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KATIE BLACK

FOUNDER

CIVIL LITIGATION LAWYER | katie@black-law.ca

Katie Black has a results-oriented practice with a focus on commercial litigation, arbitration, and appellate court advocacy.  She has developed an impeccable track record, representing clients before commercial arbitrators, Ontario's Superior Court, Divisional Court and Court Appeal, as well as the Federal Court and the Supreme Court of Canada.  Her experience spans contract, shareholder and governance disputes; professional negligence; defamation; municipal law; and regulatory and constitutional law.

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Before founding Black & Associates, Katie had the privilege of working for some of Canada’s foremost jurists.  She clerked for the Right Honourable Beverley McLachlin, former Chief Justice of Canada, before joining the Supreme Court Advocacy Group at a national firm.  She later helped her mentor establish a successful mid-sized litigation boutique, further honing her expertise in complex advocacy.   

 

In 2016, Katie was seconded to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, the Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould, as Federal Judicial Affairs Advisor.  In that role, Katie supported the Minister in reforming Canada's judicial appointment process, collaborating with the Canadian Judicial Council, and facilitating over 130 judicial appointments, including three to the Supreme Court of Canada.   

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These unparalleled experiences taught Katie that the “legal solution” is not always the practical one.  Litigation is one of many tools available to advance a client's goals.  Katie’s strategic approach focuses on avoiding disputes where possible and advocating effectively when necessary.  Clients also benefit from Katie's integrated experience in issues management, public relations, and organization systems design. Katie helps clients turn legal challenges into opportunities for institutional growth, resilience and risk management.  

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Katie’s career is defined by her deep commitment to excellence, integrity, and service to her clients, the justice system  and her community.  Her leadership and community engagement have been recognized through numerous awards, including CCLA’s Gordon F. Henderson Award, the OBA’s David Scott, Q.C. Award for Pro Bono Law, Ottawa Board of Trade's Top 40 under 40, and her induction into the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law’s Honours Society.

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Katie received her law degree, graduating magna cum laude, from the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Law where she regularly teaches first year contract law in the Faculty of Common Law.  


Katie strives daily to do good by her clients, colleagues, family and community. Excellence is an iterative process and a team effort.  It is built on a relentless commitment to doing good work. 

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EDUCATION

  • Call to the Bar, Ontario (2010)

  • LL.B. (Magna Cum Laude), University of Ottawa, 2009

  • B.Sc. Honours (with Distinction), University of Toronto, 2004

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RECOGNITION

  • 2019 - Top Forty Under 40 award by the Ottawa Business Journal and the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce

  • 2018 - University of Ottawa's Common Law Honour Society

  • Awarded for achieving great success in law

  • 2017 – Ontario Bar Association David Scott, Q.C. Award for Pro Bono Law

  • 2016 - County of Carleton Law Association, The Gordon F. Henderson Award recognizing a significant contribution to the welfare of the community

 

PUBLICATIONS

  • 2009 - “Canadian Perspective on Anonymity and the Law” in ed., Ian Kerr, Valerie Steeves & Carole Lucock, On the Identity Trail: Anonymity, Privacy and Identity in a Networked Society (peer reviewed) (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009) (co-authored with Carole Lucock).

  • 2009 - “Soft Surveillance, Hard Consent: The Law and Psychology of Engineering Consent” in On the Identity Trail: Anonymity, Privacy and Identity in a Networked Society, ibid (peer reviewed) (co-authored with Ian Kerr, Jennifer Barrigar and Jacquelyn Burkell).

  • 2008 -“Containing the GMO Genie: Cattle Trespass and the Rights and Responsibilities of Biotechnology Owners” (2008) 46 Osgoode Hall L.J. 2 Environmental Law Special Issue (peer reviewed) (awarded Torys LLP Writing Prize) (co-authored with James Wishart).

  • 2007 -“Excuse Me, Are You a Threat to Aviation Security? Canada's No Fly List” (2007) 8 Ontario Bar Association Privacy Law Review 1.

  • 2006 -“Soft Surveillance, Hard Consent” (2006) 6 Personally Yours 1-14 (peer reviewed) (co-authored with Ian Kerr, Jennifer Barrigar and Jacquelyn Burkell).

  • 2004 -“The Geometric Module in the Rat: Independence of Shape and Feature Learning in a Food Finding Task” (2004) 32 Learning and Behavior 3, 289-98 (peer reviewed) (co-authored with Patricia Wall, Laura Botly and Sarah Shettleworth).

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PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

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©2020 by Katie Black Professional Corp. o/a Black & Associates

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