Litigating Fraud Cases: the good, the bad, and the ugly

01/30/25 • 35 min

In this episode of Friends Who Argue, we’re joined by seasoned commercial litigators Allison Speigel and Pete Smiley to break down the complexities of litigating fraud cases. In our discussion, we explore the good, the bad, and the ugly of fraud litigation—highlighting key challenges, common pitfalls, and strategies for success. The episode also delves into recent high-profile fraud cases, offering expert analysis on what they reveal about current trends in fraud law. Tune in for valuable insights and practical advice from two experienced voices in the field.
Allison Speigel is a partner with the law firm of Speigel Nichols Fox LLP. She is a commercial litigator whose practice focuses on construction, complex commercial, contract, insolvency, real estate, professional negligence, and fraud matters.
Allison recognizes and has written extensively about how flawed our legal system is and how taxing litigation can be. Despite her innate desire to battle it out in court, Allison is always thinking about creative ways to settle matters and makes every attempt to do so.
Perhaps due to her writing on the subject matter, Allison was asked by the Attorney General of Ontario and the Chief Justice to co-chair a twelve person working group tasked with conducting a full review of the Rules of Civil Procedure. Allison accepted the position without hesitation and began working on the project in 2024. Allison has high hopes that the working group will be able to make fundamental changes to our civil justice system to make it more efficient, less expensive, faster, and, ultimately, more accessible.
Peter Smiley is a creative and dedicated litigator, with experience at all levels of court. His personal attention, significant experience and commitment to putting his clients first are how he manages to consistently achieve positive solutions. Peter has experience representing a wide range of individuals, organizations, and businesses. His litigation and dispute resolution expertise encompasses a range of complex commercial and civil litigation matters.
Land Acknowledgement
The Advocates’ Society acknowledges that our offices, located in Toronto, are on the customary and traditional lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Haudenosaunee, the Anishinabek, the Huron-Wendat and now home to many First Nations, Inuit, and Metis peoples. We acknowledge current treaty holders, the Mississaugas of the Credit and honour their long history of welcoming many nations to this territory.
While The Advocates’ Society is based in Toronto, we are a national organization with Directors and members located across Canada in the treaty and traditional territories of many Indigenous Peoples. We encourage our members to reflect upon their relationships with the Indigenous Peoples in these territories, and the history of the land on which they live and work.
We acknowledge the devastating impacts of colonization, including the history of residential schools, for many Indigenous peoples, families, and communities and commit to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusiveness in an informed legal profession in Canada and within The Advocates’ Society.

Previous Episode

Interview with 2023 Catzman Award Recipient Nader Hasan

This episode of Friends Who Argue features an interview with the recipient of the 2023 Catzman Award for Professionalism and Civility, Nader Hasan, conducted by his law Partner at Stockwoods LLP, Gerald Chan. Nader Hasan discusses his experiences with mentorship in his career, handling high-profile cases covered by the media, time management, and receiving the 2023 Catzman Award.
Nader Hasan is a Partner at Stockwoods LLP and the recipient of The Advocates’ Society’s 2023 Catzman Award for Professionalism and Civility. He practises criminal, regulatory and constitutional law at the trial and appellate levels, and defends clients accused of white-collar crime, violent offences, drug offences, and professional misconduct. He has appeared in more than 30 cases at the Supreme Court of Canada.
Nader has been repeatedly recognized by Best Lawyers Canada and Benchmark Litigation, and by Canadian Lawyer Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers in 2020. Nader is a veteran Adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law, where he has taught the Law of Evidence and currently teaches a popular class on crime and punishment. Toronto Life recently named him one of the Top 50 Most Influential Torontonians of 2024.
Gerald Chan is a Partner at Stockwoods LLP practicing criminal, administrative, and select civil litigation, with a special focus on white collar criminal and regulatory defence. He has been named one of the Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers in Canada (Canadian Lawyer, 2019), White-Collar Crime/Enforcement Litigator of the Year (Benchmark Litigation, 2023), and Criminal Defence Lawyer of the Year, Toronto (Best Lawyers, 2024). Gerald is a fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers and he has been recognized twice as one of the Top 50 Trial Lawyers in Canada (Benchmark Litigation, 2023-2024). He is also an advocacy advisor with the Supreme Court Advocacy Institute, having been counsel in over 20 appeals in the Supreme Court of Canada.
Land Acknowledgement
The Advocates’ Society acknowledges that our offices, located in Toronto, are on the customary and traditional lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Haudenosaunee, the Anishinabek, the Huron-Wendat and now home to many First Nations, Inuit, and Metis peoples. We acknowledge current treaty holders, the Mississaugas of the Credit and honour their long history of welcoming many nations to this territory.
While The Advocates’ Society is based in Toronto, we are a national organization with Directors and members located across Canada in the treaty and traditional territories of many Indigenous Peoples. We encourage our members to reflect upon their relationships with the Indigenous Peoples in these territories, and the history of the land on which they live and work.
We acknowledge the devastating impacts of colonization, including the history of residential schools, for many Indigenous peoples, families, and communities and commit to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusiveness in an informed legal profession in Canada and within The Advocates’ Society.

