About Brittany Cerqua

Brittany Cerqua is a Toronto litigator and a senior associate in Gowling WLG's Advocacy Department. Brittany handles complex disputes, from civil and commercial cases and fights between shareholders to class actions and professional liability claims. The practice also takes in investigations and risk mandates, where clients have included a senior executive and large institutions. Brittany works to understand every side of a matter.

Brittany finished a JD at the University of Ottawa in 2019 and was called to the Ontario bar a year later. Earlier practice was at McCarthy Tétrault, where Brittany was a summer student in 2018 and went on to be an associate in the Toronto litigation group, with a focus on corporate commercial, securities and banking litigation as well as professional liability. That period included a seat on the counsel team for Airbus S.A.S. at the Supreme Court of Canada in 2022 and articles on shareholder activism and securities litigation.

Originally from Toronto, Brittany studied criminology at Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University) and then earned a master's in socio-legal studies at York University before law school. In Ottawa, Brittany was a teaching assistant in contract law and a research assistant to the late Professor Ian Kerr, whose work looked at new questions where law meets technology.

Practice areas

Civil Litigation & Dispute Resolution Class Actions

Class actions

Brittany has acted for a multinational aerospace company in a class action over a plane crash, where the claims allege negligent design and manufacturing. On the securities side, Brittany acted for a syndicate of senior underwriters and, separately, a mining company in proposed securities class actions over alleged misleading financial and operational disclosure.

Commercial and shareholder disputes

Brittany has represented a privately held corporation in a hard-fought shareholder dispute. Another file had Brittany defending a technology conglomerate against an application by the Privacy Commissioner of Canada over its compliance with PIPEDA.

Investigations and regulatory matters

When securities regulators investigated a cryptocurrency token issuer's digital asset offerings in Canada, the US and other countries, Brittany acted for one of its senior executives. For large institutions, the work has included a confidential internal investigation of regulatory matters and preparation for a parliamentary hearing on the ArriveCan app. Brittany has also helped a national group of regulators prepare communications to the federal government on rolling out a new benefit.

Our guide: Litigation and Dispute Resolution in Toronto

Education & credentials

  • JD, University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law (2019)
  • Called to the Ontario bar (2020)
  • Master of Arts, Socio-Legal Studies, York University (2016)
  • Bachelor of Arts, Criminology, Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) (2014)

Notable cases

  • Canada (Transportation Safety Board) v. Carroll-Byrne, 2022 SCC 48

    Brittany Cerqua was one of the McCarthy Tétrault counsel for Airbus S.A.S., which had sought production of the cockpit voice recorder audio and transcripts after an Air Canada flight from Toronto landed short of the Halifax runway in a snowstorm. The Court dismissed the Transportation Safety Board's appeal, with Côté and Brown JJ. dissenting.

Decisions where Brittany Cerqua appeared as counsel, from public court records. Past cases don't predict future results.

Publications & speaking

  • ESG Shareholder Activism: Here to Stay?, McCarthy Tétrault insights (2023)
  • Is Cyber-Related Securities Litigation Coming to Canada?, McCarthy Tétrault insights (2023)
  • An inconvenient truth about climate-related shareholder activism, McCarthy Tétrault insights (2022)

Memberships & affiliations

  • Canadian Bar Association: Brittany Cerqua is a member of the Canadian Bar Association.
  • Ontario Bar Association: Brittany Cerqua is a member of the Ontario Bar Association.
  • The Advocates' Society: Brittany Cerqua is a member of The Advocates' Society.
  • Women in White Collar Defence Association: Brittany Cerqua is a member of the Women in White Collar Defence Association.

In the community

  • Brittany co-founded the Ottawa Law chapter of the First Generation Network, a non-profit for students who are first in their family to attend post-secondary school.
  • Brittany was the First Generation Network's National Head of Strategy for 2018 to 2019 and later served as Chief Strategy Officer of its non-profit organization.

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This listing was generated by AI from public sources in October 2026. It may contain errors, and we can’t guarantee it’s accurate or complete. Before you rely on anything here, verify it on their firm’s website. Confirm Brittany Cerqua’s licence and standing in the Law Society of Ontario directory ↗

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