Gowling WLG > Toronto, Canada > Firm Profile

Gowling WLG > The Legal 500 Rankings

Canada > Indigenous law Tier 1

Gowling WLG ‘s leading practice is noted for its representation of Indigenous clients, including Indigenous businesses, organisations, First Nations, Métis, and Inuit governments, in the entire spectrum of non-contentious and litigation matters. The team balances a busy workload that features mandates pertaining to the negotiation of Indigenous equity participation and joint venture agreements, tax issues, title and treaty rights, impact benefit agreements and class action litigation. The service offering also extends to project proponents, industry players and governments in relation to consultations and regulatory advice. Vancouver-based Paul Seaman, who focuses on regulatory, transactional and constitutional matters, was recently appointed practice leader. Also in Vancouver, Aaron Christoff is routinely retained by First Nations clients engaged in litigation. Cam Cameron is a noteworthy practitioner in Ottawa that leads the team involved in the Indian Day School class action. Vancouver-based Scott Smith has combined expertise in Indigenous law, energy and environmental matters.

Canada > Intellectual property Tier 1

Gowling WLG ‘consistently delivers top-notch work‘ in respect of IP protection, enforcement and commercialization matters, notably overseeing the portfolios of household names such as Starbucks, Royal Bank of Canada and Linde. Shelagh Carnegie, co-head of the firm’s global IP group, dedicates her practice to all stages of the trademark prosecution lifecycle meanwhile Laurent Massam is noted for his experience in first-of-their-kind copyright cases and regularly appears before the Federal Court of Appeal, the Copyright Board of Canada and the Ontario Superior Court of Justice; the pair operate from Toronto together with IP litigator Kelly Gill and trademarks expert Jodi English, both of whom garner client acclaim for their ‘great legal and practical business advice‘. Meanwhile at the Ottawa office, Martha Savoy heads the Canada and Russia trademarks department, specializing in trademark and copyright registration, enforcement and litigation; she is based alongside Christopher Van Barr who recently represented Google in a dispute with Paid Search Engine Tools, leading a team which included Michael Crichton, an expert in the technology industry. Douglas Fyfe‘s core strengths lie in clearing, licensing, registration and opposition matters while over in Vancouver, Nelson Godfrey is carving out a prominent reputation for his contentious work and fronts the local IP litigation team. Senior associate Nikolas Purcell was a new arrival in November 2021.

Canada > Cannabis Tier 2

Clients of Gowling WLG benefit from the firm's national range of offices, which advise across the provinces. The cannabis team offers strong M&A expertise, as well as experience advising cannabis companies on capital markets matters, with recent highlights including its advice to IM Cannabis on its listing on Nasdaq, as well as marketing $35m of common shares. On the regulatory side, the practice is notable for including an integrated science team to help determine labelling requirements for new products. It also provides support to a number of retailers on product marketing regulations. The Toronto-based Peter Simeon and Ottawa-based Lewis Retik jointly lead the practice, focusing on capital markets and product regulations, respectively. Natalie Rizkalla-Kamel stands out for her IP litigation work in the cannabis sector.

Energy and natural resources > Power Tier 2

The power practice at Gowling WLG is able to draw from a deep bench of expertise across M&A, project finance and development, IP law and energy regulation. Of particular note, the practice has strong credentials in renewables and nuclear energy, where Ahab Abdel-Aziz is the name to note for nuclear power generation mandates. Abdel-Aziz acts in policy and regulatory matters, as well as in the financing, development and licensing of nuclear projects. Thomas Timmins specialises in renewable power and energy storage projects in Canada and internationally. Ian Mondrow acts for a range of clients in regulatory matters. Magdalena Hanebach is another main point of contact for the nuclear industry in relation to project development, risk mitigation and regulatory issues.

Canada > Environment Tier 2

Gowling WLG is well positioned to handle high-exposure environmental litigation across the country, including regulatory appeals, civil matters and prosecution defense.  In addition to its contentious caseload, the team also assists public and private-sector clients in relation to environmental assessments, regulatory issues, corporate risk and permitting matters. Toronto-based Rodney Northey is regularly seen acting for natural resources, waste management and energy clients in regulatory approvals and challenges. Also in Toronto, Harry Dahme is fully devoted to environmental law; his experience covers corporate environmental due diligence, brownfield redevelopment, chemical regulations and waste management matters. In the same office, Jennifer Danahy excels in both transactional mandates and environmental litigation at the municipal, provincial and federal level. Based in Vancouver, Wally Braul is a notable name in Western Canada for his work at the intersection of energy, indigenous law and environmental issues. Adam Chamberlain heads the practice.

Canada > Infrastructure projects Tier 2

Gowling WLG fields a large infrastructure and construction law team, which has recently led advice on numerous real estate developments, power plants and P3 projects in Canada. The practice is regularly retained by public authorities and operator subcontractors in the context of PPP projects, but increasingly provides assistance to project financiers and design-build contractors. The group has a strong base in Ontario, with practice heads Ted Betts and Faithe Holder sitting in the Toronto office. Betts is a name to note for large-scale construction and development projects, while Holder has decades of experience in the P3 market. Fellow co-leader Luc Lissoir, who is recommended for PPP procurement in the transportation and healthcare sectors, is based in Montréal. Darryl Brown retired in late 2020 and Adam Lewinberg left the firm in August 2021.

