McCarthy Tétrault > Toronto, Canada > Firm Profile

McCarthy Tétrault > The Legal 500 Rankings

Canada > Banking and finance

The banking and finance practice at McCarthy Tétrault strikes a balance between transactional and regulatory mandates, while the firm’s comprehensive national network also ensures that work is well weighted between Canada’s key business hubs. In Toronto, Richard Higa is sought after for transactional matters; he acted as Canadian counsel to Golub Capital Markets, and a syndicate of lenders, on the financing of Excelitas Technologies Corp. Other transactional specialists in Toronto include Gordon Baird; Justin Lapedus; and project finance specialist Stephen Furlan. Additionally, Joseph Palin and counsel Michel Deschamps are noted for lending deals in Calgary and Montreal respectively. The deep and broad group also includes regulatory and fintech expert Ana Badour, who recently acted alongside Hartley Lefton to advise Novacap on the regulatory aspects of its partnership with online financial marketplace, Ratehub.ca. Other key contacts include Ian Mak; recently promoted partner Noel Chow; and debt capital markets expert Marc MacMullin, who leads the overarching financial services group — all are focused on transactions and based in Toronto. Mary Jeanne Phelan departed in October 2023.

Canada > Capital markets Tier 1

McCarthy Tétrault’s first-class financial institutions offering is reflected in its capital markets practice, where the firm is widely recognized for its record in representing underwriters on debt and equity offerings. Among its recent highlights in this sphere, Montreal-based capital markets co-head Patrick Boucher advised a syndicate of dealers, led by National Bank Financial, on a C$750m offering of medium-term notes. The team is also a regular fixture on the issuer side, as evidenced by its its work for Cameco Corporation on its $747.6m bought deal offering; high-profile capital markets co-head Andrew Parker led the group’s involvement in that deal from Toronto. Other key contacts include Toronto-based national financial services chair Marc MacMullin, who is a go-to name for structured finance; Toronto’s Jo-Anna Brimmer, who specializes in securitization, covered bonds and debt capital markets; structured finance co-lead Dean Masse, who is also in Toronto; and Calgary-based Alyson Goldman.

Canada > Competition and antitrust Tier 1

The practice at McCarthy Tétrault is best known for expertise in merger, joint venture and foreign investment review. The group is well-versed in handling civil and criminal cartel investigations, as well as class actions. At the helm of the department, leading figure Jason Gudofsky focuses his practice on merger review, risk assessments and guiding corporate clients through investigations conducted by the Canadian Competition Bureau. Additional key partners at the Toronto office include Oliver Borgers and Debbie Salzberger, who focus on domestic and multinational merger review, as well as Casey Halladay, who majors on cartels and contentious matters. At the Montreal office, Dominic Thérien‘s practice encompasses merger and joint venture review, and criminal cartel and bid-rigging investigations. Donald Houston and Jonathan Bitran left the firm in January 2023.

Canada > Corporate and M&A Tier 1

With a nationwide presence and offices abroad in London and New York, McCarthy Tétrault continues to act as a first port of call for major public and private companies (including Blackstone and Rio Tinto) and private equity firms involved in high-value domestic and multi-jurisdictional transactions. The firm’s comprehensive service covers M&A, corporate finance and capital markets matters. The practice’s roster spans such sectors as mining, manufacturing, software, oil and gas, media, IT, private equity and pharmaceuticals, with the practice displaying particular strength in the mining space. Cameron Belsher, who works in the Vancouver and Toronto offices, brings expertise to M&A and private equity matters and co-leads the group with Jonathan See, a specialist in files related to the gaming, infrastructure and power industries, and Shea Small in Toronto and London, who provides extensive experience in joint ventures, strategic investments and capital markets. Clemens Mayr in Montreal acts for issuers and underwriters in Canadian and cross-border public financings. Shevaun McGrath handles complex leveraged buyouts, minority investments and restructurings in Toronto, where David Woollcombe advises on M&A and securities offerings.

