Hennick Centre Past Co-Director, Poonam Puri voted one of Canada's Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers 2017
The Top 25 Most Influential 2017 – Corporate Commercial
Tim Wilbur and Mallory Hendry / Canadian Lawyer Magazine / Published August 8, 2017
This year, Poonam Puri founded the Investor Protection Clinic with FAIR Canada. The clinic is the first of its kind in Canada and set to launch this fall. With support from the Law Foundation of Ontario and several Bay Street firms, the clinic will provide pro bono advice to Canadians who have lost their retirement savings due to a scam but cannot afford to hire a lawyer. It will also serve as a “living lab” allowing for data collection and research on the plight of retail investors in Canada. Puri is also currently conducting research on parent company liability for the actions of their foreign subsidiaries, made possible by a Trudeau Foundation fellowship she was awarded last year. Puri, with Osgoode J.D. research assistants, has compiled the first ever independent academic study of statutory secondary market civil liability class actions in Canada and provides recommendations for reform. Puri expects to launch the database, modelled after the Stanford Securities Class Actions Database, in the fall. She also recently released a book she co-authored, Back from the Brink: Lessons from the Canadian Asset-Backed Commercial Paper Crisis.
Poonam Puri, a previous honouree, received the most votes in the Corporate-Commercial category. Her work on investor protection and many other areas of business law garnered wide respect among academics and Bay Street alike. Puri bridges many divides, including those between the profession and the academy as well as that between investors and those who advise them.
What voters had to say:
“She is a pioneer in advocating women’s participation in the legal world.”
“Great work on investor protection and much needed — lots of work needs to be done here. Too many investors fall victim to unscrupulous advisors.”
“Professor Puri is an incredible mentor. She really goes all the way to make sure you learn and provides a great practical lawyering perspective.”
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SOURCE:
Canadian Lawyer Magazine Cover Story