Canada > Media and entertainment Tier 2

Canadian and international clients, including film and TV producers, distributors and broadcaster, book publishers and video game developers, seek the Gowling WLG‘s assistance with a variety of entertainment and sports law mandates. Drawing on the firm’s notable IP expertise, the team is particularly skilled at acting for music industry clients in relation to commercial transactions, talent agreements, record deals, licensing and merchandising arrangements. Major record labels, artists and songwriters, book publishers and other entertainment companies  routinely turn to Susan Abramovitch  for advice on cutting-edge issues, such as non-fungible tokens. Her practice encompasses both transactional work and dispute resolution.

Transport > Aviation Tier 2

Gowling WLG offers a broad set of services to its clients, handling contentious and non-contentious matters. Often linking with the firm's corporate practice, the firm is able to act as a one-stop-shop for aviation clients. It has compliance and regulatory expertise, with experience advising on aviation-specific and broad corporate regulatory work, as well as transactional expertise, including leasing arrangements, air services agreement negotiation and financing. The team also provides litigation support on matters including personal injury, cargo claims and wrongful death matters. Guy David leads the practice, advising on both transactional matters and financing regulations out of Ottawa.

Canada > Business immigration Tier 3

Sitting within the firm’s employment and labor group, Gowling WLG‘s immigration offering assists employers with global mobility issues, international recruitment and compliance. Matters with US immigration implications are a particular strength, and the team draws on employment, privacy and tax expertise to complement its immigration advice in related work. Based in Waterloo, practice head Bill MacGregor ‘is a very approachable lawyer who makes understanding immigration issues easy‘ and has over 25 years of experience in corporate and business immigration. Krista Schofer leads the western Canadian immigration practice, acting for corporate clients hiring foreign nationals in Canada or the US.

Canada > Corporate and M&A Tier 3

Well regarded for its mid-market M&A expertise, Gowling WLG offers strong national corporate support to its clients. Part of a broad legal platform, the team benefits from the input of specialists in various areas in deals involving companies in the cannabis, life sciences, media and energy industries. It is particularly established in the Toronto-Waterloo corridor, a key area for Canadian technology start-ups. Toronto-based partner Ian Palm is known for his expertise advising private equity and venture capital funds on deals in the technology, finance and energy sectors. Lorraine Mastersmith is also a key name in Ottawa, with considerable start-up and emerging company expertise.

Canada > Dispute resolution

Gowling WLG is able to deploy teams of lawyers across Canada to act in a range of commercial disputes; the firm is praised for its ability to ‘pull in specialists throughout their organization as needed‘, drawing on the firm’s global presence, as well as its strength in IP litigation. In Alberta, the Calgary office has recently focused on the region’s emerging markets of renewable energy and agribusiness as well as environmental law. The team includes two standout younger partners: practice co-head Ricki Johnston, ‘a fabulous lawyer’ who is especially strong in investor loss claims; and Warren Foley, who has considerable extensive experience acting in energy-sector disputes. David Bishop jointly leads the litigation group and has experience across the range of disputes work in the market. Scott Kugler coordinates the national commercial litigation and class action practice groups from the Toronto office, which makes up the firm’s offering in Ontario, along with lawyers in Ottawa, Hamilton and Waterloo, where Sahil Shoor is the standout name, promoted to partner in January 2021. Aviation disputes, banking litigation, regulatory issues and white-collar criminal cases are among the team’s strengths, and it also boasts a significant francophone offering in the province. In Vancouver, Martin Palleson heads the advocacy department and handles commercial litigation, with an emphasis on corporate and insolvency and restructuring disputes.

Canada > Insurance Tier 3

Known for its regulatory expertise, Gowling WLG advises on the full range of Canadian federal and provincial insurance laws, which includes advising on market entrances, reorganisation and a number of transactional matters. The team also has a growing footprint handling matters relating to technology, advising on the establishment of lines relating to privacy and cybersecurity, as well as a group assisting insurtech companies. The team also provides contentious support on large-scale disputes. Filomena Frisina and Belinda Bain co-head the team from Toronto. Frisia leads the insurtech and regulatory arm, while Bain focuses on advocacy. Michael Garellek is also known for his Quebecois regulatory knowledge.

Canada > International trade Tier 3

Gowling WLG has a broad trade practice, covering customs compliance, trade litigation, customs valuations, export controls, and other key trade issues. It is particularly known for its work on behalf of manufacturers, both domestic and foreign, importers, exporters and trade associations to create compliance regimes and advise on corruption matters. The team also has notable expertise with tech businesses, in particular those related to cryptography. Wendy Wagner leads the team from Ottawa and is known for her additional work with privacy companies. Associate Hunter Fox is also well regarded; he has a broad trade advocacy practice.

