The Legal 500 > Canada > Canada > Corporate and M&A

One of the most consistent national practices in the market, Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP’s corporate department distinguishes itself through its ability to lead multibillion-dollar deals from across its well-staffed platforms in Calgary, Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. In addition, the full-service heavyweight can draw upon its international outposts in New York, London and Beijing for support in multi-jurisdictional transactions. Michael Gans, who splits his time between Toronto and New York, had a banner year, which saw him advise The Stars Group on its C$6bn acquisition of Sky Betting & Gaming — the seventh biggest deal in Canada during 2018. Jeffrey Lloyd, who handles M&A and securities matters, is also a key contact in Toronto. Calgary-based Ross Bentley is a premier name in Western Canada, with his recent experience spanning the energy, airline and infrastructure spheres. Other key names include firm chair Brock Gibson QC, who splits his practice between Calgary and Toronto, and Calgary-based corporate and finance specialist Noralee Bradley.

McCarthy Tétrault’s national group, which draws upon sizeable platforms across the country as well as international footholds in London and New York, stands out for its strong industry-focused approach. The firm, which ranked sixth for Canadian M&A by deal count in 2018, maintains a pre-eminent reputation for finance and private equity-related deals and also stands out in infrastructure, energy and mining transactions. Cameron Belsher, who works between Vancouver and Toronto, heads the M&A group and is highly regarded for his strong private equity and financial institutions relationships; he is the key contact partner for CVC Capital Partners, as well as HSBC and TD Bank. Other key names include Toronto’s David Woollcombe, who advises on M&A, private equity and capital markets transactions, and up-and-coming private equity specialist Shevaun McGrath, also based in Toronto. Over the past year, the firm bolstered its corporate team in Toronto with several strategic hires: it added a corporate-focused cannabis practice with the additions of Ranjeev Dhillon and Rami Chalabi from Bennett Jones LLP; it boosted its transactional technology expertise with the arrivals of Christine Ing and Domenic Presta from Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP; it also reinforced its financial services offering with the arrival of Robert Richardson, who rejoined the firm after a 17-year stint in-house at CIBC. Garth Girvan and Graham Gow retired.

Torys LLP’s close relationships with many of Canada’s most active acquisition funds and corporations, particularly Brookfield and leading Canadian pension funds, ensures that it is consistently engaged in headline corporate transactions. From its core offices in Toronto and Calgary — along with a smaller office in Montreal — the firm is active across the country, with its recent work for clients such as Quebec-based CDPQ and British Columbia-based Canaccord Genuity demonstrating the scope of its national coverage. It also benefits from one of the broadest New York platforms among domestic firms, which provides capable support on both inbound and outbound deals. John Emanoilidis co-leads the department and advises domestic and foreign acquirers, targets, special committees, selling shareholders and investment banks on complex M&A. Cornell Wright, who also co-heads the group, has recently led on some of the firm’s most high-profile corporate matters, including advising Thomson Reuters on its strategic partnership with Blackstone, which marked one of the largest private equity deals globally in 2018. Matthew Cockburn is a top choice for private equity funds and has recently undertaken work for TorQuest Partners and Clairvest Group.

Widely recognized for its top-tier Calgary offering and natural resources expertise, Bennett Jones LLP houses a dominant transactional oil and gas practice. Its broad industry experience also encompasses the mining, technology, cannabis and financial services spheres. The firm’s increasingly prominent Toronto practice was recently boosted by a pair of high-profile hires from Stikeman Elliott LLP: Curtis Cusinato, who was formerly co-managing partner of Stikeman’s Toronto office, joined alongside Matthew Hunt. The firm also bulked up its Vancouver platform through its 2018 merger with McCullough O'Connor Irwin, which saw the arrival of new corporate head for British Columbia, Jonathan McCullough. David Spencer, who is sought after for sophisticated energy deals, and firm vice-chairman Perry Spitznagel QC are both key contacts in Calgary. Abbas Ali Khan continues to build up his profile in the Toronto market.

Borden Ladner Gervais LLP handles a steady stream of both private and public M&A, with a strong record in cross-border, particularly US-related, transactions. Its Vancouver office, which is the seat of mining head Fred Pletcher, continues to increase its presence in sophisticated mining transactions, while financial services and energy are sweet spots for the Toronto team. Its Calgary office had a banner year, which saw it advise on several big-ticket energy transactions, including its recent advice to the Government of Canada on its highly publicized acquisition of the Trans Mountain Pipeline. It also benefits from a well-staffed Montreal platform. Public M&A head Paul Mingay and private M&A head Graham King are the key contacts, both based in Toronto.

Globally renowned for the strength of its mining practice, Fasken also secures a significant share of life sciences, technology, aviation and cannabis sector transactions. The firm handles an array of public and private deals, with a recent strong run in contested M&A for both targets and bidders. A popular choice for cross-border transactions in the national resources sector, its offices in Beijing, Johannesburg and London are key assets for global clients looking for multi-jurisdictional support. Toronto-based securities and M&A head John Turner (who also leads the global mining group) is a go-to lawyer for mining companies. M&A and private equity partner Gesta Abols recently joined from Goodmans.

Norton Rose Fulbright has local strength across all of Canada’s four largest provinces and also boasts a broad sector focus on national stage. Energy and natural resources remains a key source of deal flow, though the team has also been active in technology, agribusiness and aviation. In addition, the firm leverages its global network to post a strong record in multi-jurisdictional deals. In Toronto, office managing partner Terence Dobbin is highly regarded for his experience in M&A and corporate governance matters. Toronto-based Walied Soliman, who is Canadian chair, is known for his track record in special situations, including hostile M&A, shareholder activism and complex reorganization transactions.

Dentons' corporate practice is widely recognized for its experience in energy deals. Other strings to its national bow include a robust venture capital practice, and a firm-wide strength in media and telecoms. The firm's broad Canadian footprint (including offices across Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec) is also complemented by the its ability to plug into its extensive global network. The group is led jointly by Charles Spector and Dan Shea from Montreal and Calgary respectively.

Gowling WLG is a strong performer in the mid-market, both domestically and internationally through its ability to lean on platforms across Europe, Asia and the Middle East. The firm’s market-leading IP offering complements its thriving life sciences transactional practice, while other areas of activity include energy and natural resources, infrastructure and technology. A name to note is Toronto-based Ian Palm, who counts private and public companies, pension funds and private equity investors among his clients.

Toronto-based Aird & Berlis LLP has solid expertise in mid-market M&A, punching above its weight in the cannabis, technology and infrastructure sectors. The group also regularly teams up with the firm’s IP, privacy and tax departments to provide full-service advice on sophisticated transactions. Practice head Paige Backman has a broad practice covering corporate transactions, data protection and sports-related matters.

The Toronto office of global giant Baker McKenzie continues to raise its profile locally. Traditionally strong in servicing the domestic aspects of multi-jurisdictional corporate deals, the Canada group is now leading cross-border transactions in its own right, for clients such as Brookfield Business Partners and Camso. David Palumbo, whose practice has an emphasis on healthcare, life sciences and financial services, heads the group.

McMillan LLP’s corporate group, which spans offices in Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec, is well versed in private and public M&A deals, private equity investments and joint ventures. Internationally, the firm is distinguished by its focus on Asia and it benefits from distinct Japan and South Korea desks, as well as an office in Hong Kong. Toronto-based Paul Davis, who co-chairs the capital markets and M&A teams, has a strong background in complex corporate mandates, including proxy fights and contested transactions.