Arbitration Place Roster

Meet Our Arbitrators and Mediators


Statement about Our Arbitrators and Mediators Independence, Affiliations, etc.

All A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

The Honourable Geoffrey B. Morawetz

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Areas of Practices

Commercial

Insolvency & Restructuring

Business & Governance

Mr. Morawetz obtained a B.A. from the University of Toronto and an LL.B. from Western University in London, Ontario. He received his Call to the Bar of Ontario in 1980.

Mr. Morawetz was a partner at Borden & Elliot in Toronto (now Borden Ladner Gervais) and subsequently was a partner at Goodmans LLP until receiving his judicial appointment to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in 2005.

During his time at the Bar, Mr. Morawetz practised primarily in the area of commercial insolvency and restructuring. For many years, he was listed as a leading expert in the insolvency field by Lexpert’s Leading Lawyers in Canada, as well as by international publications, including Chambers Global.

In his judicial career, Mr. Morawetz presided over matters on the Commercial List and Divisional Court. He served as Team Lead of the Commercial List (Toronto) from 2010 until his appointment as Regional Senior Judge (Toronto Region) in December 2013. He was then appointed Chief Justice of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice on July 1, 2019, a position that he held until his retirement from the Court in May 2026. During his tenure as Chief Justice, he was a member of the Canadian Judicial Council and served as a member of the Action Committee on Modernizing Court Operations, co-chaired by the Chief Justice of Canada and the Federal Minister of Justice.

Mr. Morawetz is a Fellow of the Insolvency Institute of Canada and the American College of Bankruptcy. He is also a founding member of the International Insolvency Institute and is a member of INSOL International (INSOL). In addition, at the time of his retirement from the Court, he served as Chair of the Judicial Insolvency Network (JIN), a network of insolvency judges from across the world dedicated to providing judicial thought leadership in cross-border insolvency and restructuring. Further, since 2008, he has been an advisor to the Canadian delegation at the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) – Working Group V – International Insolvency.

Mr. Morawetz has also been involved in providing continuing legal education for both judges and lawyers. He has participated in INSOL’s Judicial Colloquia since 2008 and was Co-chair of the Colloquium in 2024. He has also made presentations to the National Judicial Institute (Canada), the Annual Review of Insolvency Law (Canada), the Canadian Association of Insolvency and Restructuring Professionals, the Law Society of Ontario, the Ontario Bar Association, and the Advocates’ Society. He has also made presentations on the Canadian insolvency system to students and universities in both Canada and the United States and has provided judicial training to judges in Zambia, Mauritius, and Cambodia through a program offered by UNCITRAL, INSOL, and The World Bank.

In June 2026, Mr. Morawetz received an honorary Doctor of Laws from the Law Society of Ontario.

About The Honourable Geoffrey B. Morawetz

The Hon. Geoffrey B. Morawetz is a highly respected legal professional with extensive experience in commercial law, insolvency, restructuring, dispute resolution, and court administration. As the former Chief Justice of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, he brings decades of legal insight, judicial leadership, and practical decision-making experience to parties navigating complex legal, business, and institutional challenges.

Throughout his career, Mr. Morawetz has been recognized for his balanced judgment, strategic thinking, and deep understanding of commercial and insolvency matters. His background includes leadership within Canada’s largest trial court, significant involvement in court modernization, and a long-standing commitment to improving the ...more