The Honourable Geoffrey B. Morawetz

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

Mediation and Arbitration Services

Mediation

Today, Mr. Morawetz provides mediation services for complex commercial, insolvency, restructuring, governance, and business disputes. Drawing on decades of legal and judicial experience, he helps parties identify the key issues, assess practical options, and work toward a fair and efficient resolution.

His mediation approach is balanced, discreet, and solution-focused, creating a structured environment where parties can engage constructively and move difficult matters forward.

Arbitration

Mr. Morawetz also provides arbitration services to parties seeking a private, efficient, and authoritative process to resolve disputes. With deep experience in complex commercial and insolvency matters, he is well-positioned to hear evidence, assess legal and factual issues, and provide reasoned decisions in high-stakes matters

His arbitration work is suited to disputes requiring independence, sound judgment, procedural fairness, and a strong understanding of commercial realities.

Expertise

Prior to his appointment to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in 2005, Mr. Morawetz was consistently recognized as a top-tier practitioner of restructuring and insolvency law, in both Canadian and international publications. He is a Fellow of The Insolvency Institute of Canada, a Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy, a member of INSOL International, and a founding member of The International Insolvency Institute.

In 2011, 2014 and 2025, he was named in Canadian Lawyer magazine as one of the “Top 25 Most Influential in the Justice System and Legal Profession in Canada”. In 2012, he received the Distinguished Service Award for Lifetime Achievement by the Emory Bankruptcy Developments Journal (Emory University School of Law, Atlanta, Georgia), and in 2016 he received the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Canadian Bar Association National Insolvency Section. In 2026, he was the recipient of the Outstanding Contribution Award from both Insolvency Insider and The International Insolvency Institute and in June 2026, he received an Honorary LLD from The Law Society of Ontario.

Mr. Morawetz was the Canadian supervising judge of the Nortel Networks international insolvency case during the period 2009 - 2014. He was also the presiding judge over several cross-border and domestic insolvency cases including Sino-Forest, Lightsquared, Urbancorp, Payless Shoes, YRC Freight, Paladin Labs, Hornblower Cruises, Bridging Finance,, and Cash Store..

In 2025, Mr. Morawetz presided over the precedent setting Cdn. $32.5 billion settlement of class action and related litigation against three major tobacco producers arising from damage claims and health care costs resulting from the use of tobacco.

In the area of international insolvency, Mr. Morawetz has been an advisor to the Canadian Delegation at the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) – Working Group V - Insolvency Law since 2008.

Until his retirement from the Court in May 2026, Mr. Morawetz served as the Chair of the Judicial Insolvency Network (“JIN”). Originating in Singapore, JIN is a network of insolvency judges from across the world. It serves as a platform for sustained and continuous engagement for the furtherance of judicial thought leadership, best practices, and communication and cooperation.

Areas of Focus

Mediation and arbitration services may include matters involving:

Commercial disputes
Insolvency and restructuring matters
Business and shareholder disputes
Governance and institutional issues
Contract disputes
Creditor-debtor matters
Complex multi-party disputes
Professional or organizational conflict

Contact

Please contact me for mediation, arbitration, dispute resolution, or confidential advisory inquiries.

My services are provided through Morawetz Chambers Inc. and I can be contacted at Morawetz@MorawetsChambers.ca or through Arbitration Place at Insert Please copy my Executive Administrator, Karen Daly with any inquiries. Karen@MorawetzChambers.ca