Christina Doria
Biography
Christina Doria is a partner in Baker McKenzie's Toronto office and co-chair of the Firm's North American International Arbitration Group. She represents corporations, public entities and states in complex commercial disputes, with a particular focus on international arbitration, cross-border litigation, the enforcement of arbitral awards and judgments, and high-stakes internal investigations.
Clients turn to Christina when disputes present significant legal, financial or operational risk. She regularly advises on matters that span multiple jurisdictions and involve parallel arbitration, litigation and enforcement proceedings. Her practice covers a broad range of industries, including energy, mining, infrastructure, transportation, manufacturing, life sciences and technology.
An experienced advocate, Christina has appeared before the Supreme Court of Canada, courts across Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta and Manitoba, and before domestic and international arbitral tribunals seated in North America and abroad. She has represented clients under most major commercial and investor-state arbitration rules and is particularly recognized for her work in complex cross-border disputes and enforcement proceedings.
Christina also brings a unique perspective as an arbitrator, having served in both institutional and ad hoc proceedings, including under ICC and ICDR rules. Her experience acting as both counsel and arbitrator gives her practical insight into how tribunals evaluate evidence, advocacy and dispute strategy.
Christina is recognized by leading legal directories and publications. She has been named a Global Elite Thought Leader by Lexology, received the 2025 Lexology Client Choice Award for Commercial Arbitration, and is consistently recognized by the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, Best Lawyers, The Legal 500 and other leading rankings publications. Independent commentators describe her as "a superstar arbitration practitioner," "widely recognised as an emerging international talent," and "a great lawyer - efficient, proportionate, intelligent." Others have praised her matter management skills, creativity, professionalism, judgment and ability to lead complex, multidisciplinary teams.
Beyond her practice, Christina is an active member of the international arbitration community. She serves on the Steering Committee of Baker McKenzie's Global Arbitration Group, is a founding committee member of the Firm's Women in Arbitration initiative, and has held leadership positions with numerous arbitration organizations in Canada and internationally. She is a frequent speaker and author on emerging issues in arbitration and dispute resolution.
Practice Focus
Christina is experienced in energy, mining and infrastructure cases, including in the transportation industry. She is also experienced in manufacturing, securities, biotech, aerospace, academic institutions, hotels, and agriculture.
She acts for clients on contractual disputes, investor-state disputes, matters involving fraud, bribery and corruption, jurisdictional disputes, banking matters, shareholder disputes, commercial class actions and economic torts.
Representative Legal Matters
- Successfully represented a global engineering and construction company in a USD 400 million dispute before an ICC dispute resolution board, relating to an oil refinery project.
- Representing a natural gas and utilities company in a USD 70 million contract dispute before the LCIA.
- Represented CIArb Canada before the Supreme Court of Canada in a case involving the intersection of arbitration and bankruptcy laws.
- Won a case for a Chinese engineering company in Alberta, defeating a CAD 60 million claim for breach of contract in a construction project in the Alberta oil sands.
- Successfully represented a Class I railway in an arbitration with a competitor concerning operational rights and revenues from tracks between the US border and parts of Canada.
- Successfully represented a Class I railway in an arbitration concerning disputed tariff obligations.
- Successfully represented a Canadian health science company in an internal investigation involving multiple jurisdictions and the RCMP.
- Won an international arbitration between two publicly traded companies (American and Norwegian), concerning a biotech licensing dispute, under the Canadian Arbitration Association Rules.
- Won, protecting CAD 200 million of assets of a Kyrgyzstani mining company from four separate international arbitration awards and related freezing orders against its shares in Ontario.
- Won, obtaining a worldwide Mareva injunction in British Columbia, freezing nearly CAD 10 million in state-owned assets to enforce an international arbitral award held by an India-based mining company.
- Defeated a CAD 65 million breach of contract and product liability claim in an UNCITRAL arbitration against a major American aerospace company.
- Enforced an ICC award in Ontario, held by a Middle Eastern oil and gas company against a sovereign African state.
- Won a CAD 10.3 million judgment in a major fraud trial in Ontario for an international bank.
Professional Associations and Memberships
- International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR), Canada Advisory Board
- London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), Young International Arbitration Group (YIAG) - Regional Representative (2020-2022)
- International Centre for Dispute Resolution - Young & International (ICDR Y&I) - Executive Board Member (2016 to 2019), Global Advisory Board Member (2013-2016)
- Young Canadian Arbitration Practitioners (YCAP) - Board Member (2017 to 2019); Executive Committee, VP of Education and Events (2019-2020); Advisory Board (2020 to 2022)
- Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot, Vienna, Austria - Arbitrator (2012, 2013 and 2015)
- Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot, Friendly Round, Toronto, Ontario - Arbitrator (2011, 2013 and 2014)
- CAPE Scholarship - Volunteer/Toronto Fundraising Committee and Board Member (2010-2013)
- Law Society of Ontario
- The Advocates' Society
- Ontario Bar Association - Civil Litigation Section
- Toronto Commercial Arbitration Society (TCAS)
- Member of the ICC Canada Arbitration Committee
Admissions
- Ontario~Canada (2011)
Education
- University of Ottawa (J.D.) (2010)
- Erasmus University Rotterdam (LL.M. International Law) (2004)
- University of Utrecht (B.A., Honours) (2002)
- Neuchâtel Junior College (O.A.C.)
Languages
- English
- French
- Italian