Civil & Commercial Litigation · Toronto & Vancouver
Counsel for High-Stakes Litigation
Retained for complexity. Deployed for consequence.
An elite strategic litigation institution for high-stakes business disputes — large mandates, significant financial exposure, executive-level decisions.
Selected Mandates
Anonymised
Cross-Border Asset Freeze
Mareva injunction · B.C. Supreme Court
Assets preserved before judgment
Shareholder & Estate Dispute
Family enterprise · Ontario Superior Court
Resolved on favourable terms
Commercial Trial Win
$2M+ contract dispute · Ontario Superior Court
Judgment for the client
Largest Mandate
Handled
Direct Access to Lead
Counsel
Response Within One
Business Day
International
Arbitration & Cross-
Border Disputes
Years of
combined
legal
experience
Who We Are
A litigation boutique
built for complexity.
ME Law is a litigation-only firm. We do not advise on transactions or offer general legal services — we represent sophisticated clients in the disputes that carry real financial, operational, and reputational weight.
Every mandate is prepared as though it will be decided at trial. We maintain a deliberately limited caseload so senior counsel remains accountable on your file from the first call to the final order — strategic, trial-ready, and business-minded from day one.
- Litigation
-only focus - Business-first strategy
- High-stakes representation
- Trial experience
We don’t measure success by how much legal work we perform. We measure it by the value we create — and the risk we eliminate.
The ME Law Standard
Practice Areas
The full scope of
complex civil litigation.
Strategic, results-driven representation in complex disputes. Trial-ready from day one. Select a practice area to see the matters we handle.
We represent businesses in complex commercial disputes involving contracts, torts, partnerships, debt recovery, commercial fraud and breach of fiduciary duty.
Typical Matters
- Oppression and unfair-prejudice claims
- Shareholder deadlock and control disputes
- Court-supervised buyouts and share valuations
- Derivative actions on behalf of the corporation
- Breach of shareholder and partnership agreements
- Removal and appointment of directors
Related Services
We act for majority and minority shareholders in oppression claims, deadlock, buyouts, derivative actions and governance conflicts — protecting value while resolving control.
Typical Matters
- Oppression and unfair-prejudice claims
- Shareholder deadlock and control disputes
- Court-supervised buyouts and share valuations
- Derivative actions on behalf of the corporation
- Breach of shareholder and partnership agreements
- Removal and appointment of directors
Related Services
We enforce and defend complex commercial agreements — from repudiation and non-performance to damages and specific performance across multi-party and cross-border arrangements.
Typical Matters
- Breach and repudiation of agreements
- Specific performance and injunctive enforcement
- Damages assessment and mitigation
- Financial markets, ISDA and derivatives agreements
- Warranty, indemnity and guarantee claims
- Interpretation of complex commercial terms
Related Services
We move quickly in civil fraud matters — freezing assets, tracing funds and pursuing recovery across accounts, entities and borders.
Typical Matters
- Civil fraud and fraudulent misrepresentation
- Mareva injunctions and freezing orders
- Anton Piller (civil search) orders
- Norwich orders and third-party disclosure
- Court-appointed receivers and asset preservation
- Tracing and cross-border recovery of funds
Related Services
When assets, evidence or rights are at immediate risk, we obtain urgent interlocutory and ex parte relief — often within days.
Typical Matters
- Mareva (asset-freezing) injunctions
- Anton Piller orders
- Interlocutory and interim injunctions
- Certificates of pending litigation
- Urgent ex parte applications
- Preservation and non-dissipation orders
Related Services
We act for developers, owners and contractors in lien, delay and deficiency disputes across complex, multi-party projects.
Typical Matters
- Construction lien claims and enforcement
- Delay and disruption claims
- Deficiency and defect litigation
- Contract and tender disputes
- Bond and holdback claims
- Project joint-venture conflicts
Related Services
We litigate high-value property disputes — ownership, title, trust and development conflicts where significant assets are at stake.
Typical Matters
- Ownership and title disputes
- Constructive and resulting trust claims
- Co-ownership and partition-and-sale proceedings
- Agreements of purchase and sale
- Certificates of pending litigation
- Development and joint-venture disputes
Related Services
We represent beneficiaries, trustees and estate stakeholders in contested wills, trusts and fiduciary disputes.