Canada > Dispute resolution: British Columbia Tier 1

The British Columbia practice at McCarthy Tétrault demonstrates skilful handling of mining, environmental, Aboriginal and energy-related disputes. The group is also regularly sought out by national and international clients in the retail, healthcare, tech and financial services segments. Jill Yates steers the department and oversees major commercial cases for finance, agribusiness and pharmaceutical-sector clients. Additional key team members include leading litigator Michael Feder KC, who has substantial experience acting on consumer class action matters; and Aidan Cameron, who shines in construction, mining, insurance and real estate litigation. Alexandra Cocks and Patrick Williams, who was recently promoted to the partnership, are additional key contacts. Una Radoja specializes in filing or defending claims by public and private companies against directors and officers. Partner Miranda Lam left the firm in January 2022, moving in-house.

Canada > Dispute resolution: Ontario Tier 1

McCarthy Tétrault houses a strong Ontario disputes practice which counts class action, product liability, professional liability and securities litigation, as well as white-collar defence, arbitration and regulatory matters, among its specialties. The team is regularly engaged in disputes touching on mining, environmental, Aboriginal and energy matters. Arbitration, technology, professional negligence and contractual disputes specialist Thomas N.T. Sutton heads up the almost 140-strong group. Paul Steep majors on securities litigation and has experience appearing before all levels of Ontario courts, as well as the Supreme Court of Canada; Sarit Batner has particular experience in matters involving breach of contract, professional negligence and shareholder disputes. Junior Sirivar chairs the firm’s international arbitration group and is well-versed in mining, banking, healthcare and telecoms disputes. Other key names include Moya Graham, Christine Lonsdale and Adam Goldenberg. Eric Block left the firm in July 2023.

Canada > Dispute resolution: Quebec Tier 1

The Montreal-based group at McCarthy Tétrault is active on class action disputes, regulatory and product liability matters, securities litigation and arbitration. The team is well-versed in commercial litigation involving the pharmaceutical, tech and biotech segments, and routinely appears before all levels of the Quebec courts. Steeves Bujold directs the group. Ex-practice head Mason Poplaw remains active on complex commercial, corporate and securities disputes, and has additional experience of financial product liabilities cases and banking class actions. François Giroux majors on shareholder disputes, banking litigation and class actions involving securities violations and privacy disputes. Isabelle Vendette is noted for her expertise in injunctions, financial services and securities litigation, as well as privacy and contract disputes. Gabriel Querry is an additional name to note. Kristian Brabander left the firm.

Energy and natural resources > Power Tier 1

McCarthy Tétrault maintains a dominant commercial power practice that harnesses the wider firm’s signature corporate strength, which is additionally supported by significant regulatory capability. The team’s industry expertise spans a varied mix of wind, hydro, nuclear, and co-generation power projects, while its broad national footprint ensures that it is routinely involved in matters across the country — it also handles US-related work. Toronto-based Seán O’Neill spearheads the department and has a focus on power transactions; he recently advised Renewable Energy Systems Canada on the sale of the Bekevar Wind Project to Innagreen Canada Holdings C and Innagreen Canada Holdings D. The group additionally draws on high-profile infrastructure and projects expert David Lever and transactional power partner Suzanne Murphy — both of whom are based in Toronto — as well as Calgary-based energy regulation specialist Kimberly Howard. Former energy regulation lead George Vegh retired.

Canada > Environment Tier 1

McCarthy Tétrault houses a full-spectrum environmental law practice, which routinely acts for a varied mix of Canadian and multinational organizations and government bodies. From its platforms across the country, the group is well versed in a range of regulatory, transactional support and contentious matters, with strong experience before provincial and federal agencies. Calgary-based Kimberly Howard focuses on environmental, energy and regulatory law and co-heads the national team together with Cindy Vaillancourt, who splits her time between Montreal and Quebec City, and Vancouver-based litigator Nicholas Hughes. The department was additionally boosted in May 2023 with the hires of Vancouver-based Una Radoja and Toronto-based Laura Weingarden, who joined from Harper Grey LLP and Kirkland & Ellis LLP respectively. Selina Lee-Andersen left in January 2023, while Joanna Rosengarten departed in March 2023.

