Lawrence E. Ritchie

Lawrence E. Ritchie

Partner, Litigation

Chair: Risk Management and Crisis Response

Key Contact: Capital Markets Regulatory Enforcement and Broker-Dealer Disputes

Key Contact: Regulatory Investigations

Key Contact: Anti-corruption and Bribery

Key Contact: Government Investigations and White-Collar Defence

Key Contact: Financial Services Regulatory

Key Contact: Digital Assets and Blockchain

Key Contact: Corporate and Securities Litigation

Key Contact: Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)

Contact Information

lritchie@osler.com

tel: 416.862.6608

Office

Toronto

Larry Ritchie chairs Osler’s cross-disciplinary Risk Management and Crisis Response national practice and is a key contact for the Securities Regulatory Enforcement and Broker-Dealer Practice.

Larry’s practice involves dispute avoidance and resolution across a range of capital markets, the financial sector and other regulated industries and activities.

His experience encompasses all aspects of enforcement and other regulatory proceedings and related litigation, including class actions. He also advises on the conduct and response to internal and regulatory investigations. 

He advises public corporations, their officers, in-house counsel and directors on avoiding, preparing for, managing and responding to extraordinary “crisis” situations, including regulatory actions and litigation. He provides proactive corporate governance and other risk-management advisory services, in addition to representing clients in addressing relevant matters with regulators and in the courts. Larry also advises clients on developments in capital markets regulation, governance and compliance, administrative law and practices, and associated matters.

Larry is recognized as one of the leading securities litigators and white collar defence practitioners in Canada. His practice includes the defence of class actions as well as capital markets enforcement and regulatory investigations and related proceedings. In addition, his practice has included advising on numerous pension and financial sector matters. Larry appeared at all levels of courts in Canada, including the Supreme Court of Canada, and numerous administrative tribunals.

Larry ‘s expertise is recognized by a number of professional ranking organizations including Chambers, Lexpert, Best Lawyers in Canada, Benchmark and Martindale-Hubbell.

He returned to Osler in 2014 after a seven-year term as Vice-Chair of the Ontario Securities Commission, which included a secondment to the Canadian Securities Transition Office as its Executive Vice-President and Senior Policy Advisor.

At the OSC, Larry was a member of the Commission, its board of directors and the executive management and adjudicative committees. He chaired adjudicative panels that heard and decided enforcement and transaction related proceedings, regulatory policy matters and appeals of decisions of OSC staff and recognized self-regulatory organizations and acted as executive sponsor for the development of a number of important securities policies and rule-making initiatives. He represented the OSC at national and international bodies and organizations and, in particular, on the Joint Forum of Canada’s Financial Regulators, the North American Securities Administrators Association and at the International Organization of Securities Commissions.

From 2009 to his return to the firm, Larry helped establish the Canadian Securities Transition Office, the federal statutory organization charged with leading the transition to a single national securities regulator. As one of its executives, he advised the federal Minister of Finance on, and assisted the Department of Finance with all aspects of that initiative including the proposed capital markets legislation and regulations and the development and operationalization of a national capital markets regulatory authority, including its governance and tribunal.

In 2015, Larry was appointed by the Government of Ontario to serve on a 3 person expert panel to assess and make recommendations on the mandates, governance and effectiveness of Ontario's major financial regulators. In 2016, the Panel made recommendations including to establish a new regulatory agency and framework, which recommendations have been accepted and currently being acted upon by the Government of Ontario. In 2018, Larry was appointed to the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) Board of Directors. In 2021, Larry was appointed as a member of a special advisory group to the RCMP’s Integrated Market Enforcement Team.

