Friends Who Argue

In this episode of Friends Who Argue, we’re joined by seasoned commercial litigators Allison Speigel and Pete Smiley to break down the complexities of litigating fraud cases. In our discussion, we explore the good, the bad, and the ugly of fraud litigation—highlighting key challenges, common pitfalls, and strategies for success. The episode also delves into recent high-profile fraud cases, offering expert analysis on what they reveal about current trends in fraud law. Tune in for valuable insights and practical advice from two experienced voices in the field.

Allison Speigel is a partner with the law firm of Speigel Nichols Fox LLP. She is a commercial litigator whose practice focuses on construction, complex commercial, contract, insolvency, real estate, professional negligence, and fraud matters.

Allison recognizes and has written extensively about how flawed our legal system is and how taxing litigation can be. Despite her innate desire to battle it out in court, Allison is always thinking about creative ways to settle matters and makes every attempt to do so.

Perhaps due to her writing on the subject matter, Allison was asked by the Attorney General of Ontario and the Chief Justice to co-chair a twelve person working group tasked with conducting a full review of the Rules of Civil Procedure. Allison accepted the position without hesitation and began working on the project in 2024. Allison has high hopes that the working group will be able to make fundamental changes to our civil justice system to make it more efficient, less expensive, faster, and, ultimately, more accessible.

Peter Smiley is a creative and dedicated litigator, with experience at all levels of court. His personal attention, significant experience and commitment to putting his clients first are how he manages to consistently achieve positive solutions. Peter has experience representing a wide range of individuals, organizations, and businesses. His litigation and dispute resolution expertise encompasses a range of complex commercial and civil litigation matters.

Land Acknowledgement

The Advocates’ Society acknowledges that our offices, located in Toronto, are on the customary and traditional lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Haudenosaunee, the Anishinabek, the Huron-Wendat and now home to many First Nations, Inuit, and Metis peoples. We acknowledge current treaty holders, the Mississaugas of the Credit and honour their long history of welcoming many nations to this territory.

While The Advocates’ Society is based in Toronto, we are a national organization with Directors and members located across Canada in the treaty and traditional territories of many Indigenous Peoples. We encourage our members to reflect upon their relationships with the Indigenous Peoples in these territories, and the history of the land on which they live and work.

We acknowledge the devastating impacts of colonization, including the history of residential schools, for many Indigenous peoples, families, and communities and commit to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusiveness in an informed legal profession in Canada and within The Advocates’ Society.