing clients in proceedings under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act and Companies Creditors’ Arrangement Act.
Appellate advocacy: using experience from the realm of civil liberties and test case litigation to identify novel opportunities to overturn unfavorable outcomes in commercial litigation.
Technology and healthcare: drawing on tech literacy to conceive of practical solutions to issues concerning FinTech, intellectual property, and privacy law. In a previous role, Christopher developed a privacy and security training program for medical doctors that is now widely used across Ontario.
Christopher articled with a Toronto litigation boutique where he gained significant courtroom experience in civil, as well as criminal and quasi-criminal proceedings. Afterwards, he joined several of his colleagues in establishing a specialized insolvency and restructuring firm in downtown Toronto.
While at law school, Christopher worked with leading civil liberties and disability advocacy groups. He contributed to a piece of high-profile litigation concerning the regulation of medical assistance in dying (“MAiD”) in Canada. He also clerked for the Ontario Health Professions Review and Appeal Board.
Before becoming a lawyer, Christopher was a manager of a major restaurant in the heart of Toronto’s financial district where he developed deep personal and professional networks. Before that, he briefly wrote for a leading menswear and lifestyle magazine in the city.
In 2019, Christopher received an Insolvency Institute of Canada Writing Award for his analysis of the cryptocurrency exchange, Quadrigacx.
Professional achievements & leadership
- Second Place Winner, Insolvency Institute of Canada Writing Awards, 2019
- Goodman’s LLP Scholarship (Osgoode Hall), 2018
- First Place Winner, Tory’s LLP Moot (Osgoode Hall), 2017
Bar admissions & education
- Ontario Bar, 2020
- Juris Doctorate, Osgoode Hall Law School, 2019
- Honours Bachelor of Arts in History, Victoria College in the University of Toronto, 2016