Matthew Baer

About Matthew Baer

Matthew Baer acts for people harmed by products, drugs and business practices that affect many people at once. A partner in McKenzie Lake Lawyers' Class Action department in London, Ontario, Baer works on the plaintiff side of class actions and mass torts, with a strong focus on product liability and consumer protection claims, vehicle defect cases included. Baer's own view is simple: class action legislation is what lets many of these clients get justice at all, and the goal is to level the playing field.

Called to the bar in 2003, Baer has worked on major Canadian class actions since that year, pharmaceutical and medical device cases among them. The move to McKenzie Lake came with a group the firm announced in 2014, alongside Michael Peerless and Sabrina Lombardi, whose shared reputation rested on exactly that kind of drug and device litigation. When the firm filed a class action against Pfizer Canada over Lipitor in 2015, it was Baer who explained the aim: making the company account to women in Canada for its knowledge of the drug's risks and efficacy, and for when that knowledge began.

Other lawyers hear from Baer too. The partner has spoken on class action topics at provincial bar association and law society programs, and walked Canadian Lawyer readers through the trade-offs between suing alone and joining a class. Best Lawyers in Canada has recognized Baer for Class Action Litigation since 2021.

London is home. Baer was born and raised in the city and studied at Western University twice, first earning a science degree in ecology and evolution with distinction, then a law degree. Away from the courtroom, Baer's a keen competitor who's taken part in World Championship events in more than one discipline.