
Overview
Francy Kussner is a partner in the Dispute Resolution Group at Goodmans and serves as Alternate Section Head for the group. Her practice covers a wide range of areas, including real estate litigation, estate litigation, banking and insolvency litigation, anti-money laundering, financial services regulatory matters, contractual disputes, directors’ and officers’ liability insurance matters, representation and warranty insurance matters, business interruption insurance matters, professional negligence litigation, shareholder and partnership disputes and numerous other commercial matters.
Francy appears before the Superior Court of Justice, including the specialized Commerical List, and the Ontario Court of Appeal, and has appeared before the Supreme Court of Canada. Francy has experience in Alternative Dispute Resolution, including mediations and arbitrations.
Francy is involved with work allocation, as well as lawyer engagement, morale and development within the Litigation Group. She is also involved with the internal and external Continuing Professional Development initiatives for the group. Francy is active in the firm’s articling student and litigation associate development programs and co-chairs the Student Review Committee.
Francy is recognized in The Legal 500 Canada for Dispute Resolution: Ontario and by Best Lawyers in Canada for Corporate Commercial Litigation.
Expertise
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Aging and Health Care
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Arbitration - Domestic and International
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Corporate and Commercial Litigation
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Dispute Resolution
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Estates and Trusts Litigation
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Insolvency Litigation
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Professional Liability
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Real Estate Litigation
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Competition Law Litigation
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Financial Services Regulatory
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Regulatory, Administrative and Public Law
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Securities Litigation
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Tax Litigation
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White Collar Defence and Investigations
Featured Work
Francy’s representative work includes acting as:
- legal advisor for numerous real estate investment trusts and special purpose acquisition companies, in connection with directors’ and officers’ liability insurance and public offering of securities insurance
- counsel for a major multinational mining corporation and others in obtaining the summary dismissal of an action seeking damages in excess of $1 billion
- co-counsel on certain litigation claims for the court-appointed monitor of Target Canada Co., in connection with Target’s CCAA proceedings
- lead litigation counsel for a real estate developer in connection with a lease dispute with a U.S.-based corporation, which resulted in a favourable settlement
- counsel in various commercial cases involving disputes among family members, achieving successful resolutions through mediation or arbitration
Awards & Recognition
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Best Lawyers in Canada Recognized, Corporate and Commercial Litigation 2024
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The Legal 500 Canada Recommended, Dispute Resolution: Ontario 2023
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Best Lawyers in Canada Recognized, Corporate and Commercial Litigation 2023
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The Legal 500 Canada Recommended, Dispute Resolution: Ontario 2022
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Best Lawyers in Canada Recognized, Corporate and Commercial Litigation 2022
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The Legal 500 Canada Recommended, Dispute Resolution: Ontario 2021
Credentials
Professional Involvement
Francy led pro bono efforts at Goodmans to address key legal issues connected with the Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking’s launch of Canada’s first-ever hotline designed to support victims and survivors of human trafficking and to educate the public about the issue.
Francy acted as pro bono co-counsel to various intervenors in an appeal before the Supreme Court of Canada in respect of the judicial review of a high profile deportation matter.
Francy has published articles in the Abstract Page and the Commercial Litigation Journal. She has spoken at various symposiums, including the Institute for Professional Development Inc.’s symposium on Major Business Agreements – Practical Negotiating and Drafting Strategies, and has co-chaired a conference for the Ontario Bar Association on Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Mortgages (and were afraid to ask). For over a decade, Francy chaired the bi-annual conference for the Law Society of Ontario on Safeguarding Real Estate Transactions. She has also spoken on Ethical and Professional Considerations for Counsel at the Osgoode Short Course in Debtor-Creditor Litigation.
Credentials
- Osgoode Hall Law School, LL.B., 1987
- York University, B.A., 1984
Professional Affiliations
- Law Society of Ontario
- Canadian Bar Association
- Ontario Bar Association
- The Advocates’ Society
- Toronto Lawyers Association
Call to Bar
- 1989 Ontario
Insights
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Financial Services Regulatory
FINTRAC Advisory Concerning Financial Transactions Related to High-Risk Countries Identified by FATF
On July 17, 2023, the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre (FINTRAC) issued an advisory (the “Advisory”) concerning financial transactions related to countries identified by the… -
Financial Services Regulatory
Budget Implementation Act: Key Changes for Financial Institutions
In Budget 2023, the Government of Canada announced its intentions to strengthen measures to protect financial institutions from foreign interference and efficiently address emerging risks to Canada’s… -
Financial Services Regulatory
Government of Canada Commences Consultation on Strengthening Canada’s Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorist Financing Regime
The Government of Canada has launched a public consultation to consider ways to improve Canada’s anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing regime (the “AML/ATF Regime”). A Consultation Paper… -
Financial Services Regulatory
Budget 2023 Announces Measures to Combat Financial Crime
In Budget 2023, which was tabled in the House of Commons on March 28, the Government of Canada announced its intentions to bolster measures to deter, detect, and prosecute financial crimes, protect… -
Financial Services Regulatory
FINTRAC Advisory Concerning Financial Transactions Related to High-Risk Countries Identified by FATF
On March 20, 2023, the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre (FINTRAC) issued an advisory (the “Advisory”) concerning financial transactions related to countries identified by the… -
Financial Services Regulatory
Non-Financial Institution Mortgage Lenders May Soon Become Subject to Anti-Money Laundering/Anti-Terrorist Financing Regime
Proposed amendments to certain regulations under the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act (PCMLTFA) purport to subject non-financial institution mortgage lenders to the…
News & Events
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Private Equity and Venture Capital
100+ Goodmans lawyers recognized in The Best Lawyers in Canada: 2024 Edition
Goodmans is delighted to announce we have been recognized in the 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in Canada with 101 lawyers ranked across 41 practice areas.Congratulations to Harry Radomski… -
Banking and Financial Services
The Legal 500 Canada Continues to Recognize Goodmans with Top Tier Rankings
We are pleased to announce Goodmans LLP has once again received top tier recognition from The Legal 500 Canada in their 2023 Guide released today. Recognition from The Legal 500 is based on… -
Private Equity and Venture Capital
100+ Goodmans lawyers recognized in Best Lawyers in Canada: 2023 Edition
Goodmans is delighted to announce we have been recognized by the 2023 edition of Best Lawyers in Canada with 101 lawyers ranked across 41 practice areas.Congratulations to Dale H. Lastman, C…