Canada > Infrastructure projects Tier 1

McCarthy Tétrault’s infrastructure projects practice is evenly distributed between its offices, which translates into comprehensive national coverage of all major infrastructure spheres, including rail, health, government buildings, and energy and natural resources. Toronto-based David Lever co-heads the practice and is recommended for his focus on project finance and energy-related matters. Department co-head Linda Brown, based in Vancouver, specializes in infrastructure projects, with experience across the full range of bidding processes, project finance and secondary market activity. Vancouver-based Morgan Troke is also highly regarded for infrastructure work and recently paired up with Vancouver’s Samantha Cunliffe to advise the ONxpress Transportation Partners consortium on the DBOM contract for the GO Rail Expansion On Corridor Project. Toronto-based real estate and construction specialist Godyne Sibay and Vancouver-based next-generation partner Liezl Behm are also recommended for projects work.

Canada > International trade Tier 1

McCarthy Tétrault’s comprehensive international trade and investment law practice thrives across the full scope of compliance, enforcement and contentious matters. The group is particularly sought after for its expertise in economic sanctions and trade control and also for its experience in representing clients before major trade and investment law bodies, including the CITT, FTA binational panels, and the WTO. Department co-head John Boscariol is widely acknowledged as an authority in the field and is equipped to advise public and private sector clients on an array of trade issues, including economic sanctions, anti-corruption laws, export controls and the enforcement of international trade and investment protection agreements. Other recommended names include group co-head Martha Harrison, who specializes in international trade and product regulatory law; next-generation partner Robert Glasgow; and capable associate Ljiljana Stanic.

Canada > Real estate Tier 1

The powerhouse practice at McCarthy Tétrault remains a market leader, pairing a nationwide presence and offices abroad in London and New York with the experience of its team to advise private and publicly-traded investors, major lenders, pension funds, REITs, developers and governmental bodies, on a comprehensive array of real estate matters. With a client base that features such key market players as the National Bank of Canada and the Bank of Nova Scotia, the group’s full service covers development, acquisitions and dispositions, access agreements, project financing and leasing, in addition to securitization, property management and public-private joint ventures. The practice is led by industry authority John Currie in Toronto, who brings expertise to such transactions as large and mid-scale secured financings, construction contracts and asset management and development agreements. Counsel Abraham Costin specializes in acquisitions, insolvency and realization work related to real property. Other key figures include Jamie Orzech, who employs experience in acting for clients in ground lease and sale leaseback transactions, and Keith Burrell KC in Vancouver, who assists developers of large residential and mixed-use projects engaged in presale activity. Sarit Pandya, who advises clients on syndicated bank facilities, construction financings and mortgage lending, was promoted to partner in January 2023. All lawyers, unless noted, work in the Toronto office.

Canada > Tax Tier 1

McCarthy Tétrault‘s ‘top-shelf’ tax team is routinely retained as tax counsel in high-profile transactions and is frequently instructed by financial institutions, REITs, private equity funds and pension funds. Litigation is an additional area of expertise. Toronto-based practice co-head Raj Juneja handles both corporate tax planning and contentious matters. Brett Anderson also co-leads from the Calgary office and specializes in public reorganizations, M&A and international tax matters. In Toronto, Stephanie Dewey, Patrick McCay and Stefanie Morand are noted for their tax planning expertise, while Jeff Oldewening is praised for his ‘truly outstanding technical knowledge’. May 2022 saw the arrivals of Simon Douville and Dominic Bédard-Lapointe; Leonard Nesbitt and Michael Dolson also joined the group in March and June 2023, respectively.

