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Mark Skwarok has more than 40 years of experience as a commercial litigator with a focus on securities litigation. He has an in-depth understanding of the senior securities regulator’s perspective gathered from the five years he spent as Chief Counsel of the British Columbia Securities Commission.

In private practice he has acted for the TSX Venture Exchange, the TSX, the Investment Dealers Association of Canada (the predecessor of IIROC), the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission and the British Columbia Securities Commission. This experience has given him a unique skill set which enhances his ability to capably act for persons whose conduct is the subject of review by those bodies.

However, his practice extends beyond securities litigation. He also acts before a variety of administrative tribunals on commercial and other matters, and he has also been counsel for affected parties in several Commissions of Inquiry. Mark has frequently appeared in every level of court in British Columbia, as well as the Alberta Court of Appeal. He has also acted as counsel in several appeals to the Supreme Court of Canada.

Mark has been listed in Best Lawyers in Canada 2006 – 2023 as a leading lawyer in Corporate & Commercial Litigation and Securities Law; Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, a directory of leading practitioners and law firms in Canada, from 2005 – 2016 as a leader in Securities Litigation; and is ranked Distinguished from Martindale-Hubbell.

Expertise

Industries

Practices

Representative Matters

Mark has a wealth of experience in the prosecution and defence of numerous complex hearings before all levels of the court.  Some examples include:

  • Appeared before the British Columbia Securities Commission on behalf of Eron Mortgage Corporation and Pacific International Securities Inc.
  • Acted as counsel in many appeals before the B.C. Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada
  • Acted on several of the leading court cases dealing with the jurisdiction and powers of the Securities Commission, the application of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in the context of securities investigations and hearings, and procedural fairness issues such as the standards of pre-hearing disclosure
  • Acted for the B.C. Government in litigation in the B.C. Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal in a trust law case securing funds for Westar employees following the company’s bankruptcy

Teaching Engagements

Mark has taught various training programs for enforcement investigators and lawyers, such as:

  • Instructor, Securities Investigator Training course, Barrie, Ontario – training of RCMP and FBI officials, and national securities commission investigators on securities fraud and stock market manipulation
  • Instructor, Securities Compliance and Supervision Training Program provided by the Justice Institute of B.C.
  • Guest lecturer, the University of British Columbia both in securities law and legal ethics courses
  • Presenter at various other courses and seminars on securities regulation

News

Rankings & Recognition

  • Recognized by Best Lawyers in Canada (2024) as a leading lawyer in the area of Corporate and Commercial Litigation and Securities Law
  • Recognized by Best Lawyers in Canada (2023) as a leading lawyer in the areas of Corporate and Commercial Litigation and Securities Law
  • Recognized by Best Lawyers in Canada (2022) as a leading lawyer in the areas of Corporate and Commercial Litigation and Securities Law
  • Recognized by the Best Lawyers in Canada (2021) as a leading lawyer in the areas of Corporate and Commercial Litigation and Securities Law
  • Listed in Best Lawyers in Canada 2006 – 2020 as a leading lawyer in Corporate & Commercial Litigation and Securities Law.
  • Listed in Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, a directory of leading practitioners and law firms in Canada, from 2005 – 2016 as a leader in Securities Litigation
  • Received a “BV” Peer Review Ranking from Martindale-Hubbell

Directorships & Affiliations

  • Vancouver Bar Association
  • Litigators advisory committee to the British Columbia Securities Commission
  • Formerly, Civil Remedies Committee of the British Columbia Securities Commission
  • Formerly, Justice Institute Advisory Committee on Investor Education
  • Past member of the BC Law Society Practice Standards Committee, served for 10 years

Education & Admissions

1981
Called to the British Columbia bar
1982
Master of Laws University of Michigan
1980
LLB University of British Columbia
1975
BA University of British Columbia

Deals & Cases (1 Posts)

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