Paul Belanger > Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP > Toronto, Canada > Lawyer Profile

Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP possesses an impressively well-rounded insurance practice that is well positioned to handle high-level litigation as well as transactional and regulatory matters. A popular choice for major domestic and international insurers and reinsurers, the group is frequently involved in the most headline-grabbing matters to hit the market. Among the names to note, Calgary-based David Tupper is highly regarded for contentious insurance work; he is representing a nuclear power mutual insurance company in a C$50m dispute with its reinsurer. Montreal-based Matthew Liben is also recommended for insurance litigation. On the regulatory side, Toronto-based department co-head Paul Belanger is sought after for his broad financial services expertise. Other key names on the non-contentious front include financial regulation specialist Bonny Murray as well as transactional-focused partners Jake Gilbert and Michael Elder – all operate from Toronto.

A destination practice for banking and finance, Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP stands out for its premier firepower in both the regulatory and transactional spheres. In terms of the former, Paul Belanger is widely acknowledged as a market leader; he recently paired up with Vladimir Shatiryan to advise Royal Bank of Canada on the regulatory aspects of its C$13.5bn acquisition of HSBC Bank Canada — the deal, which was also co-led by specialists in the corporate and dispute resolution practices, additionally highlights the team’s enviable ability to link up with practices from across the full-service firm to resource large-scale matters. Other key names on the regulatory front include Jacqueline Shinfield, Bonny Murray and newly promoted partner Mena Bellofiore. Michael Matheson is a go-to name for corporate and commercial finance transactions; he advised Toronto-Dominion Bank/TD Securities and Bank of Nova Scotia (as co-lead arrangers and underwriters) on C$1bn in senior secured revolving credit facilities and back-stop facilities to support GIC and Dream Industrial REIT’s acquisition of Summit Industrial Income REIT. Other recommended transactional specialists include Simon Finch, who focuses on private debt transactions; and Calgary-based partners Michael McIntosh KC and Nick Tropak. Michael Harquail recently retired. Named lawyers are based in Toronto unless otherwise stated. Partner Mary Jeanne Phelan joined the firm’s Montreal office from McCarthy Tétrault in October 2023.