Blake Cassels & Graydon

Full-service firm Blake Cassels & Graydon is a dominant force in Canada with five offices spread across the country, as well as footholds in London and New York. The firm achieves an extremely impressive total of 152 listings across 28 practice area chapters in this edition, demonstrating its broad strength and capacity as a first-tier business law firm.

The firm showcases its standing as an authority on complex transactional matters with 36 listings spanning our banking, capital markets and M&A chapters. With 11 listings in our life sciences chapter, Blake Cassels & Graydon cements itself as a go-to firm for clients in the sector seeking advice on patent disputes, product liability issues and large-scale transactions.

The firm is home to 11 Global Elite Thought Leaders and a total of 27 Thought Leaders who excel across a broad range of practice areas. Standout individuals include product liability specialist Gordon McKee, as well as Brian Facey who excels in complex competition proceedings. Michael Matheson, Jacqueline Shinfield and Paul Belanger are touted for their banking expertise while Jeffrey Lloyd is a go-to for debt and equity transactions. Jeffrey Trossman is renowned for his first-rate corporate tax advice, and Jonathan Kahn is highly sought-after for his insight into environmental issues. Sunny Handa continues to shine as an authority on data security. Bob Wooder maintains a stunning reputation in the mining industry while Pamela Huff emerges as a market-leader for restructuring and insolvency issues.

McCarthy Tétrault

McCarthy Tétrault performs extremely well in this year’s research into the Canadian legal market. Achieving a total of 102 listings across 29 different practice areas, the firm cements its position as one of the country’s leading full-service outfits.

The firm has a strong corporate finance offering and receives an impressive number of listings in our M&A, capital markets and banking chapters. Banking in particular is a strong area of expertise for the firm, with seven lawyers recognised for their outstanding work on transactional and regulatory matters.

Mining, energy and competition are other areas in which the firm performs well, earning 22 listings total. The firm also has a strong standing in the data sphere and labour and employment market, with an impressive six listings in each of our corresponding chapters.

The firm claims several standout individuals including seven Global Elite Thought Leaders. Names to know include Jason Gudofsky, who is highlighted as a key player in the competition arena, as well as Oliver Borgers, who comes highly esteemed for his expansive knowledge of foreign investment law. Richard Higa ranks highly among peers thanks to his top-tier banking practice, while Charles Morgan maintains a splendid reputation as a go-to for data security and IT issues. Adam Ship is among the most prominent franchise lawyers in the country, and Susan Wortzman is a highly sought-after e-discovery specialist. Abraham Costin is a seasoned lawyer with a strong focus on real estate transactions.

Fasken

With seven offices spread across Canada as well as footholds in Johannesburg, Beijing and London, Fasken maintains a strong position in the legal market. The firm achieves an outstanding total of 94 listings across 27 practice area chapters this year, illustrating the breadth of expertise it has to offer.

The firm exhibits a dominant presence in the mining sector and sees an impressive 14 individuals highlighted in our corresponding chapter. The group is highly sought-after for large-scale domestic and international material transactions as well as the full range of sector-related legal issues. Fasken also performs well in our research into the labour and employment market with a total of 11 nominations this year. These individuals operate in a variety of industries on a spectrum of contentious and non-contentious employment matters. Further demonstrating its full-service offering, Fasken picks up several nominations across a range of practice areas including M&A, patents, life sciences, data and banking.

Standout players at the firm include John Torrey, who is recognised as a leading lawyer in banking and project financing. John Beardwood enjoys a stellar reputation for his outstanding data privacy and protection work. Jason Markwell is a go-to name in the life sciences sector for complex IP disputes, while Michael Bourassa is among the finest mining specialists in the country.

Borden Ladner Gervais

With five offices posted across Canada, full-service powerhouse Borden Ladner Gervais maintains a dominant position in the market for its wide-ranging expertise spanning the gamut of domestic and cross-border legal matters. Entering an impressive 88 listings into this years’ edition, the firm performs well across 32 different practice areas.

