Bridging Borders: Canadian and US Legal Perspectives - Agenda 

Aug. 7, 2025
Toronto ON

Collaborative Advocacy: CBA and ABA

Collaborative Advocacy: CBA in Partnership with OBA and CCCA at the ABA Annual Meeting 

Bridging Borders: Canadian and US Legal Perspectives

Thursday, August 7, 2025 | 12:30-4:30pm
OBA Conference Centre | Toronto, ON

AGENDA

As Toronto welcomes the ABA (American Bar Association) to town, join us to take advantage of this rare and highly valuable opportunity to engage and build relationships with counsel from both sides of the border.  Canadian and US lawyers are coming together to learn from one another and about one another, as we forge connections, enhance expertise and collaborate to better serve clients whose interests reach across the border, spanning our two countries.  


Sponsors

Lead Sponsor

Hodgson Russ LLP

Agenda Subject to Change

TIME EVENT

12:00 pm – 12:30 pm

Registration

12:30 pm – 12:35 pm

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Speakers: Lynne M.J. Vicars, CBA President

12:35 pm – 1:45 pm

Cross-Border Business Operations: What I Wish You Knew About My Jurisdiction

Hear from US and Canadian counsel on the tricky issues, unanticipated consequences and key considerations that arise as your clients’ business operations traverse the border, engaging with two legal regimes. Ensure you are equipped to confidently advise your clients and know when to call your cross-border counterpart with this insightful panel.

Speakers:
John W. Boscariol
, McCarthy Tétrault LLP (Toronto, ON)
Andrew Alleyne, Fasken (Toronto, ON)
Barbara Linney, Baker Hostetler (Washington, DC)

Moderator: Signa Daum Shanks, University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law (Ottawa, ON)

1:45 pm – 1:50 pm

Stretch Break

1:50 pm – 2:50 pm

SESSION A: Managing Transactional Risk in an Unsettled Cross-Border Environment
SPONSOR
Marks & Clerk

The Canadian-US business relationship has historically been one of the most stable in the world, but that is no longer the reality. Join us to gather best practices and valuable advice on how to effectively advise your clients and manage cross-border transaction risk in light of on-going and potential future change. Learn how you can work with counsel on the other side of the border to best protect clients and achieve their goals, despite the uncertainty.

Speakers:
Nancy Hamzo
, Baker McKenzie (Toronto, ON)
Dr. Alison Manzer, Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP (Toronto, ON)
Robin Gerofsky Kaptzan, Zahn Law Global LLP, (New York, NY)

Moderator: Kevin W. Shipley, Marks & Clerk Law, LLP (Toronto, ON)

 

SESSION B: Navigating Justice in the Courtroom and in the Court of Public Opinion 
SPONSOR
Thomson Reuters

Join us to explore the challenging duality in modern litigation:  managing your case in the courtroom and in the court of public opinion.  Hear from Canadian and U.S. litigators as they share insights on trying high-profile cases within the courtroom's structured confines while facing intense scrutiny in the public eye.  Including:

  • strategic considerations, ethical dilemmas, and practical approaches trial lawyers may employ on both sides of the border
  • similarities and distinct differences in how such trials are managed within the Canadian and American legal landscapes.


Speakers:
Nader Hasan, Stockwoods LLP (Toronto, ON)

Moderator: Jennifer Brevorka, Hodgson Russ LLP (Toronto, ON)

2:50 pm – 3:05 pm

Networking Break

3:05 pm – 4:20 pm

Responding to Polarization and Overcoming Division

In a world that is increasingly polarized, how can we foster constructive discourse, rather than division? Join us to gain practical strategies and helpful insights for having hard conversations that are productive and make space for differing opinions while maintaining the collegiality of the bar.

Speakers:
Karen Snowshoe
, Snowshoe Law (Vancouver, BC)
Suzanne Ghais, Convergence Centre for Policy (Washington, DC)
Mante Molepo, Mante Molepo Consulting (Ottawa, ON)

Moderator: Kathryn Manning, DMG Advocates LLP and OBA President (Toronto, ON)

4:20 pm – 4:30 pm

Concluding Remarks

Presented by: Kathryn J. Manning, OBA President

4:30 pm – 6:00 pm

Joint Networking Welcome Reception with ABA
Location: Fairmont Royal York Hotel, Imperial Ballroom

 

 

 

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