Canada > Technology Tier 1

McCarthy Tétrault houses a strong technology practice that specializes in major technology procurements, acquisitions and outsourcing mandates. The team is regularly called upon by banking, insurance, government, energy and retail-sector clients, who also benefit from the group’s privacy and cybersecurity expertise. Toronto-based practice head Christine Ing leads on transactional matters and is knowledgeable on emerging technologies including AI and blockchain. Also in Toronto, Michael Scherman's expertise covers cloud services and licensing. In Montreal, Charles Morgan is noted for his cybersecurity, AI and data protection knowledge. David Crane, who is well-versed in IT procurement, cloud and e-commerce matters, is the key name to note in Vancouver.

Canada > Telecoms Tier 1

McCarthy Tétrault's practice is noted for regularly representing clients in contentious broadcasting and telecommunications cases, in addition to advising on the application, regulation and commercialization of emerging technologies. The team is frequently instructed by telecoms companies, satellite carriers, mobile and fixed wireless networks, cable operators, financial institutions and regulators. Of counsel and Toronto-based practice lead Grant Buchanan has focused his practice on broadcast and telecoms financing, Copyright Board work and regulatory matters. Counsel Keith Rose is active on non-contentious matters involving 5G, satellite communications and consumer and medical devices.

Transport > Other transport Tier 1

The department at McCarthy Tétrault is known for acting for producers, rail and motor carriers, warehousers and governmental stakeholders in order to minimize transportation delays. With regards to litigation, the group has significant experience representing Canadian motor carrier fleets and inter-city bus operating authorities, appearing before the Transportation Appeal Tribunal of Canada, Transport Canada, the Canadian Transportation Agency and the Transportation Safety Board. Quebec City-based practice co-head David Blair is noted for his expertise in international transportation, safety standards regulation, carriers’ liability and trade-related issues. Alongside him, Brian Lipson also co-leads from Quebec City. Partner as of June 2022, Lipson handles regulatory compliance, surface and air transportation licensing and warehousing matters.

Canada > Business immigration Tier 2

Operating from five strategically-located Canadian offices, the team at McCarthy Tétrault is experienced at supporting clients from the oil-and-gas, mining, energy, banking, retail, hospitality and agriculture segments with a range of business immigration matters. Stéphane Duval, who splits his time between Montreal and Toronto, steers the practice and handles all stages of the visa, work permit and permanent residence application processes; he has additional knowledge of corporate restructurings and M&A. Key partner Julie Resetarits in Montreal frequently assists both domestic and multinational corporations, focusing on professional mobility, work permits and global immigration matters. Senior associate Amy Dupuis-Sène (also at the Montreal office) brings strength to immigration compliance issues. Associate Shefali Tanna in Toronto provides the partners across-the-board support on immigration issues.

Canada > Cannabis Tier 2

McCarthy Tétrault’s cross-practice cannabis group plugs into various departments across the full-service firm to provide comprehensive coverage of the sector, with notable expertise in M&A, litigation, governance and regulatory law, among others. Transactional specialist Ranjeev Dhillon is considered by many as a leader in the field; he recently paired up with Rami Chalabi, also noted for his transactional focus, to advise SNDL on its C$138m acquisition of The Valens Company. Regulatory and litigation partner Awanish Sinha co-heads the department together with Dhillon. Litigator Shane D’Souza is also a key contact. Named lawyers are based in Toronto.

Canada > Dispute resolution: Alberta Tier 2

The 29-strong Calgary group at McCarthy Tétrault handles insolvency, securities, construction, IP, oil and gas and insurance disputes. Practice head Douglas Yoshida has focused his practice on corporate-commercial litigation in the oil and gas and energy segments, including oil sands facility failures and joint venture disputes involving international companies. Key partner Sean Smyth KC is noted for his expertise in commercial contracts work, class action, shareholders' rights and directors' liability claims, while Kara Smyth is specialized in oil and gas, real estate, product liability, agro-science and technology-related disputes. Bryan West routinely represents corporations and partnerships in disputes relating to major construction and redevelopment projects.

