Douglas F. Harrison
ARBITRATOR | MEDIATOR | COUNSEL
Fellow, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators
Member of the Law Society of Ontario
Experience | Expertise | Recognition
Experience
Mr. Harrison has acted as a presiding arbitrator, co-arbitrator and sole arbitrator in ad hoc arbitrations and in arbitrations under the ICDR Canada, Stockholm Chamber of Commerce, and National Automobile Dealer Arbitration Program Rules. He brings to his arbitration and mediation practice over 30 years of experience as a litigator with Stikeman Elliott LLP in Toronto, conducting a broad commercial litigation and arbitration practice for clients from around the world. He was also Vice-Chair of the firm's national Claims & Risk Management Committee for several years and a member of the firm's national Professional & Ethics Committee.
Expertise
Mr. Harrison's legal expertise spans a wide range of corporate and commercial disputes and topics, and also includes environmental law, product liability, defamation, professional liability, insolvency, and directors and officers insurance. He handled numerous arbitral and mediation mandates as counsel, and was also involved in the enforcement of international commercial and investor-state arbitral awards.
His industry expertise includes mining, aerospace, chemicals, financial services, food processing, pharmaceuticals, consumer products, logistics, manufacturing and media.
Recognition
Who's Who Legal - Canada 2021-22 (Arbitration - Recommended).
Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory - 2021-22 (Commercial Arbitration -
Repeatedly Recommended; featured in Lexpert Special Edition: Litigation 2022).
Best Lawyers in Canada - 2021-23 (International Arbitration, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Corporate & Commercial Litigation, Product Liability Law and Class Action Litigation).
Acritas Star - independently rated lawyer, 2018, 2019 and 2020.
Mr. Harrison is internationally recognized as an expert in global product liability law and litigation by Legal Media Group’s Expert Guides, 2012, 2014 and 2016.
Accreditations | Affiliations & Rosters
Accreditations
Fellow, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators
Barrister & Solicitor, Law Society of Ontario (called in 1988)
LL.B., University of Toronto, 1985
B.A., Political Studies, Queen's University, 1982
Affiliations & Rosters
Arbitration Place
ADR Institute of Canada
Campaign for Greener Arbitrations (North American Sub-Committee)
Chartered Institute of Arbitrators
CPR Panels of Distinguished Neutrals (Global, Product Liability, Pro Bono)
ICC Canada Arbitration Committee (Executive)
ICDR Canada
Institute for Transnational Arbitration (Advisory Board)
International Arbitration Institute
International Council for Commercial Arbitration
London Court of International Arbitration
Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission
Toronto Commercial Arbitration Society (Chair)
University of Toronto, University Tribunal (Co-Chair)
Mr. Harrison is also a Vice-Chair of the International Mediation Committee of the American Bar Association's International Law Section and volunteers as an arbitrator for the Vis Moot.
Publications and Speaking Engagements
Recent Publications
State Instrumentalities - Piercing the Corporate Veil - Canada, in Enforcing Arbitral Awards Against States, IAI Series on International Arbitration No. 12, forthcoming
Removing an Arbitrator for Incapacity or Undue Delay, Canadian Journal of Commercial Arbitration, vol. 1, 2019 (excerpted in New York Dispute Resolution Lawyer, Fall 2019 and Spring 2020) https://bit.ly/3hE2TDN
The Law of Product Warnings and Recalls in Canada, 2nd ed., LexisNexis Canada, 2019, with Alex Colangelo
Mr. Harrison is a contributor on arbitration and international law to The Lawyer's Daily, an online publication of LexisNexis Canada - see his articles about the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline dispute: https://bit.ly/3gwLHS8; the development of the principles of crimes against humanity and genocide by two lawyers from Ukraine: https://bit.ly/3CyxEVi; Ukraine's case against Russia at the International Court of Justice: https://bit.ly/3ueY7EW; and the 150th anniversary of the Alabama Claims Arbitration: https://bit.ly/3Q7jW11.
Recent Speaking Engagements
Challenges to Arbitrator Appointments - Both Literal and Figurative, Toronto Commercial Arbitration Society, CanArbWeek, Montreal, October 2022
The Law Applicable to Arbitration Agreements, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators - Canada Branch, Webinar, April 2022
The Role of ADR in Successful Settlements, The Advocates' Society, The Art of Settlement, Toronto, April 2022
Creating the Foundation for a Successful Arbitration, The Advocates' Society, Arbitration Advocacy, Toronto, December 2021
The Future of Arbitration in Ontario, Toronto Commercial Arbitration Society, Virtual Annual Meeting, May 2021
Virtual Arbitrations: Experience to Date & What the Future Holds, Toronto Commercial Arbitration Society, Virtual Annual Meeting, June 2020
Thinking Big After the Singapore Convention: The Growing Promise of Cross-Border Mediation, American Bar Association, Section of International Law, Virtual Annual Meeting, May 2020