As a skilled litigator and trusted advisor to some of the world’s biggest companies, Marina expertly leads the successful resolution of high-profile disputes and Canadian class actions.

Marina Sampson is a partner in McCarthy Tétrault’s Litigation and Dispute Resolution Group. Recognized as one of Canada’s Top 100 Women in Litigation, and with a wealth of experience in leadership and before the courts, Marina brings strategic vision, innovation and confidence to any mandate. She is well known and highly regarded for her exceptional work in class actions defence, injunctive relief and complex commercial disputes, including arbitrations, providing clients with the certainty that they have secured some of the best legal counsel in Canada.

Marina has significant experience defending organizations in high-profile legal disputes. Her practice includes class actions defence in competition and product liability in the infrastructure, e-commerce and transportation spaces; Anton Pillar orders and other extraordinary remedies; and general corporate commercial matters, including real estate and contamination disputes. Known as a serious and tough litigator, Marina has appeared before courts in Ontario, British Columbia and Saskatchewan, including on appeal, as well as arbitrations. Her versatility between the courtroom and boardroom give her an instinct for what really matters to her clients and their organizations, helping them to strategically litigate and respond deftly to emerging legal challenges.

Marina’s representative work includes:

• The Salvation Army: Lead counsel in successful judicial review application quashing the Patient Ombudsman’s investigation of long-term care homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, including upholding the decision at the Ontario Court of Appeal.
• Audible Books: Counsel successfully opposing certification of a class action alleging conspiracy and anticompetitive conduct, including upholding the decision at the British Columbia Court of Appeal.
• Canadian National Railway Company: Lead counsel in numerous matters, including multiple successful claims for injunctive relief, summary judgments and application to void the sale of land and accompanying appeal.
• Confidential client: Lead counsel successfully upholding a stay of competition claims in a class action based on an arbitration agreement at the British Columbia Court of Appeal.
• Confidential Client: Lead counsel successfully arguing a sequencing application in a competition class action in order to seek a stay of the competition claims in favour of arbitration.
• Strongco Corporation: Advising on litigation relating to Strongco’s private transaction by way of plan of arrangement. Under the terms of the arrangement agreement, Nors, S.A., through a wholly-owned subsidiary, acquired all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Strongco for an aggregate transaction value of approximately C$193 million.
• Sleeman Breweries: Lead counsel successfully defending Sleeman in C$1.4 billion class action alleging a conspiracy between the Liquor Control Board of Ontario, The Beer Store, and its shareholders: Molson, Labatt, and Sleeman. All claims were dismissed against Sleeman on a motion for summary judgment. The proposed class action was dismissed in its entirety. This case won a National Impact Case award from Benchmark Litigation in 2020.

In addition to her high-profile practice, Marina has served on the Canadian board of a major international law firm and was previously its Practice Lead for the Toronto Litigation Practice, a Development Partner, and Co-Chair of its Diversity and Inclusion Committee. She has served as an Executive Member of the Arbitration and Mediation Practice Group at The Advocates’ Society and a Member of the Board of Directors and Executive for the Canadian Working Group on HIV and Rehabilitation. She is very active with Pro Bono Ontario and currently serves as a Director on the Board of Directors for the Beaches Community Soccer League.

Marina writes extensively on important court decisions across Canada and has been quoted multiple times in mainstream Canadian media. Among other accolades, Marina has received the Lexology Client Choice Award for Litigation in Ontario in 2024.

Marina obtained her law degree from the University of New Brunswick. She was admitted to the Ontario Bar in 2003.