Energy and natural resources > Mining

The mining group at McCarthy Tétrault continues to employ the bench strength of its national presence and offices abroad in London and New York, to advise major multinational mining companies (including Glencore, Silvercorp, Rio Tinto), on complex, high-value multi-jurisdictional M&A transactions. The practice is headed by M&A expert Eva Bellissimo in Toronto, who handles complex corporate finance matters; Shea Small, who operates out of the Toronto and London offices, and who brings over 25 years of experience; and Roger Taplin in Vancouver, who specializes in joint ventures and metal streaming. Daniel Bornstein in Toronto brings strength to advising clients on permitting matters and Aboriginal and environmental law. Shawn Doyle, head of the firm’s Latin America group, who operates out of the Vancouver and Chile offices, displays regional expertise.

Canada > Indigenous law Tier 2

The group at McCarthy Tétrault is regularly retained to advise on the duty to consult, Aboriginal and treaty rights, risk management, the assessment of right assertions, the financing of Indigenous owned projects and matters arising from the Indian Act. Litigation is a noted strength of the group, and it is equally active on injunctions and disputes relating to revenue sharing agreements. Toronto-based practice co-head Bryn Gray specializes in both advisory and contentious matters. Co-leading alongside him, Daniel Bornstein majors on commercial, aboriginal and environmental matters. Partner Selina Lee-Andersen left the firm in January 2023.

Canada > Insurance Tier 2

McCarthy Tétrault’s insurance practice is well-weighted between contentious and non-contentious work, with extensive experience in regulatory matters, corporate transactions, demutualizations, securities and dispute resolution. The group counts a broad range of industry participants among its clients, including insurers, reinsurers, brokerages, Insurtech companies and insured corporations, and is frequently involved in complex, multi-jurisdictional mandates. Regulatory and transactional insurance specialist Nancy Carroll ‘knows what is important to regulators’ and co-heads the group together with Hartley Lefton, who also specializes in transactional, commercial, governance and regulatory insurance work — both are based in Toronto. On the contentious side, insurance litigators William Scott and Aidan Cameron are recommended in Toronto and Vancouver, respectively. Hovsep Afarian recently joined Lax O'Sullivan Lisus Gottlieb LLP.

Canada > Intellectual property Tier 2

McCarthy Tétrault operates across all key pillars of IP law, with strong offerings in prosecution, litigation, and multi-jurisdictional matters. Among the names to note in Toronto, senior counsel Barry Sookman stands as an authority in copyright and IP-related issues. Alfred Macchione is recognized for his strong experience in IP prosecution and transactions; similarly, IP strategy and prosecution head Lisa Melanson is also a key contact in this sphere. IP litigation head Steven Mason is highly regarded for his record in cutting-edge IP disputes, while David Tait focuses on patent litigation in the pharmaceutical and life sciences arenas. Other key names in Toronto include Fiona Legere and associate Kendra Levasseur. Vancouver’s Vincent Yip leads the firm’s Western Canadian IP practice.

Canada > International expertise Tier 2

McCarthy Tétrault is distinguished by its presence in multi-jurisdictional mining transactions, where it can leverage a significant London platform to support on major mining M&A and corporate-finance deals. Its premier Canadian offerings in financial services, power, real estate and tech are also key drivers of international work. Mining and M&A co-head Shea Small is based between London and Toronto and has a hand in many of the firm’s largest cross-border mandates; such as his recent work acting as Canadian counsel to Australia-headquartered Newcrest on its $19bn acquisition by Newmont Corporation. The London office also includes regional managing partner Robert Brant, who specializes in international M&A, equity capital markets and projects; and projects specialist Christopher Langdon, who splits his practice between London and Toronto. Matthew Cumming manages the New York office, where he focuses on M&A and Securities.

