Sumeet (Sonu) Dhanju-Dhillon

Tel: 416 360 4738 Fax: 1 877 689 3896

Profile

A partner in Torkin Manes’ Litigation Group, Sumeet (Sonu) Dhanju-Dhillon has built a robust practice that encompasses all areas of civil and commercial litigation, with a particular focus on business law. Leveraging her strong business sense, coupled with her creative advocacy skills, Sonu routinely advises on litigation issues involving breach of contract, partnership disputes, shareholder rights, real estate and technology. She has a range of experience dealing with critical business issues arising from corporate transactions and contractual and business relationship disputes.

To Sonu’s clients, she is a trusted strategic and pragmatic advisor who evaluates the merits and potential success of a case against a client’s unique business and legal objectives. Her advice is drawn from experience and detailed case analysis and is always creative in approach. She is able to distill legal knowledge and complex information in a way her clients understand and provides a clear and factual picture of the various options available to them, addressing their business objectives throughout the litigation process. She understands the cost of doing business, keeping proportionality in mind at all times. 

As part of her steadfast commitment to service excellence, Sonu invests significant time to gain an in-depth understanding of her clients’ business operations, often involving onsite visits. Whether she is putting on a hardhat or walking the perimeter of a project, she possesses a well-rounded approach to legal and business advice, which allows her to tap into her clients’ mindsets and understand their communication style.

As a testament to her outstanding professional and leadership capabilities, Sonu has earned numerous accolades. In 2023, she was honoured by the South Asian Bar Association (SABA) with a Legal Excellence Award in recognition of her exceptional contributions to the profession and achieving excellence in her area of practice. She was an Excellence Awardee for Female Trailblazer of the Year in the 2021 Canadian Law Awards, recognizing leading women lawyers for their professional accomplishments, leadership, community involvement and their contribution to gender equality in the legal profession in 2020. In 2018, Sonu was named a Lexpert Rising Star: Leading Lawyers Under 40. Sonu is an immediate past co-Chair of Torkin Manes’ Diversity and Inclusion Committee and a current member of the firm’s Management Committee.

CLA21-Silver-EA-Medal_Female-Trailblazer

2018 Rising Star Badge

Awards & Recognition

  • Awarded a South Asian Bar Association 2023 Legal Excellence Award
  • Named a 2023 Benchmark Litigation Future Star
  • Named a 2021 Canadian Law Awards Female Trailblazer Excellence Awardee
  • Named a 2018 Lexpert Rising Star: Leading Lawyers Under 40
  • In law school, Sonu received the first place oralist award in the Martin Domke Award competition at the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot in Vienna, Austria

Memberships

  • The Advocates' Society, Standing Committee
  • Canadian Bar Association
  • The Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC)
  • Magna Carta Canada Committee
  • Ontario Bar Association
  • Ontario Bar Association Professional Development Committee, Past Co-Secretary
  • The Toronto Computer Lawyers' Group

Community Involvement

  • Board Member & Chair of the Governance Committee, Crohn’s & Colitis Canada
  • Chair, The Roger Fisher Negotiation Training Scholarship
  • Past Director, Legal Advisor, The North Toronto Aquatic Club
  • Past Executive, Toronto Sikh Professionals
  • Past Director of Public Relations, Sikh Centennial Foundation, Gala Committee
  • Past Volunteer, Women’s College Hospital Foundation

 

Publications & Presentations

Presentation Sep 9, 2021

Exceptional Women of the Bench and Bar

Ontario Bar Association
Presentation May 28, 2021

Cultural Competence and Client Service for Litigators

Speaker, The Advocates’ Society 2021 Diversity & Inclusion Lunch

Education

  • LLB, Osgoode Hall Law School, 2007, including a term at the Cornell-Sorbonne Summer Institute in Paris, France, studying International Commercial Arbitration and Comparative Corporate law
  • University of Toronto

Credentials

  • Ontario Bar, 2008