Canada > Public procurement Tier 3

Covering both contentious and non-contentious procurement law mandates, Gowling WLG  is well-versed in bid protests, litigation over public tenders and in the application of domestic and international trade agreements. The team, which is primarily based in Ottawa, offers support to procuring entities and bidders across a range of key sectors seeking advice on significant bidding decisions and compliance issues in all jurisdictions in Canada. Department leader Phuong Ngo assists with procedural risk mitigation, procurement documentation and bid protests.

Canada > Real estate and construction Tier 3

Working in close collaboration with the firm’s construction and P3 lawyers, Gowling WLG‘s real estate department is well-positioned to provide a one-stop-shop offering to a diverse client base composed of  major developers, pension funds, REITs, financial institutions and governmental entities, among others. Besides assisting with the acquisition and disposition of real estate assets and other transactional work (including financing deals), the practice particularly stands out for its significant experience in property development and leasing matters. Vancouver-based Joel Camley is skilled at leading multi-office teams in complex commercial real estate transactions and cross-border mandates. He oversees the national real estate practice group, while Ted Betts in Toronto heads up the infrastructure and construction law team.

Canada > Restructuring and insolvency Tier 3

Gowling WLG has a strong pedigree for handling cross-border restructurings and insolvencies for creditors, debtors and court-appointed officers. Its global platform also makes it a strong choice for multinational companies. According to a client, a distinguishing feature of the practice is 'the unique combination of litigation and deal-making talent necessary to support turnarounds, restructurings and insolvency matters in a practical, strategic manner". Clifton Prophet and David Cohen, who are both based in Toronto, are the names to note.

Canada > Technology Tier 3

Gowling WLG acts for clients ranging in size from start-ups to multinationals, and its work spans a number of areas, including fintech, insurtech, e-commerce, AI and internet of things. The firm's recent highlights included acting for global technology consultancy Sourced Group on its $75m acquisition by Amdocs; this matter was led by Ottawa-based corporate partner Derek Keay, who focuses on corporate finance and M&A, primarily involving emerging technology companies. Also based in Ottawa is Lorraine Mastersmith, who frequently assists companies specialized in technology with commercial contracts, technology licensing and capital raising. Elsewhere, other notable individuals at the firm are Paul Armitage in Vancouver and Zafar Jaffer in Calgary. The practice is led by Waterloo-based partner Viona Duncan, who advises on tech M&A and finance transactions.

Energy and natural resources > Mining Tier 4

Gowling WLG acts for a broad client base made up of mid-market mining producers, exploration and specialty metals companies, assisting them with site development, project finance and offtake arrangements. The firm excels in mining-related matters involving Latin America, for which Toronto-based France Tenaille is noted. Her practice is primarily focused on M&A transactions, corporate finance and cross-border deals in the natural resources sector. Ian Mitchell in Toronto is the newly appointed head of the group; he specialises in financing and securities matters, with a special emphasis in the mining sector.

Energy and natural resources > Oil and gas Tier 4

Gowling WLG attracts instructions from public and private clients across the entire oil and gas sector, seeking support in relation to asset acquisitions and dispositions, pipeline projects and expansions, and proceedings before regulators. Leading the practice from Calgary, Lorne Rollheiser has a significant background working with exploration and production companies in the development of upstream and midstream projects. Domestic and cross-border M&A transactions are other typical mandates for the practice head, who receives key support from energy regulatory expert James Smellie.

Canada > Labour and employment Tier 4

Gowling WLG's team provides employment law advice to a number of multinational corporates with operations in Canada, including Burberry and Starbucks. In addition to providing M&A and general advisory support, the group is also active in employment litigation. Andrew Bratt leads the national practice from the firm's Toronto office, while a number of the team's practitioners are based at its office in Kitchener, including employment and privacy law expert Bettina Burgess. Up-and-coming partner Khiam Nong often assists clients with issues relating to employee misconduct, workplace bullying and sexual harassment. Josée Gervais in Montréal and Maxwell Brunette (whose practice is split between Vancouver and Calgary) are other names to note.

Canada > Tax Tier 4

Gowling WLG has a strong profile among private equity firms, downstream investment funds and tax-exempt investors. Its work covers a full range of areas, including corporate tax, transactional tax, dispute resolution, transfer pricing, international tax and tax planning. In addition to being a key player in the Canadian market, the firm's international platform also puts it on a strong footing to handle multijurisdictional matters. Paul Carenza heads up the team, which is spread between the Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Ottawa offices. Carenza is based in Toronto, as is John Sorensen, who is highlighted for his 'depth and breadth of experience in tax dispute files'.

Canada > Banking and finance Tier 5

Gowling WLG offers a strong lending-side practice, advising all six major banks and a range of non-traditional lenders. It also has a growing practice acting for corporate borrowers, with experience in acquisition financing and bond offerings. Toronto-based partner Christopher Alam heads the national lending group, acting for a wide range of financial institutions including US banks. Dom Glavota and Elizabeth Burton in Calgary are also key contacts, with respective expertise in loan recovery and syndicated finance. David Cohen in Toronto leads the financial institutions and services group. Harold Chataway and Derek Winett retired.