Firm Profile > Bennett Jones LLP > Toronto, Canada

‘A first-mover in the cannabis space, Bennett Jones has established an impressive track record in the sector.’

‘Bennett Jones has deep bench strength and is able to properly staff a file depending on the complexity of the matter with a good mixture of partners and associates.’

‘Results matter. This team won the largest judgement in the history of Western Canada. They are who we trust to handle the biggest cases.’

‘They make you feel like you are their only client. Also, they take the time to get to know the business from the inside out so their advice tackles issues from a business practicability in addition to legal standpoint.’

‘Very organized, diligent, and responsive. Able to think strategically for our business and communicate simply.’

‘Blair Yorke-Slader is the best trial lawyer in the province, and maybe the best in Canada.’

‘Jeffrey Leon is widely recognized by his peers, and deservedly so. He is personable, bright, determined, and very capable.’

‘Munaf Mohamed is an excellent litigator. We use him on our most sensitive matters. He is a strategic thinker who at the same time drills down to understand the details of complex files.’

‘The team is a one-stop-shop for oil and gas and is distinguished by the depth and breath of talent across contract negotiations, environmental and regulatory permitting, financial issues, human resources, EPC contracting and insurance claims.’

‘Lawyers have a no-nonsense approach and handle the legal aspects as if they were owners in our business.’

‘A very broad range of expertise. These folks know everyone in the business and their connections are top notch. Relationship partners are the best at getting things addressed. Fees are very reasonable.’

‘Shawn Munro is a go-to-guy for anything you need; he gets it done. Energy partner Vivek Warrier is a good lawyer to work with.’

‘Bennett Jones’ environment team is incredibly responsive and has the ability to focus on practical risks. It has an understanding of the law, and how it applies that is both wide and deep, and it also has the capacity to fit its knowledge base to your industry-specific needs.’

‘Sarah Gilbert is one of my most valuable resources. She always has ideas about which avenues to pursue, which regimes might apply, what questions need to be answered, and how to address issues that arise – or before they arise. Sarah is whip-smart with a vast and precise knowledge of environmental law. ’

‘An excellent team with key strength in structuring and execution of lending and associated security agreements for business aircraft. The group draws on strong support and excellent inter-disciplinary resources from the firm partnership to support speciality areas typically associated with private aircraft ownership.’

‘Excellent speed and turnaround in comparison to other firms, which results in lower overall transaction execution costs to the aircraft owner.’

‘Superb post-transaction support for the inevitable questions that come up at re-financing, or when the owner has a requirement to amend either their ownership structure or financing arrangement.’

‘Very practical team with the ability to differentiate well between the “nice to haves” and the “need to haves” in order to keep transactions moving along smoothly.’

‘Patrick Brennan and his associates have developed such a strong expertise in aviation and associated lending for commercial and business aircraft that, combined with a transparent and structured approach, we obtain a clean and predictable transaction every time.’

‘Bennett Jones is our go to firm for competition in Canada. The team is very user friendly and its guidance has proven itself time and time again.’

‘The Bennett Jones antitrust and competition team, headed in Canada by Randal Hughes, is an exceptional group with strength across the board in antitrust and competition matters.’

‘Randal Hughes is hands down the best competition lawyer in Canada. He has the respect of the Bureau, his peers in Canada, and the international antitrust community. Emrys Davis is a very strong up-and-coming member of the antitrust team, who also has great strengths across the board.’

‘John Rook and Emrys Davis are the best two antitrust litigators in Canada. John Rook is extraordinarily experienced and seasoned with superb judgment; he is also, unlike many Canadian counsel, not at all reluctant to take on the Competition Commission. Emrys Davis is John’s protégé and is extremely insightful with excellent strategic instincts.’

‘Lawyers and law firms are like tools, where it is necessary to select the right tool for the job. When the job in question is an M&A deal in the many millions of dollars, it is important to recruit a top-tier law firm to provide counsel. Unquestionably, Bennett Jones is my first choice to support this kind of job.’

