Rahat Godil is a business-minded litigator with a diverse practice focusing on complex commercial litigation and domestic and international arbitration. Rahat regularly handles high-value and business-critical contractual and commercial disputes, multi-party and multi-jurisdiction or international disputes, joint venture disputes, shareholder and director disputes, and oppression claims. She has significant commercial arbitration experience and represents clients in both institutional and ad hoc arbitrations. She also has experience with banking litigation, class action defence and securities related litigation. Recently, Rahat has also spoken on and advised clients with respect to climate and ESG litigation related issues.
Rahat is a strategic thinker and leader committed to excellence, professionalism and inclusiveness. She provides timely and strategic advice on legal issues significant to her client’s business and is adept at developing litigation strategy aligned with business goals and effectively advocating for clients before courts, arbitrators and tribunals.
Rahat has acted for clients across a range of industries, including mining, energy, banking, financial services, telecommunications, automotive, insurance, reinsurance travel, hospitality and manufacturers of food, drugs and consumer products.
Rahat has appeared as counsel at all levels of court, including the Supreme Court of Canada, the Federal Court of Canada, the Ontario Court of Appeal and the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal. She has also appeared before administrative tribunals and worked on matters before the Ontario Securities Commission.
Rahat’s arbitration experience includes international and domestic commercial arbitrations and she has represented clients before sole arbitrators as well as three-member tribunals. Rahat is well-versed in the arbitration process and rules, including rules of the International Chamber of Commerce, the London Court of International Arbitration and the American Arbitration Association's International Centre for Dispute Resolution. Rahat is also a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.
Rahat has been recognized as a Lexpert Rising Star, repeatedly recommended for commercial arbitration by The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory and also recognized for alternative dispute resolution and international arbitration in The Best Lawyers in Canada directory. Recently, she was also recognized as an Arbitration Future Leader in Who’s Who Legal’s Arbitration 2024 Report, a Litigation Future Star in the 2024 edition of Benchmark Litigation Canada guide, and as an Up and Coming lawyer in the Chambers Canada Guide 2025 for Nationwide Dispute Resolution: Arbitration.
In addition to her practice, Rahat is also committed to equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives. She is a founding member of the Empower Network, a network for racialized legal professionals at Fasken, and is a Vice-Chair of OWN, a network for women lawyers in Fasken’s Ontario offices. She also mentors students and associates and volunteers with the LAWS Program, Canada’s leading law school youth outreach program.