Typical Matters
- Will challenges and validity disputes
- Contested passings of accounts
- Trust and fiduciary litigation
- Dependant support claims
- Removal and replacement of estate trustees
- Recovery of estate assets
Related Services
We prosecute and defend appeals before Ontario and British Columbia appellate courts — assessing prospects candidly and arguing decisively.
Typical Matters
- Commercial and civil appeals
- Interlocutory appeals and motions for leave
- Injunction appeals
- Appeals and set-asides of arbitral awards
- Stays pending appeal
- Judicial review applications
Related Services
We act in private commercial arbitration under Canadian frameworks — shareholder, franchise, construction and commercial mandates.
Typical Matters
- Shareholder and partnership arbitration
- Commercial contract arbitration
- Construction arbitration
- Franchise and licensing disputes
- Enforcement of arbitration clauses
- Enforcement and set-aside of awards
Related Services
We represent parties in cross-border arbitration and enforcement — coordinating strategy across jurisdictions and counterparties.
Typical Matters
- International commercial arbitration
- Recognition and enforcement of foreign awards
- Enforcement of foreign judgments
- Jurisdiction and forum disputes
- Cross-border asset recovery
- Multi-jurisdiction proceedings
Related Services
We pursue claims against professionals and advisors where breaches of the standard of care caused significant financial loss.
Typical Matters
- Claims against lawyers and accountants
- Financial advisor and broker negligence
- Engineering and design claims
- Realtor and mortgage-broker claims
- Breach of fiduciary duty by advisors
- Standard-of-care and expert evidence
Related Services
Commercial Litigation
Contracts, business torts, partnerships, debt recovery, and commercial fraud.
Shareholder Disputes
Oppression, deadlock, buyouts, derivative actions, and governance conflicts.
Contract Litigation
Enforcement and defence of complex commercial agreements.
Fraud Litigation
Asset freezing, tracing, and cross-border recovery — at speed.
Emergency Injunctions
Mareva, Anton Piller, and urgent ex parte relief.
Construction Litigation
Lien, delay, and deficiency disputes across major projects.
Real Estate Litigation
Ownership, title, trust, and development conflicts.
Estate Litigation
Contested wills, trusts, and fiduciary disputes.
Appeals
Appellate advocacy in Ontario and British Columbia.
Domestic Arbitration
Private commercial arbitration under Canadian frameworks.
International Arbitration
Cross-border arbitration and enforcement.
Professional Negligence
Claims against professionals and advisors.
01
Commercial Litigation
We represent businesses in complex commercial disputes involving contracts, torts, partnerships, debt recovery, commercial fraud and breach of fiduciary duty.
Typical Matters
- Breach of contract and commercial agreements
- Business torts and civil fraud
- Partnership and joint venture disputes
- Debt recovery and enforcement
- Supply and distribution disputes
- Unjust enrichment and restitution
Related Services
Who We Represent
Retained by those who
cannot afford to lose.
ME Law is retained by businesses, shareholders, investors, developers, executives, and ultra-high-net-worth clients when a civil dispute carries significant financial, reputational, or operational weight — and the outcome cannot be left to chance. We are not a general practice. We are a civil litigation firm built for complexity.
Businesses & Corporations
Private and closely held companies facing commercial disputes that threaten value, control, or continuity.
Shareholders & Business Owners
Majority and minority shareholders in oppression claims, deadlocks, buyouts, and governance conflicts.
Investors & Creditors
Private equity, credit funds, and individual investors pursuing recovery, enforcement, and fraud claims.
Developers & Private Lenders
Owners, builders, and developers in construction, lien, delay, and high-value real-estate litigation.
Executives, Directors & Principals
Directors, officers, and founders in exit disputes, fiduciary claims, and matters of personal exposure.
UHNW Individuals & Family Offices
Private clients and family enterprises in estate, trust, and high-value personal disputes.
The consequences of retaining the wrong litigation counsel are vastly more expensive than retaining the right one.
Meet Your Litigation Team
Senior counsel —
on your file, personally.
You are not passed to a junior associate. The lawyer who assesses your matter is the lawyer who argues it.
Founder, CEO & Principal Litigation Lawyer
May Elajami
May Elajami founded ME Law to do one thing exceptionally well: represent sophisticated clients in complex, high-stakes civil and commercial disputes. She leads matters on the Toronto Commercial List, in cross-border proceedings, and in arbitration — and has obtained urgent injunctive relief in time-critical, high-value matters.
