Celeste Poltak

Partner

Celeste Poltak is a partner in the Koskie Minsky Commercial Litigation Group, with a primary focus on class proceedings. Celeste joined the firm in 2003 after practicing as an associate in the Toronto office of an international law firm. She regularly appears before a variety of courts throughout the province, including the Court of Appeal, and has prepared a number of applications for leave to the Supreme Court of Canada. She has developed a particular expertise in class proceedings, having worked on some of the most notable Canadian cases, and is well-published in the area. 

Celeste's practice has focussed extensively on class proceedings litigation, including the cases of Pearson v. Inco and Cloud v. Canada. Most recently, her practice involved negotiations with the Federal Government which sought to resolve the Indian Residential Schools litigation. She worked on the implementation and court approval of the Indian Residential Schools Agreement in Principle and attended the settlement approval hearings in each province.

Celeste holds a Masters of Law degree from the London School of Economics, obtained her Bachelor of Laws from the University of Calgary and Bachelor of Arts (Political Science) from Queen's University. She has acted as a volunteer judge for the Niagara International Law Moot, the Jessup International Law Moot Court competition, and has guest lectured at the University of Waterloo with respect to international conflict resolution and international criminal law. She is a member of the Koskie Minsky Student Committee, authors the firm's Commercial Counsel Newsletter and is on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Lawyers Association for International Human Rights.

Celeste has been published in the University of Toronto Faculty of Law Review, the Canadian Class Actions Review, the Lawyers Weekly, and has prepared papers for conferences such as the Osgoode Hall National Symposium on Class Actions and the Canadian Corporate Counsel Association. She also lectures on class proceedings at Osgoode Hall Law School.

Experience

• Class Counsel in National Indian Residential Schools Settlement with attendance at settlement approval motions in nine jurisdictions across Canada
• Class counsel in environmental contamination class action for property devaluation in Port Colborne, Ontario, certified by the Court of Appeal for Ontario, leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada denied

Memberships/Affiliations

• Member, Koskie Minsky Student Committee
• Board Member, Canadian Lawyers for International Human Rights
• Member, Canadian Bar Association
• Member, Ontario Bar Association
• Member, International Bar Association
• Member, The Advocates' Society