David Sterns - Sotos Class Actions
PROFILE

David Sterns, Partner

Education

B.A. (Econ.), McGill University, 1987
B.C.L., LL.B, McGill University, 1991

Bar admission

Quebec, 1992
Ontario, 1994

David has been practising class actions for over 25 years. His cases have been at the forefront of the law relating to privacy, antitrust, consumer protection and human rights.

A passionate advocate for his clients, David is honoured to be one of the lead counsel in the Moushoom/AFN v. Canada Class class action which has resulted in the largest settlement in Canadian history ($23.34 billion). As part of the counsel team, he has been involved in every aspect of the case, often on a daily basis, and has acquired intimate familiarity with the complex settlement agreement and distribution process. In this regard, David is involved in the pioneering work to pilot the Jordan’s Principle distribution process which will put into effect $5 billion in compensation for the Jordan Principle/essential services class.

David is also one of the lead counsel in a series of cases against Canada and the provinces on behalf of off-reserve indigenous children (First Nations, Inuit and Métis) who were removed from their homes while living off reserve.

David is regarded as one of Canada’s leading class action lawyers and is ranked Band 1 in the prestigious Chambers Canada annual ranking. He represents plaintiffs in courts throughout Canada and is bilingual in English and French.

In addition to his active practice, David devotes time to justice issues and the advancement of the legal profession. He is a past President of the Ontario Bar Association a past Board member of the Canadian Bar Association. He is often called upon to comment on legal and justice matters in the national media and is a regular speaker on civil litigation and class actions. In his spare time, David is an aspiring hockey player and avid Toronto Maple Leafs fan.

Peer recognition
  • Ranked in Chambers Canada – Dispute Resolution: Class Action (Plaintiff) (2016 – 2024)
  • Listed in Best Lawyers in Canada – Class Action Litigation (2022 – 2024)
  • Recognized in Best Lawyers Global Business Edition – Class Action Litigation (2021 – 2022)
  • Listed as Leading Litigation Lawyer in LEXPERT Special Edition – Canada’s Leading Litigation Lawyers (2019 – 2023)
  • Listed as “Consistently Recommended” in Canadian Legal LEXPERT Directory – Class Actions (2018 – 2023)
Publications and seminars
  • Legal Education seminars of the Law Society of Ontario, the Ontario Bar Association, The Advocates’ Society and Osgoode Continuing Legal Education.
Professional associations
  • Canadian Bar Association
  • Law Society of Ontario
  • American Bar Association
  • Member of the Class Actions and Private Enforcement Sub-committee of CBA Competition Law Section
  • Member of Class Actions and Derivatives Suits Committee of the ABA
  • Past President of the OBA (2016-2017)
  • Past Member of the Toronto Regional Senior Justice Bench and Bar Committee
  • Past Member of the Board of Directors of the OBA and CBA