Glenn Solomon, QC, FCIArb, BA, LLB, LLM, was born and raised in Quebec. He moved to Calgary in 1980, where he completed high school. Between 1984 and 1988 Glenn studied Political Science at the University of Calgary, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree. In 1990 he graduated with a degree from the University of Alberta, Faculty of Law. He was on the Dean’s list for academic excellence for all three years of study and was awarded the John and Agnes Adams Prize for a paper on natural resource law. Glenn served as Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Alberta Law Review in 1989-1990. During that time, among other things, Glenn assisted with the publication of a textbook on Alberta’s Personal Property Security Act, helped start an annual publication on Constitutional Studies, and helped create a Calgary office for the Alberta Law Review at the University of Calgary. While in law school, Glenn worked as a researcher for the Research Unit for Socio-Legal Studies at the University of Calgary. Between the completion of law school and the completion of articling in law, Glenn worked as an Editorial Assistant for the Centre for Constitutional Studies at the University of Alberta Law School, working on textbooks involving language rights and freedom of speech. Glenn has earned a Master of Laws (LLM) degree in Administrative Law from Osgoode Hall Law School, York University.
Glenn commenced his legal career as an articling student at the Court of Appeal of Alberta and the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta in 1990. He then joined Bennett Jones in Calgary, first as an articling student, and then as an associate in the litigation department. While practising with Bennett Jones, Glenn gained experience in all areas of litigation, and in particular in the areas of corporate and commercial litigation, personal injury, medical negligence, securities, competition, real estate and construction litigation. In 1998 Glenn joined JSS Barristers. He became a partner in 1999. Glenn is the firm’s past Managing Partner (2010-2013) and the firm’s past Chairman (2007-2008).
Glenn has authored numerous articles and publications dealing with the practise of litigation, administrative law, competition matters, personal property security, personal injury claims, collections, bankruptcy and insolvency, privacy, court procedure, and other subjects. In addition, he has presented at, and moderated, a number of seminars for the legal profession in these and other areas of law, and has been a guest lecturer at the Faculty of Law at the University of Calgary.
Glenn now practices in the areas of administrative law and civil litigation, focusing on corporate, commercial and contract litigation (including corporate and securities disputes, oil and gas litigation, contract disputes, commercial landlord and tenant disputes, land disputes, and debt collection), wills and estates litigation, Securities Act and Alberta Securities Commission proceedings, Judicial Review hearings, real estate litigation, serious personal injury, professional negligence litigation and professional discipline proceedings, competition matters, administrative and regulatory proceedings, and constitutional litigation.
Glenn has extensive experience as an advocate and advisor. He has successfully appeared before all levels of Court in Alberta, all levels of the Federal Courts, the Supreme Court of Canada, and at a variety of Administrative Boards and Commissions. His Court experience includes appearances in virtually all areas of administrative, civil and criminal litigation. Glenn has represented countless individuals and companies and has acted for and against governments in a vast array of disputes. Glenn has served as counsel and an advisor to several Administrative Boards and Quasi-Judicial tribunals. Glenn has also participated as counsel in many forms of alternative dispute resolution, including mediations, arbitrations, Judicial Dispute Resolutions and mini-trials.
In addition to practising law, Glenn has served as an Arbitrator on Pipeline Arbitration Committees by Federal Ministerial Appointment under the National Energy Board Act (2009-2014). He was a Board Member on the City of Calgary’s License and Community Standards Appeal Board (2010 - 2014) and is a Board Member on the Alberta Management Opted-Out & Excluded Long Term Disability Income Continuance Plan Second Level Appeal Board (2014 - present).
Glenn is a Trustee (2013 - present) of the Calgary Zoological Society, has served as the Fundraising Committee Chair (2014), a member of the Governance Committee (2015 - 2019), and the Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees (2017 - 2019), and currently serves as the Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Calgary Zoological Society (2019 - present) and the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Calgary Zoo Foundation (2019 - present).
In 2005 Glenn was honoured as a recipient of the Alberta Centennial Medal in recognition of his significant contributions to his fellow citizens, his community and Alberta. In 2008 Glenn received a Lexpert Directory Repeatedly Recommended rating (peer review). In 2010 Glenn was awarded a Queen’s Counsel designation. Glenn has a Lawyers.com AV Preeminent peer review rating in both Legal Ability and Ethical Standards (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019) and a Lexis Nexis Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent peer review rating and Judge review rating in both Legal Ability and Ethical Standards (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019) - the highest ratings given. In 2011 and 2012 Glenn received a Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory peer review rating as a Repeatedly Recommended Practitioner in Personal Injury Litigation. In 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 Glenn received a Canadian Legal Lexpert peer review rating as a Repeatedly Recommended Practitioner in Securities Litigation. Glenn has been recognized among Litigation and Product Liability Lawyers by Legal Media Group Guides to the World’s Leading Litigation Lawyers, Expert Guides (2014, 2015, 2016). Glenn has been ranked by Benchmark Canada as an “Energy and Natural Resources Litigation Star” (2013, 2014, 2015), an “Arbitration Litigation Star” (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015), an “Insurance Litigation Star” (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015), a “Securities Litigation Star” (2012, 2013, 2014), a “Class Actions Litigation Star” (2013), an “Insolvency Litigation Star” (2013, 2014, 2015), a “Commercial Litigation Star” (2013, 2014, 2015), and a “Litigation Star in Alberta” (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018). In 2012 Glenn was honoured as a recipient of a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition of his significant contribution to his Province and community. Glenn has been recognized as a “Top Rated Lawyer in Canada” by Corporate Counsel Magazine (2013, 2014), The American Lawyer Magazine (2013, 2014), and American Lawyer Media (2013, 2014). Glenn has been recognized as a Leading Lawyer in Dispute Resolution by Chambers Global (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019). Glenn has been peer review recognized in the Best Lawyers in Canada (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019) in the practice area of Corporate and Commercial Litigation. Glenn was the national recipient of the 2014 Lexpert Zenith Award in the field of Public Law. Glenn is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb).
Glenn is, and has been, a member of numerous community and legal organizations, including the Law Society of Alberta, the Calgary Bar Association, The Canadian Bar Association, The Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice, The Advocates’ Society, The Alberta Civil Trial Lawyers Association, the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, and the American Association for Justice. He has served as the Practitioner Advisor to the Alberta Law Review since 2005.
Glenn is married, and has two children. He plays drums and sings for the firm’s rock band, the "Advo-Cats", which plays music to benefit charities (see the "Community" page on this website). In his spare time Glenn enjoys reading, playing any sports that involve keeping score, playing the drums, and riding Sea-Doos in unimaginably irresponsible ways which often result in Glenn and his ride being towed back to the marina.
Please contact Glenn Solomon QC, FCIArb at gsolomon [at] jssbarristers [dot] ca if you are interested in receiving a copy of any of the following: