Hannibal El-Mohtar

Hannibal El-Mohtar is a regulatory lawyer with a broad and growing practice in foreign investment and trade law advising international clients on national security reviews under the Investment Canada Act, antitrust disputes, trade remedies, and sanctions and forced labour matters.

On national security matters, Hannibal has acted for major foreign investors in the critical minerals sector. On competition matters, Hannibal has acted for clients on competition issues in high-tech markets, including digital platform economies, the pharmaceutical sector, and the resources sector. On trade, sanctions, and forced labour matters, Hannibal appeared for clients before the Canada International Trade Tribunal and advised clients in the financial sector and in the clean energy, construction, steel, and health industries with their trade compliance needs.

Hannibal’s additional experience in private practice includes representing clients in arbitration resolution matters and advising insurers on commercial arbitration and D&O liability disputes. Furthermore, he advised clients on cross-border jurisdictional discovery, class actions defence, and international asset tracing and recovery.

Prior to joining McMillan, Hannibal gained significant experience as a foreign associate at a Chinese law firm in Beijing, where he assisted clients with high-tech market disputes including fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory (FRAND) litigation involving standard essential patent (SEP) licensing claims, private anti-monopoly suits, and compliance opinions on internet, data, and blockchain law. Prior to practising in China, he worked at a national firm in Toronto on trade remedy, antitrust, and complex commercial litigation files.

Hannibal is a member of the Law Society of Ontario and the New York State Bar. He holds an LL.M from Peking University and a dual Juris Doctor/Bachelor of Civil Law degree from McGill University. During his legal studies, he was Editor-in-Chief of the McGill Journal of Sustainable Development Law (MJSDL). Prior to law school, Hannibal studied Political Science at the University of Ottawa.