The firm exhibits a particularly strong construction practice, with seven practitioners garnering recommendations for their market-leading advisory and dispute resolution services. They also hold a prolific position in the labour, employment and benefits field with a further seven listings in our corresponding chapter. The firm’s exceptional dispute resolution offering is exemplified by its 11 nominations across our litigation, arbitration and product liability defence chapters.

Standout players include Global Elite Thought Leader Danny Kaufer, who is highlighted for his extensive experience in high-stakes employment disputes. Maryse Tremblay is also lauded for her market-leading labour and employment practice. Milos Barutciski is noted for his expertise in sanctions and cartel investigations, while Subrata Bhattacharjee is a go-to for complex competition issues in the data, media and technology sectors. Pamela Cross is renowned for her superb private client practice and in-depth tax knowledge, and Steve Suarez is celebrated for his mastery of income tax law. Fred Pletcher is distinguished by his decades of experience negotiating large-scale transactions in the mining sector.

Osler Hoskin & Harcourt

With offices across Canada and in New York, Osler Hoskin & Harcourt excels as a leading full-service law firm with a remarkable global outreach. In this year’s edition, the firm achieves a total of 85 listings in 24 different practice area chapters.

Osler’s transactional expertise holds a prestigious reputation in the Canadian market with several practitioners from the firm listed across our banking, M&A and capital markets chapters. In particular, the firm’s exemplary corporate tax practice is highly esteemed with 11 lawyers highlighted for their expertise in tax structuring, complex cross-border transactions and disputes. The firm also sees nine energy lawyers noted for their regulatory know-how and first-rate advisory services.

The firm is home to an impressive eight Global Elite Thought Leaders. Names to know include Monica Biringer, Patrick Marley and Al Meghji, who are among the most prominent corporate tax lawyers in the country. Jennifer Dolman, Andraya Frith and Dominic Mochrie hold a pre-eminent position and are considered go-to lawyers for the full spectrum of franchise matters. Wendy Gross stands out as an authority on data protection, privacy and compliance, while Paul Litner is a front-runner in the area of pensions and benefits.

Stikeman Elliott

Stikeman Elliott continues to be recognised as a leading full-service law firm in the Canadian market. The firm illustrates its strength with a total of 84 nominations across 21 practice areas this year. The firm performs well in a variety of sectors and industries with its exceptional lawyers highlighted in our energy, mining, life sciences, real estate and shipping chapters among many others.

The firm stands out for its expansive corporate offering with a highly impressive 14 listings achieved in our M&A and corporate governance chapters. The firm’s transactional expertise is further demonstrated by its 13 listings across our capital markets and banking chapters. Stikeman Elliott is revered in the antitrust and regulatory space with eight nominations in our corresponding competition chapter.

Eminent individuals at the firm include William Braithwaite, Brian Pukier and Edward Waitzer, who come highly sought-after for their transactional expertise and sensational track record in domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions. Larry Cobb stands out as a top-notch environmental lawyer, while Jay Kellerman gains recognition for his mining law expertise. Stuart Carruthers maintains a strong reputation as a go-to insurance lawyer for transactional and regulatory advice, and Patrick Benaroche is lauded for his longstanding labour and employment practice. Richard Pound QC is a seasoned lawyer with a wealth of experience in sports arbitration and complex tax litigation.

Norton Rose Fulbright

Norton Rose Fulbright is a renowned commercial law firm with offices around the globe. The firm demonstrates its dominant presence in the Canadian legal market in this year’s research, with 78 listings spanning across 31 practice areas. With listings in our sports and entertainment, life sciences, capital markets, corporate immigration, shipping and environment chapters, the firm showcases its strong full-service offering.

Energy is an area in which the firm excels, with eight individuals highlighted in our corresponding chapter for their excellence and expertise in the exploration, production, marketing and transportation of all types of energy including oil, gas, nuclear and renewables.

The firm also performs well in our research into the life sciences sector with an impressive total of five listings. These individuals are identified for their expert knowledge of regulatory, transactional and IP matters. The firm’s exceptional IP offering is further bolstered by its 7 listings across our patent and trademark agents chapters.