Law Society of Ontario · Called 2016
Law Society of BC · Called 2024
University of Toronto
Toronto Commercial List
Cross-Border Litigation
Mareva Injunctions & Anton Piller Orders
Appeals & International Arbitration
A lean, precision-focused litigation team. At ME Law, client matters are not handed off — senior counsel remains accountable throughout. Every file reflects the same standard.
Fahriz Dosani
Associate Litigation Lawyer
Focuses on commercial litigation, estate litigation, insolvency, contract disputes, and real estate litigation. Represents businesses and individuals in complex disputes, providing strategic advocacy from pleadings and discoveries through trials, appeals, and negotiated resolutions.
Commercial Litigation
Estate Litigation
Harrison Giovannetti
Associate Lawyer
Deep understanding of corporate and regulatory frameworks to advance his clients’ positions with precision and commercial insight
Commercial Litigation
Contract Disputes
Sukhmeet Bajwa
Legal Assistant
Supports the firm’s litigation team through client intake, client relations, case coordination, and legal administration.
Case Coordination
Legal Administration
Representative Matters & Results
Outcomes in matters
that could not fail.
A selection of anonymised mandates, described by industry, strategy, and result. Figures reflect the scale of the matters handled.
Technology · Cross-Border
Assets Frozen
A Silicon Valley-backed venture faced dissipation of assets across jurisdictions. An urgent Mareva injunction was paired with cross-border asset tracing in the B.C. Supreme Court.
Technology · Cross-Border
Corporate & Estate
In Dispute
Intersecting shareholder and estate claims threatened a family enterprise. A consolidated strategy was executed across corporate and estate proceedings in the Ontario Superior Court.
Negotiated resolution on favourable terms
Real Estate & Family
Portfolio Value
Contested ownership of a high-value real-estate portfolio. A constructive-trust claim was advanced with early injunctive protection in the Ontario Superior Court.
Client's interest secured
Shareholder Dispute
Buyout Secured
A minority shareholder was frozen out of a profitable company. An oppression remedy was leveraged toward a court-supervised buyout on the Toronto Commercial List.
Fair value realised for the client
Commercial Litigation
Trial Win
A $2M+ contractual dispute that could not be settled. Trial-ready preparation and decisive advocacy at hearing in the Ontario Superior Court.
Judgment for the client
International · Arbitration
Multi-
Jurisdiction Mandate
A Silicon Valley-backed venture faced dissipation of assets across jurisdictions. An urgent Mareva injunction was paired with cross-border asset tracing in the B.C. Supreme Court.
Technology · Cross-Border
Matters are anonymised to protect client confidentiality. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome; every matter turns on its own facts.
Why Sophisticated Clients Choose ME Law
A different standard
of representation.
Clients do not purchase hours. They purchase preparation, judgment, and execution
— and how a litigation-only boutique delivers them differs on every factor that
decides complex disputes.
| Traditional Firms | Compared | ME Law |
|---|---|---|
| High volume | Caseload | Deliberately limited |
| Delegated to juniors | Senior Lawyer Involvement | Senior counsel throughout |
| Standard intake | Strategic Intake | Strategic case assessment |
| Settlement-oriented | Trial Readiness | Prepared for trial from day one |
| Legal lens only | Business Perspective | Commercial & legal lens |
| Domestic focus | Cross-Border Experience | Ontario, B.C. & cross-border |
| Rarely | International Arbitration | Domestic & international |
| Through associates | Client Access | Direct to lead counsel |
| Variable | Preparation Standard | Institutional-grade |
Client Success Stories
In their words.
“
“They understood the commercial stakes immediately and moved decisively. We had an injunction in place before the other side realised what had happened.”
General Counsel, Technology Company
Cross-Border Injunction
“
“Senior counsel handled our file personally from the first call to resolution. The strategy was clear, and the outcome protected everything we had built.”
Founder & Majority Shareholder
Shareholder Dispute
“
“Measured, precise, and genuinely trial-ready. They prepared as though every matter would be decided at trial — and that preparation created the leverage to resolve.”
Private Client · Family Office
Estate & Trust Litigation
Our Litigation Process
A discipline path,
from first call to resolution.
Every mandate follows a deliberate sequence. You always know where your matter
stands and what comes next.
