John’s engagement with the most complex international trade issues and opportunities of the day is unmatched in the marketplace
John W. Boscariol is head of the firm’s International Trade & Investment Law Group and a partner in our Litigation Group. He helps clients understand how international trade agreements and foreign investment laws impact their business. John assists clients through the tangle of regulatory impediments faced by Canadian companies seeking to expand their business globally, and to international businesses entering the Canadian market.
Foreign Investment and Cross-border Trade
Marshaling his considerable experience and wealth of knowledge about the trade laws in Canada, the US and the EU, John advises both private and public sector clients on the application of laws governing foreign investment and the cross-border trade in goods, services and technology across myriad industries, including financial services, natural resources, consumer goods, defence and infrastructure.
Enforcement and Compliance
With internationally recognized expertise in the interpretation and enforcement of international trade and investment protection agreements, John’s practice focuses on white collar matters, as well as enforcement and compliance matters regarding anti-corruption laws and policies, economic sanctions, export, import and technology transfer controls, defence trade controls, blocking measures (Cuba), national security measures, anti-dumping, countervail and safeguard measures, government procurement, and customs and tariffs. .
In addition to advising clients on strategic planning, compliance and enforcement, John regularly deals with various government agencies responsible for the administration of these laws and appears before panels, courts, and tribunals hearing disputes involving international trade and investment matters.
John is also an adjunct professor at the University of Western Ontario law school where he designed and is currently teaching Anti-Corruption Law and its Application in International Business, one of the first courses of its kind to be taught at a Canadian law school. In 2017 he testified before Canada's Parliament on the enforcement of economic sanctions and anti-terrorism laws, and many of his recommendations were adopted in the House of Commons 2017 report: A Coherent and Effective Approach to Canada’s Sanctions Regimes: Sergei Magnitsky and Beyond. John is the organizer and course leader of Lexpert’s annual full-day Canada-wide Anti-Bribery and Corruption Course, currently in its sixth year.
A prolific author and sought-after speaker, John received his B. Comm. (Gold Medalist) from the University of Toronto in 1990. He received his LLB from the Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto and was called to the Ontario bar in 1995. In 1998, he received his LLM (International Trade and Competition Law) from the Osgoode Hall Law School.
View a list of John's recent publications, attributions and speeches
Awards & Rankings
Chambers Global
Band 1: International Trade/WTO - Canada
Chambers Canada
Band 1 - International Trade/WTO
The Legal 500 - Canada
Leading Lawyer: International trade
Lexpert/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada
Leading Lawyer: International Trade
Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory
Leading Lawyer: Commodity Tax/Customs; International Trade Regulation
Who’s Who Legal
National Leader, Canada - Investigations, Canada - Trade & Customs
Best Lawyers in Canada
Lawyer of the Year: International Trade and Finance Law
Best of the Best (Global)
Top 30 International Trade Attorneys
Global Law Experts
International Trade Compliance Lawyer of the Year (Canada)
Corporate International Magazine Global Award
International Compliance Lawyer of the Year in (Canada)
Canadian Association of Importers and Exporters
Member of the Year