‘Responsive full-service team that provides the necessary legal advice with strong transaction management and anticipates roadblocks and hurdles so they can be overcome as they (inevitably) happen.’

‘They are experts in the area of investment agreements. There is very little that they have seen and they are able to use their experience and expertise to get us the best possible terms.’

‘The team has exceptional bench strength. Brent Kraus has business knowledge, intellect, experience and is the most responsive lawyer we use.’

‘I can trust this team’s advice to be accurate and  I can trust the counsel to be honest with me, and not simply tell me when I want to hear. Mia Bacic and her team are thorough; no stone is left unturned. The legal intricacies are explained to the client in a manner that allows the client to make informed decisions on next steps.’

‘Bennett Jones combines business consultancy with legal expertise to provide a well-rounded approach to issues. The contacts the group has through years of broad business experience enables the client to reach the appropriate people to advance objectives.’

‘Bennett Jones is exceptional in having highly qualified and experienced people with an understanding of both law and practice in the international trade area. This is a specialized area where few private practitioners know much about the law at all; knowledge of how things actually work in the pseudo-diplomatic area of international trade law is particularly valuable in this context.’

‘We appreciate their expertise and practical knowledge, as well as their ability to work seamlessly and productively with the in-house legal team, in-house business team and other professional advisors alike.’

‘The team at Bennett Jones was very professional and demonstrated extreme proficiency with regard to the subject matter. I felt that all the advice provided was reasonable, practical and tactical. The firm was always consistent in their message regarding the matter.’

‘Darrel Pearson speaks authoritatively and a has a great mastery of the law; I was always comfortable that Darrel was leading us down the most strategic path in terms of being able to prevail. He also had longstanding relationships in the CBSA and I do believe his relationships were helpful in getting meetings, having our side of the story heard and facilitating a conclusion.’

Valerie Hughes in-depth knowledge of international trade agreements, enabling her to speak with credibility to stakeholders but also to talk in layman’s terms for the client, was invaluable. Leveraging her contacts and expertise allowed us to advance our position and gain support across government.’

‘The partners and associates work well together and are able to coordinate work seamlessly, so that if one partner is unavailable we get support from another partner.’

‘I am very fortunate to work with an experienced team who make me, as a client, feel like my requirements are on the front burner every time.’

‘While Bennett Jones is a large firm, they offer a uniquely “small firm” feel. I know that when there is an issue I can call the partner and have a conversation about legal and business risk, which is very valuable to me.’

‘The team combines a wealth of experience with specific understanding of the client’s business, which allows well-considered, relevant and usable advice on disclosure and transactions.’

‘Bennett Jones has great bench strength and draws upon a broad range of experience.’

‘Lawyers are responsive, practical and easy to work with.’

‘Bennett Jones works to understand our business and provides value from beginning to end. The team always responds rapidly and usually has a proven solution to provide.’

‘In our recent project, the Bennett Jones team (including Mark Kortbeek for commercial, Paul Blundy for P3 experience and Deirdre Shehan for regulatory) provided exemplary work and resulted in a flawless execution of the project.’

‘Bennett Jones has been steadily improving their infrastructure finance capabilities and have developed an excellent knowledge base. My go to-lawyers are Paul Blundy and Will Osler.’

‘Bennett Jones is terrific; we trust them with high-level matters.’

‘Dominique Hussey and Jeilah Chan are amazing. Smart, business-minded, responsive and reliable. My go-to team in Canada for all trademark matters.’

‘ A very capable tax team. Lawyers provide a great level of service.’

‘Bennett Jones has assembled a cross-functional team that are capable of handling a wide array of technology issues (including SAAS, IP, Data Privacy etc.).’

‘Bennett Jones has the bullpen to be able to serve almost any need that develops during a deal or one-off situations that arise.’

‘Sébastien Gittens really stood out to me as an excellent project manager – not only was he able to provide succinct business and practical advice, but he was able to manage foreign firms in achieving the same or similar results.’

‘Stephen Burns is a fountain of knowledge and experience. He knows the technology contracting market exceptionally well and can drive favourable and above market outcomes through negotiation and cogent analysis of transaction dynamics.’