Notable individuals at the firm include Global Elite Thought Leader Richard Wagner, who stands out as a market-leading public procurement specialist. Martin Valasek and Pierre Bienvenu are celebrated for their extensive experience as arbitrators and counsel in complex domestic and cross-border disputes. Wilfrid Lefebvre QC is noted for his expertise in corporate tax controversies, while Shelley Chapelski is lauded for her detailed understanding of maritime law.

Bennett Jones

Bennett Jones maintains its stellar reputation in the Canadian market as a pre-eminent full-service firm, with 74 outstanding individuals listed across 26 practice areas in our guide this year.

The firm performs well in our research into the energy market and sees 13 top-notch lawyers securing listings in this year’s edition. They are highlighted for their strong expertise in transactional, regulatory and contentious matters across the oil and gas and renewables sectors. Mining emerges as another specialism of the firm’s, with eight lawyers nominated in our corresponding chapter. These lawyers have been selected for their excellence in a broad range of matters including high-value mining transactions, exploration and development and contentious issues such as contamination claims.

Prominent individuals at the firm include Patrick Maguire and Donald Greenfield QC, who are distinguished by their extensive experience handling complex matters in the energy sector. Chris Simard is noted for his top-notch restructuring and bankruptcy practice. Darcy Moch QC is lauded for his broad expertise in corporate tax matters, while Michael Melanson is highly esteemed for his profound knowledge of mining law. Jeffrey Leon LSM is a highly sought-after litigator, and Leonard Griffiths is a go-to environmental specialist. Melanie Aitken and Randal Hughes rank prominently among peers in the competition arena, and Lincoln Caylor continues to excel in complex asset recovery cases.

Gowling WLG

Gowling WLG demonstrates its strength as a market-leading full-service law firm with eight offices across Canada, as well as offices in the UK, UAE, Russia, France, Germany, Belgium, China and Brazil. The standout firm impresses with a total of 74 listings earned across 26 chapters in this year’s guide.

Gowling WLG is celebrated for its exceptional IP team which achieves 16 nominations in our corresponding patents and trademarks chapters. The firm also performs well in our life sciences chapter with another eight nominations. The firm’s broad and expansive expertise is further demonstrated by its strong standing in the mining sector with an impressive seven listings, and its enviable environmental practice which sees a further six practitioners highlighted.

The firm claims 11 Global Elite Thought Leaders, showcasing its strength across a broad range of practice areas. Mary Thomson is highly sought-after by clients in the life sciences sector for her product liability expertise, while Patrick Duxbury’s first-tier life sciences practice focuses on large-scale transactions. The firm’s globally renowned trademarks practice is distinguished by standout practitioners Margaret Fitzpatrick, Jennifer Morton, Monique Couture and Robert MacDonald while IP specialists Ronald Dimock and Konrad Sechley excel at handling complex patent issues. Phuong Ngo is highlighted for her stellar procurement practice, and Peter Snell is hailed an authority on franchise law. Alex Jay comes highly esteemed for his expertise in asset recovery proceedings.

Torys

Full-service outfit Torys is a prominent fixture in the Canadian legal market. This year’s research illustrates the breadth of its capabilities, with the firm achieving a total of 71 listings across 25 practice areas.

The firm has a substantial offering in the life sciences arena and sees eight lawyers recognised for their extensive expertise across the full spectrum of sector-related issues including transactional and regulatory advice, patent litigation and product liability defence. Torys has also built up a reputable energy practice and garners eight nominations in our corresponding chapter. The team possesses unparalleled knowledge of infrastructure and energy matters and regularly assists clients on high-value projects and transactions.

The firm is home to several market-leading lawyers including Tom Zverina who comes highly esteemed for his banking finance expertise, and Blair Keefe who is noted for his encyclopaedic knowledge of financial services regulations. Jerald Wortsman enjoys a spectacular reputation for his first-tier corporate tax advice, and Eileen McMahon is a go-to name for regulatory matters in the life sciences sector. Susan Nickerson stands out as a pre-eminent pensions and benefits specialist while Omar Wakil continues to shine in the competition space.