Karine Bédard - Sotos Class Actions
PROFILE

Karine Bédard, Associate

Education

McGill University, B.C.L./LL.B. 2019

Bar admission

Ontario, 2020

Karine is no stranger to complex litigation. They have been counsel on a wide range of class actions and multi-plaintiff actions involving the Charter, Crown liability, institutional abuse, and fiduciary duties before all levels of court in Ontario and before the Superior Court in Quebec.

Before joining Sotos, Karine practiced at leading plaintiff-side class action firms in Toronto.

Karine articled at the Superior Court of Justice in Toronto as the bilingual judicial law clerk, where they worked on civil, criminal, and commercial list matters as well as class proceedings. Karine is bilingual and serves clients in English and French.

Karine holds a common law and civil law degree from McGill University. They were awarded the Justice Harry Batshaw prize for having the highest standing in the Foundations of Canadian Law course.

During law school, Karine competed in the Wilson Moot and placed first in the Start Proud Moot competition. They completed a student clerkship at the Superior Court in Montreal. Karine also worked as a research assistant for Professor Stephen Smith on the topic of common law remedies. Karine served as the Executive English Editor of the McGill Law Journal.

Karine gave back to the community during law school. They worked for the Mile End Legal Clinic and volunteered for organizations such as the Legal Information Clinic at McGill and Pro Bono Students Canada.

Karine remains actively involved in the legal community. They have been serving as an Ontario Bar Association class action section executive and its newsletter editor since 2023. Karine has also been published regarding some of the latest class action developments in the Ontario Bar Association class action section newsletter, Law 360, and Mondaq.

Current cases
    Publications and seminars
    • Case Summary: Reilly v Alberta, 2022 ABKB 612, 2023, Ontario Bar Association Class Action Section Newsletter
    • Certified Class Action Dismissed for Delay: Barbiero v. Pollack, 2024 ONSC 1548, 2024, Ontario Bar Association Class Action Section Newsletter
    • Adverse costs awards: Class counsel’s duty to indemnify proposed representative plaintiffs, 2024, Law360
    • Balancing the Costs of Justice: Exposure to Adverse Costs After an Unsuccessful Certification Motion, 2024, Mondaq
    Professional associations
    • Canadian Bar Association
    • Law Society of Ontario
    • Toronto Law Association
    • The Advocates Society
    • Ontario Bar Association, Class Action Law Section – Executive and Newsletter Editor (2023 – Present)
    • Co-Chair, 16th Annual Class Actions Colloquium, Ontario Bar Association, 2024
    • Moderator, “Views from the Bench” panel, 16th Annual Class Actions Colloquium, Ontario Bar Association, 2024
    • Speaker, “Inter-Generational Mentorship” panel, 2nd Annual Women of Class Summit, 2025
    • Co-Chair, “Privacy Class Actions: Trends, Risks, & Mitigation”, 2025
    • Moderator, “Privacy Class Actions: Trends, Risks, & Mitigation”, 2025