Brendan O'Grady
Biography
Brendan O'Grady is a senior associate advising on complex business litigation and commercial arbitration. He is a member of Baker McKenzie's North American Litigation & Government Enforcement Practice Group in Toronto.
Brendan is recognized in the Chambers and Partners Guide (2024) alongside some of the top arbitration practitioners in Canada. He is also the sole recipient of the Lexology Client Choice Awards (2024) for arbitration in Ontario. Both distinctions are based on client feedback. Clients have commented:
- "He is a fantastic attorney—he is whip smart, has a very high IQ and is great in high pressure situations." (Chambers 2024)
- "I would gladly entrust Brendan in leading an international disputes case, especially one involving the management of information across jurisdictions and the synthesis of competing bodies of law." (Chambers 2024)
- "Working with Brendan O'Grady has enabled us to win difficult cases where the outcome was not certain." (Lexology 2024)
- "Brendan has a remarkable and noteworthy ability to analyze complex sets of technical and commercial facts." (Lexology 2024)
Brendan sits on the executive committee of the Advocates' Society Arbitration and Mediation Advocacy Practice Group. He has co-authored chapters published by Legal 500, Thomson Reuters Practical Law and Chambers & Partners.
Practice Focus
Brendan is regularly engaged in specialized contract and high stakes business disputes.
Brendan has appeared before the Supreme Court of Canada, superior courts across Canada, the Federal Court of Canada and the Tax Court of Canada. He has acted in major class proceedings across the country involving allegations of anti-competitive activity, securities misrepresentations, privacy breaches, product liability and breaches of employment standards and consumer protection laws.
Brendan has represented Fortune 500, private and state-owned companies in international commercial arbitrations seated in Canada and around the world.
Brendan works with Baker McKenzie's global team in executing cross-border legal strategies, including defence of concurrent class proceedings across multiple jurisdictions, prosecution of international fraud and enforcement of foreign judgments and awards.
Representative Legal Matters
- Represented a global engineering firm in numerous worldwide venues facing allegations of negligence and claims for damages of nearly USD 600 million.
- Represented a global medical supplies distributor advancing allegations of pandemic profiteering in ICC arbitration seated in Singapore.
- Represented a global renewable energy firm in numerous ICC arbitrations seated in Toronto arising from major infrastructure projects.
- Represented a US railway in domestic arbitration concerning disputed tariff obligations.
- Represented a Japanese electronic components manufacturer in multijurisdictional class proceedings involving alleged price-fixing.
- Represented a Japanese auto parts manufacturer in multijurisdictional class proceedings involving alleged price-fixing.
- Represented a social media company seeking to protect the anonymity of its users.
Professional Associations and Memberships
- The Advocates' Society, Member-at Large, Arbitration and Mediation Advocacy Practice Group
- International Bar Association
- International Centre for Dispute Resolution
- Canadian Bar Association
- Ontario Bar Association
- Toronto Lawyers Association
- Young Canadian Arbitration Practitioners
- Law Society of Ontario
Admissions
- Ontario~Canada
Education
- University of Western Ontario (JD)
- Queen's University (MA)
- Queen's University (BA, Honours)