James Plotkin, LL.L., J.D., LL.M., Q.Arb, is a bilingual litigation and disputes partner with Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP. Trained in both common law and civil law, James’s practice focuses on international and domestic commercial arbitration, commercial litigation, intellectual property and administrative law. He has acted for a broad range of clients, from individuals to multinational corporations, municipalities and a sovereign state. James compliments his counsel practice with advisory work as independent legal counsel to two administrative tribunals.
As counsel, James has argued before the Supreme Court of Canada, the Federal Court of Appeal, the Federal Court, all levels of court in Ontario and various administrative tribunals. He also regularly acts in international and domestic arbitrations in both institutional and ad hoc settings.
As a neutral, James has been appointed to adjudicate both commercial and domain name disputes. In addition to the NextGen Roster, James is on the Vancouver International Arbitration Centre (VanIAC) expedited commercial arbitration roster. He is also a domain name dispute resolution panelist on the Canadian International Internet Dispute Resolution Centre (CIIDRC) and Resolution Canada rosters.
James has published extensively on arbitration and intellectual property-related topics. Along with various peer-reviewed publications, James co-authors commentaries on Ontario’s arbitration legislation and B.C.’s international arbitration legislation. He also authored a chapter in an international handbook on third party funding in international arbitration (second edition forthcoming). He is a frequent speaker on arbitration, intellectual property and domain name matters.
James has been ranked among the Best Lawyers in Canada “Ones to Watch”® for international arbitration and intellectual property law. Chambers Canada Legal Guide® recognized James as an “Associate to Watch” in arbitration. He has won several legal writing prizes, including the VanIAC “Excellence in Arbitration – Award for Outstanding Book and Article”, and the Donald F. Sim Memorial Prize (awarded on recommendation of the Chief Justices of the Federal Court of Appeal and Federal Court).
In his spare time, James coaches the University of Ottawa’s Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot Team. He sits on the Board of Directors of the Young Canadian Arbitration Practitioners (YCAP), and is active in the Canadian arbitration community.