  • Chambers Canada: Canada’s Leading Lawyers for Business: Recognized in Litigation: Securities (Band 1) (Ontario); White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations (Nationwide)
  • The Lexpert/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada: Recognized in Litigation - Securities
  • The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory: Recognized in Litigation - Directors' & Officers' Liability; Litigation - Securities; Toronto securities litigation lawyers
  • Best Lawyers in Canada: Recognized in Corporate and Commercial Litigation; Securities Law
  • Benchmark Litigation Canada: Recognized in Dispute Resolution; Securities; White Collar Crime (Litigation Star)
  • The National Law Journal: Recognized in Trailblazers & Pioneers: Governance, Risk & Compliance

  • RCMP IMET Special Advisory Group Board Member

Larry has authored published papers and case comments, and has spoken extensively on topics within his areas of expertise. He is an adjunct law professor at Osgoode Hall Law School, and has taught courses and seminars including, “Trial Advocacy”, “Avoiding and Resolving Securities and Corporate Disputes” and “Comparative American Securities Law”, and is a faculty member of the Rotman School of Business / Institute of Corporate Directors’ “Directors’ Education Program.

Publications

Recent Speaking Engagements

  • Speaker, “The Changing Face of Pension Regulation”, Canadian Pension & Benefits Institute, Apr 11, 2017
  • Speaker, “Canadian Capital Markets – A New Regulator and New Prospectus Exemptions”, 2016 PDAC Convention – Capital Markets Program, Mar 8, 2016
  • Speaker, “FSCO Mandate Review – Where are we Now?”, Ontario Bar Association, 14th Annual Pension and Benefits Hot Spots, Mar 8, 2016
  • Speaker, “Market Conduct Regulation – The Forgotten Second Cousin Discussion”, Northwind 2015 Annual Life Insurance Invitational Forum, Dec 2, 2015
  • Speaker, “Co-Operative Capital Markets Regulator”, IIROC – CLS Compliance Conference 2015, Dec 1, 2015
  • Speaker, “Implementing the Cooperative Capital Markets Regulatory Regime”, 9th Annual Northwind Capital Markets Roundtable, Facing Threats and Seizing Opportunities, Nov 10, 2015
  • Speaker / Commentator, “Educating for Integrity”, Canadian Business Ethics Research Network, York University, Nov 5, 2015
  • Speaker, “Update on the Cooperative Capital Markets Regulatory System”, The Intensive Course in Canadian Securities Law & Practice”, Osgoode Hall Law School, Oct 21, 2015
  • Speaker, “Risk Management: Prepare for and Minimize Class Action Risk”, Osler Class Action Symposium, Oct 1, 2015
  • Speaker, “Privatizing the “Public Interest”: Outsourcing Regulatory Enforcement”, 2015 Northwind Class Actions Invitational Forum, Developing Issues in Class Action Litigation, June 11, 2015
  • Speaker, “Investigating Financial Fraud and Dealing with Special Committees”, OSC Enforcement Conference: Kempenfelt, June 8, 2015
  • Speaker, “Canadian Cooperative Capital Markets Regulator,” Canada-U.S. Securities Summit 2015, May 13, 2015
  • Speaker, “Ethics and Regulatory Compliance: Building a Proactive Risk Management Program”, American Lawyer Magazine Webinar, Mar 31, 2015
  • Speaker, “Fundamentals of U.S. Securities Law: What Canadian Lawyers Need to Know”, Osgoode Professional Development, Mar 26, 2015
  • Speaker, “The View from the Adjudicators / Decision Makers” – Special Litigation Program”, Administrative Tribunal Advocacy, Mar 24, 2015
  • Speaker, “The Future of the Public Interest in Securities Adjudication”, Osgoode Professional Development, Feb 4, 2015
  • Speaker, “Regulatory Compliance – Building a Proactive Risk Management Program”, the 2014 NLJ Regulatory Summit, Dec 2, 2014
  • Key-note Speaker, “National Capital Markets Policy Making in Canada”, Association of Corporate Counsel, 1st Annual Securities Law Symposium, Oct 1, 2014
  • Speaker, “Managing Legal Risk: Recent Canadian Employment Law Developments May Impact Your Business”, Osler Webinar, June 2014