Next Episode

Pour un mentorat fructueux avec Julie Chenette et Antoine Veillette

This episode of Friends Who Argue marks our first French episode, as we are discussing mentoring with TAS’ Quebec recipient of the Excellence in Mentoring Award, Julie Chenette. Dans un entretien avec Antoine Veillette, nos deux invités ont l’occasion d’échanger sur ce que la relation de mentorat leur apporte, sur l’identification d’un bon mentor et l’opportunité d’en identifier un au sein de son cabinet ou à l’externe, les principaux conseils pour un mentorat fructueux et certains aspects moins fréquemment discutés du mentorat.

Julie Chenette est associée fondatrice chez Chenette, boutique de litige. Me Chenette a fondé son cabinet après avoir pratiqué pendant près de 20 ans comme avocate puis comme associée au sein du groupe du litige, des recours collectifs et de la responsabilité professionnelle chez McCarthy Tétrault à Montréal. Avocate renommée en litige de responsabilité professionnelle, diffamation et enquêtes disciplinaires, elle a donné plusieurs conférences dans les domaines du droit de la responsabilité des professionnels et de la déontologie, et a enseigné la procédure et la responsabilité civile à l’École du Barreau du Québec. Me Chenette a reçu en 2024 le prix d’Excellence en mentorat de la Société des plaideurs qui récompense les plaideurs qui ont fait preuve d’un engagement exceptionnel et d’excellence dans le mentorat au Québec.

Antoine Veillette est avocat chez Langlois. Habitué d’intervenir dans le cadre de litiges complexes en matière civile et commerciale, il exerce principalement en droit de la consommation et de l’environnement ainsi qu’en matière de responsabilité du fabricant. Il est aussi appelé à agir à tout stade de l’instance en matière de faillite et d’insolvabilité. Impliqué auprès de la Société des plaideurs, Me Veillette est à un point de son parcours professionnel où il agit à titre de mentor tout en poursuivant sa propre relation comme mentoré, lui permettant ainsi d’échanger sur ces deux aspects avec Me Chenette.

Land Acknowledgement
The Advocates’ Society acknowledges that our offices, located in Toronto, are on the customary and traditional lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Haudenosaunee, the Anishinabek, the Huron-Wendat and now home to many First Nations, Inuit, and Metis peoples. We acknowledge current treaty holders, the Mississaugas of the Credit and honour their long history of welcoming many nations to this territory.
While The Advocates’ Society is based in Toronto, we are a national organization with Directors and members located across Canada in the treaty and traditional territories of many Indigenous Peoples. We encourage our members to reflect upon their relationships with the Indigenous Peoples in these territories, and the history of the land on which they live and work.
We acknowledge the devastating impacts of colonization, including the history of residential schools, for many Indigenous peoples, families, and communities and commit to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusiveness in an informed legal profession in Canada and within The Advocates’ Society.