Gordon McKee (he, him, his) Partner | Toronto

• Lead defence counsel in opposition to class certification motions in proposed class actions involving an acne medicine, a consumer powder product and a medicine for interstitial cystitis

• Lead defence counsel in resolution of proposed class actions related to emission systems on diesel engines, pelvic mesh implants, metal-on-metal hip implants and a medicine for diabetes

• Co-counsel for a leading manufacturer of appliances (front-loading washing machines) in the successful opposition of a multi-province consumer class action before all levels of the Ontario courts, and on a leave application to the Supreme Court of Canada

• Lead trial counsel in the first medical products class action/common issues trial tried to verdict in Canada (146 trial days), successfully defending one of the world's leading manufacturers of life-saving cardiac devices in a national class action claiming more than a billion dollars in damages (awarded 2013 Canadian Product Liability Impact Case of the Year by LMG Life Sciences)

• Lead trial counsel successfully defending one of the world's leading manufacturers of fire protection systems in some 20 claims and cross-claims resulting from a large factory fire, including a product liability/environmental class action claiming C$80-million in damages

• Lead counsel representing multinational pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers in class actions involving a wide variety of medicines and devices

• Lead counsel representing consumer goods manufacturers in national negligence, warranty and consumer protection class actions

Gord is recognized as a leading Canadian lawyer in many Canadian and international publications including:

• The Best Lawyers in Canada 2025 (Class Action Litigation, Product Liability Law)

• Best Lawyers: "Lawyer of the Year 2025" (Product Liability Law, Toronto)

• Chambers Canada Legal Guide 2025 (Band 1 rankings in both Dispute Resolution: Class Action (Defence) and Litigation: Product Liability) (Gord is described in the guide as maintaining "a stellar reputation for his handling of class actions nationally, with notable experience acting for clients in the pharmaceutical and manufacturing industries. He is particularly well regarded for his role in high-stakes product liability class proceedings." One class-action respondent noted: "Gordon is a seasoned lawyer with a solid grasp on both the law and the strategy that makes sense in a given situation." Another respondent noted: "Gordon is the guru of strategic thinking in product liability litigation."

• Benchmark Canada: The Definitive Guide to Canada's Leading Litigation Firms and Attorneys 2025 (Litigation Star – Class Action; Product Liability & Recall)

• Lexpert's Leading 500 Cross-Border Lawyers: A Guide to Doing Business in Canada 2025 (Class Actions)

• The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory 2025 ("Most Frequently Recommended" in both Class Actions and Litigation – Product Liability; "Repeatedly Recommended" in Life Sciences & Health)

• Lexpert Special Edition: Technology and Health Sciences 2024

• The Legal 500 Canada 2024 (Dispute Resolution – Ontario)

• Lexology Index: Thought Leaders 2024 (Global Elite: Product Liability Defence, Life Sciences – Product Liability)

• Lexology Index: Commercial Litigation 2024 (Recommended)

• Lexology Index: Life Sciences 2024 (Product Liability: Global Elite Thought Leader) (One of five Canadian lawyers listed as "Global Elite Thought Leaders")

• Lexology Index: Product Liability Defence 2024 (One of nine Canadian lawyers listed as "Global Elite Thought Leaders")

• Lexology Index: Canada 2023 (Product Liability Defence, Life Sciences, Commercial Litigation)

• Benchmark Canada Awards 2023 (Product Liability Litigator of the Year for the seventh time)

• Thomson Reuters Stand-out Lawyers 2021 – Independently Rated Lawyers (As nominated by senior in-house counsel)

• LMG Life Sciences Awards 2019 (Canadian Product Liability Attorney of the Year for the third time)

• Best Lawyers: "Lawyer of the Year" – 2018 and 2016 (Class Action Litigation, Toronto)

• Best Lawyers: "Lawyer of the Year" 2015 (Product Liability Law, Toronto)

Gord is often invited to speak at local, national and international programs on class actions, product liability, advocacy and other litigation issues. He is a member of the Product Liability Advisory Council (PLAC) and the International Association of Defense Counsel (board member from 2015–2018 and chair of the Drug, Device and Biotech Committee from 2010–2012).  He is also a member of the Defense Research Institute (Drug and Medical Device Steering Committee), The Advocates' Society, Canadian Defence Lawyers and Christian Legal Fellowship.

In addition, Gord has been involved in bench and bar committees, and organizations interested in improving the civil justice system. He is a member of the board of the American College of Trial Lawyers Canadian Foundation and a member of the Ontario Bar Association's Civil Justice Reform Taskforce. He has also been a member of the Canadian Bar Association's National Class Action Task Force, where he helped to develop judicial protocols to manage overlapping, multijurisdictional class actions in Canada. As well, as a member of the board of the IADC Foundation, Gord chaired the IADC Canadian Class Action Project Task Force.

• Co-author : “Status Quo Is Not an Option”: Phase 2 Consultation Paper Published for Ontario Civil Rules Review
  Blakes Bulletin on Litigation & Dispute Resolution, May 7, 2025.
• Co-author : Canadian Court Strikes Plaintiffs’ Expert Evidence, Denies Certification of Pharmaceutical Class Action
  Blakes Bulletin on Class Actions, June 12, 2023.

• Presenter : Hot Topics
  DRI Drug and Medical Device Seminar, Nashville, Tennessee, May 9, 2025.
• Guest Instructor : Intensive Trial Advocacy Workshop
  Osgoode Professional Development, Toronto, Ontario, July 2024.
• Moderator and Speaker : Win One or Lose Them All?
  IADC Annual Meeting, Vancouver, British Columbia, July 7, 2024.
• Instructor : ACTL Diversity Trial Advocacy Program
  American College of Trial Lawyers, Toronto, Ontario, May 10-11, 2024.
• Debater : The Great Debate: What Case Should Have Been Certified, But Wasn’t
  20th National Symposium on Class Actions, Osgoode Professional Development, Toronto, Ontario, April 25, 2024.
• Instructor : IADC Trial Academy
  Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, August 2023.
• Presenter : Objection! The Game, The Strategy, The Win, The Cost – Plan, Don’t Guess Your Way to Victory
  IADC Annual Meeting, Waimea, Hawaii, July 13, 2023.

Admitted to the British Columbia Bar – 2021
Certified by the Law Society of Ontario as a Specialist in Civil Litigation – 1998
LLM, Osgoode Hall Law School (Civil Litigation & Dispute Resolution) – 1998
Admitted to the Ontario Bar – 1988
LLB, Osgoode Hall Law School – 1986
Wilfrid Laurier University – 1981–1983