BREANNA NEEDHAM
Founder
“See something? Say something.
Don’t like it? Do something about it.”
Breanna is a commercial litigation lawyer with a focus on matters where misconduct is an element. She has extensive experience working on cases involving investigations and injunctions, as well as strategic analysis, legal research, written submissions, and opinions in confidential, high-profile, and high-stakes matters.
Breanna has consistently been recognized for her work in the commercial litigation space. She represents companies and individuals in a wide variety of proceedings, investigations, and disputes, including in matters involving fraud, misappropriation, conversion, restrictive covenants, breach of confidence, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract, and other complex disputes involving shareholders, employees, directors, officers, and nuanced business relationships.
She has successfully represented clients before all levels of court in Ontario, as well as in mediations and commercial arbitrations. Breanna also has experience advising on ethical compliance and conflicts of interest, including legal obligations in the political sector.
Part of Breanna’s approach to practice includes preventing problems before they happen including through offering risk management services to clients so that issues can be addressed before they become emergencies. In addition to working directly with her own clients, Breanna also offers bespoke of counsel and freelance services to other lawyers, law firms, and in-house legal departments to assist with litigation, investigations, injunctions, trials, appeals, and other complex matters.
Breanna founded Luceo Legal after practicing law at two of the largest law firms in Canada, one of the leading litigation boutiques, and the Toronto office of an international law firm.
In addition to her work, Breanna is a frequent speaker at legal conferences and educational seminars on litigation practice and procedure, as well as professionalism, equity, diversity, and inclusion in the legal profession.
Contact Breanna:
bneedham@luceo.legal
AWARDS & RECOGNITION
Listed in the Lexpert® Special Edition: Litigation
2023
Lexpert Rising Stars:
Leading Lawyers Under 40
2022
Best Lawyers In Canada,
Lawyer to Watch
(Corporate and Commercial Litigation: Toronto)
2022 - 2024
Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory,
Leading Lawyer to Watch
(Litigation – Corporate Commercial)
2021 - 2023
Lexpert Zenith Award:
Change Agent in Law
2019
Precedent Magazine
Precedent Innovation Award
2019
Canadian Law Blog Awards (“Clawbies”)
Winner in the “Best Innovative Projects” category
2019
CREDENTIALS
Ontario Bar
2016
J.D., University of Saskatchewan College of Law
(with distinction)
2015
B.Sc. Ag., University of Saskatchewan
College of Agriculture and Bioresources
(with distinction)
2010
Professional Communication Certificate
(technical writing and persuasive rhetoric), University of Saskatchewan Ron & Jan Graham Centre for the Study of Communication
2009
Team Advisor, University of Saskatchewan Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Team
Volunteer Judge, Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot, qualifying and international rounds
Executive Member: Member-at-Large (2021-2022), The Advocates’ Society, Commercial Litigation Practice Group Leaders
Executive Member: Technology Liaison (2021-2022), Ontario Bar Association,
Civil Litigation SectionExecutive Member , Technology Liaison (2020-2021), Member at Large (2019-2020), Ontario Bar Association Women Lawyers Forum
Executive Member, Technology Liaison (2020-2021), Member at Large (2019-2020), Ontario Bar Association, Class Actions Section
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Featured, “Commercial Litigator Launches Her Own Firm,” Robyn Doolittle, The Globe and Mail (print), March 31, 2024
Featured, “Inspired by other women in law, Breanna Needham launches her own firm to serve smaller companies,” Robyn Doolittle, The Globe and Mail (online), March 31, 2024
Contributing Author, “Creating a Seat at the Table: Reflections from Women in Law,” University of Regina Press, October 2023, with foreword by Right Honourable Beverley McLachlin, retired Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada
Co-Author, “Supreme Court of British Columbia grants Mareva injunction in aid of pending foreign civil proceeding,” CanLII Connects, April 11, 2023
Co-Author, “Think the limitations clock has run out? Think again; it may not even be ticking,” CanLII Connects, July 13, 2022
Co-Author, “Calling on the Code: Civil Consequences for Cryptocurrency”, Internet and E-Commerce Law in Canada, vol. 23, no 3, July 2022
Featured, “Happy Lawyers: Five Things They Have in Common,” CBA National, September 21, 2021
Featured, Lawyer Profile: Breanna Needham, Not Your Average Law Blog, August 2021
Co-Author, “Supreme Court sets aside sealing orders in Sherman Estate,” CanLII Connects, June 23, 2021
Co-Author, “Still Doing the Two-Step: Ontario’s Divisional Court in Kuiper Confirms a Two-Step Approach to Common Issues on Certification”, Class Action Defence Quarterly, June 2020
Featured, “No More Nice Girls: Gender, Power, and Why It’s Time to Stop Playing by the Rules,” Lauren McKeon, House of Anansi Press, March 2020
Featured, “The Inaugural Precedent Innovation Awards”, Precedent Magazine, December 2019
Author, “Generosity Meets the Law: Rules for Those Who Hold the Gold”, The Advocates’ Society Keeping Tabs, Spring 2019
Co-Author, “Enforcement of International Arbitral Awards in Canada,” International Association of Defence Counsel conference, 2016
PUBLICATIONS
Speaker, “Knowledge Exchange: Enabling Growth Through Sponsorship and Mentoring,” Canadian Lawyer Women in Law Summit, April 17, 2024
Speaker, “#InspireInclusion: If Not Her, Then Whom?” Canadian Technology Law Association (CAN-TECH), March 7, 2024
Speaker, “Paths in Law: A Conversation with Three of Canada’s Top Young Lawyers,” University of Saskatchewan College of Law: McKercher LLP Lecture Series, January 16, 2023
Speaker, “Combining Lawyering and Living in the Face of ‘Professionalism’,"Authentic Lawyer Summit, November 10, 2022
Moderator and Program Co-Chair, “Attracting, Retaining and Championing Diverse Advocates,” The Advocates’ Society, May 19, 2022
Panelist, “Top Cases in Commercial Litigation," The Advocates' Society, February 3, 2022
Speaker, “Perfecting Your Tech Setup,” The Advocates’ Society Tech Hacks for Litigators, June 16, 2021
Speaker, “The Gender Pay Gap in the Legal & Technology Sectors,” Canadian Technology Law Association (CAN-TECH) Spring Conference, June 3, 2021
Moderator and Program Chair, “Public Speaking and Social Media Strategy: An Intersectional Discussion on the Unique Issues that #WomenInLaw Face Both Online and In-Person,” Ontario Bar Association Women Lawyers Forum, November 30, 2020
Speaker, “Litigating from Home: A Starter Kit,” The Advocates’ Society, March 27, 2020
Speaker, “Connecting to Achieve Change,” The Advocates’ Society Fall Convention, November 2019
Speaker, “Professionalism Issues,” Law Society of Ontario: 9th Business Law Summit, May 13, 2019
Speaker, “Exploring Diversity and Inclusion Through Studies and Statistics,” Canadian Bar Association: Competition Law Section Young Lawyers Conference, April 25, 2019
Speaker, “Women In Law,” Bechdel Tested, February 18, 2019
Speaker, “Summary Judgment in Pharmaceutical Class Actions,”
Canadian Defence Lawyers: Defending Products Claims, February 22, 2017
EVENTS & PANELS