Canada > Labour and employment Tier 2

The labour and employment practice at McCarthy Tétrault provides advisory and litigation support to finance, mining, retail and beverage-sector clients across Canada, delivered from offices in Toronto, Montréal, Québec City, Calgary and Vancouver. Toronto-based Tim Lawson leads the group at the national level, handling contentious and non-contentious work including collective bargaining and appearances before provincial and federal labour boards, often assisting clients in the energy, finance, transportation, retail and construction segments. Additional key contacts in Toronto include Toronto practice lead Sunil Kapur and all round labour practitioner Kate McNeill-Keller. Shana Wolch directs the Calgary team, which saw the promotion of Justin Turc to the partnership in January 2023. Partners André Baril (Montreal) and Christopher McHardy (Vancouver) are also noted for their activity in the practice area.

Canada > Pensions Tier 2

The pensions group at McCarthy Tétrault is well-versed in the establishment and management of pension, benefit and executive compensation plans, as well as advising on pension plan mergers and spin-offs, the designation of beneficiaries and fiduciary responsibilities. The team is regularly instructed by employers, administrators, sponsors, governments, regulators and service providers. Key partners Deron Waldock and Kelleher Lynch are active on advisory and transactional matters. Ex-practice co-head Randy Bauslaugh departed in January 2023 into private practice. The department was bolstered by the April 2023 arrival of new practice leader Susan Nickerson from Torys. Nickerson has focused her practice on the implementation of pension plans, fiduciary duties and risk management.

Canada > Restructuring and insolvency Tier 2

McCarthy Tétrault‘s group handles both domestic and cross-border restructurings, work-outs and insolvencies. The team regularly represent debtors, major financial institutions and other capital providers, large corporate creditors and court-appointed monitors, receivers and trustees. In Toronto, practice head James Gage focuses on advising debtors, creditors, investors and court officers in work-out, restructuring and insolvency proceedings. Partner Sean Collins in Calgary majors on out-of-court and court-supervised restructurings, while Heather Meredith (also Toronto) covers commercial insolvency, restructuring and bankruptcy mandates, as well as related litigation. Lance Williams is a key contact at the Vancouver office. Other key figures include Alain Tardif and Jocelyn Perreault in Montreal.

Canada > Construction Tier 3

With a strong national presence and offices abroad in London and New York, McCarthy Tétrault provides a comprehensive service in the construction space, advising a broad client base ranging from developers and lenders to contractors and architects on major projects domestically, and across Latin America, the US, the UK, Europe and the Middle East. With expertise across the energy, transport, retail, mining, healthcare and pharmaceuticals sectors, the practice assists with regulatory compliance, risk management, transactional matters and construction dispute resolution, in addition to occupational health and safety issues. Scott Chalmers in Toronto heads the national practice and advises on major international infrastructure projects. Julie Parla, a seasoned litigator and arbitrator, manages the firm’s national construction disputes practice. Bryan West, who leads the Alberta construction and project disputes groups, also provides experience in commercial landlord and tenant disputes.  Anca Neacsu, who heads the Quebec construction group, specializes in the energy and mining sectors. Aidan Cameron, an expert in multi-party contractual litigation, leads the British Columbia construction and project disputes groups.

Energy and natural resources > Oil and gas Tier 3

McCarthy Tétrault’s transaction-focused oil and gas practice acts for a wide range of industry stakeholders, from emerging producers and operators through to leading industry players, such as Shell Canada and Suncor Energy. Department co-head Brian Bidyk handles an array of oil and gas and power deals, with experience in the upstream, midstream and service spheres. Fellow co-head Kerri Howard also specializes in transactional oil and gas, including M&A, intellectual property and finance-related issues. The Calgary-based group additionally draws on the regulatory, environmental and Aboriginal law expertise of Kimberly Howard, while Douglas Yoshida handles energy litigation.

Canada > Public procurement Tier 3

The department at McCarthy Tétrault handles the range of all procurement matters, demonstrating particular strength in the structuring of procurements, defending clients procurements from legal challenges and preparing contracts. Toronto-based practice co-head Tristan Musgrave covers real estate matters and the resolution of procurement disputes, while David Crane has niche expertise in technology procurement. Disputes partner Julie Parla is an additional key contact.