A confidential assessment of your matter with senior counsel.
Candid analysis of merits, risk, exposure, and realistic paths.
A tailored plan built around your commercial objectives.
Resolution pursued from a position of prepared strength.
Motions, discovery, and interlocutory relief, pressed decisively.
Decisive advocacy at hearing — or settlement on your terms.
Featured Case Studies
How complex matters
are actually won.
Three anonymised mandates, told from problem to outcome.
Shareholder
Shareholder Deadlock in a Family Enterprise
Technology · Injunction
Preserving a Technology Asset
Two branches of a founding family reached an irreconcilable deadlock over control of a profitable operating company.
An oppression application was framed to protect the client’s economic interest while preserving the value of the business.
A court-supervised buyout at fair value, without a value-destroying public battle.
Deadlock is a strategy problem before it is a legal one — structure decides the exit.
Cross-Border · Fraud
Cross-Border Asset Recovery
Two branches of a founding family reached an irreconcilable deadlock over control of a profitable operating company.
An oppression application was framed to protect the client’s economic interest while preserving the value of the business.
A court-supervised buyout at fair value, without a value-destroying public battle.
Deadlock is a strategy problem before it is a legal one — structure decides the exit.
Insights & Legal Resources
Insights & Legal Resources
Practical guidance, litigation strategies and analysis for complex disputes and high-stakes matters.
Featured Guide
Commercial Litigation in Ontario
A practical guide to resolving complex commercial disputes, from strategy and evidence to trial and enforcement.
- 24 min read
- Guide
- Updated Jul 2026
Recent Articles
Checklist
Practical litigation checklists for businesses and individuals.
Case Studies
Real matters. Real results. Strategic outcomes.
Court Decision
Recent decisions from key courts and tribunals.
FAQs
Answers to common questions about civil litigation.
Videos & Webinars
Expert insights on litigation strategy and the law.
Legal Updates
Stay informed on legal changes that impact your business.
Knowledge is strategy. Stay informed. Stay protected.
Industries We Serve
Counsel to those with
something at stake.
Sector fluency matters when assets must be preserved, traced, or divided. Hover a sector to see the disputes we handle and the services most often engaged.
Family Offices
Estate and trust conflicts, asset preservation, intergenerational transfers, and fraud recovery.
Estate Litigation
Mareva Injunctions
Fraud Recovery
Institutional Trustees & Fiduciaries
Contested passings of accounts, fiduciary-duty claims, trustee removal, and beneficiary disputes.
Estate Litigation
Passing of Accounts
Fiduciary Claims
Public Companies & Boards
Shareholder actions, governance disputes, and director and officer exposure.
Shareholder Disputes
Business Torts
Appeals
Financial Institutions & Lenders
Loan enforcement, guarantees, receivership, priority disputes, and counterparty fraud.
Receivership
Enforcement
Fraud Recovery
Private Equity & Investment Funds
Governance failures, related-party transactions, control conflicts, and exit disputes.
Oppression Remedies
Derivative Actions
Arbitration
Real Estate & Development
Ownership, title, joint-venture, and trust disputes — and asset division on high-value holdings.
Real Estate Litigation
Constructive Trust
Injunctions
Technology & Founders
Shareholder conflicts, investment disputes, IP ownership, and founder exits.
Shareholder Disputes
Injunctions
Cross-Border
International Businesses
Cross-border enforcement, arbitration, and multi-jurisdiction asset tracing and preservation.
International Arbitration
Enforcement
Mareva Injunctions
Frequently Asked Questions
Litigation Knowledge Centre
Answers to the most common questions about civil litigation. Browse by topic, search our knowledge base, or explore related resources.
Related Resources
Related Services
Related Articles
Court Decision
Still have questions?
Describe your legal issue and we’ll help you find the right answers.
We devote extraordinary resources to every matter we accept.
That is why we are selective.
Begin Your Mandate
Ready to Retain Civil Litigation Counsel?
ME Law is retained for matters of consequence. If you are facing a complex commercial, financial, shareholder, or estate dispute — and the outcome genuinely matters — we invite you to begin a confidential consultation with our principal litigation lawyer.
The earlier you engage senior counsel, the greater your strategic advantage.
Contact Details:
Direct Line
Intake Email
Jurisdiction
Ontario & British Columbia
Practice Focus
Litigation-Only. UHNW & Complex Mandates.