Torys excels in both advising on tax aspects of complex transactions and tax litigation for Canadian companies in a range of sectors from financial services to mining, energy and real estate. Over the last year the team has handled financial and capital market transactions as well as private equity transactions, advising on investments, M&As and financings. The team is also noted for its expertise in assisting high-net-worth families with tax issues such as estate, income and transfer tax planning. On the litigation side, the firm is adept at handling tax controversy matters, assisting clients with tax disputes and appeals. The Toronto-based team is led by Jerald Wortsman, who is a standout tax lawyer who focuses on domestic and international corporate tax planning, largely advising financial institutions and pension funds. Income tax specialist Gwen Watson advises on M&A and corporate reorganizations, Corrado Cardarelli centres his work on structuring domestic, cross-border and global business transactions and Martha MacDonald is an expert tax litigator who handles a range of tax issues from transfer pricing to tax avoidance and foreign tax credits. Lastly, John Tobin is part of the disputes team and advises financial institutions and large businesses on tax controversy.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Strong overall team, providing creative and thoughtful solutions.’
‘John Tobin provides excellent long term solutions in a very personalized and pragmatic way. We have worked with John for many years and rely on him.’
‘The institutional knowledge that the team at Torys has in connection with our business is a huge advantage for us.’
'Corrado Cardarelli is very smart man who is capable of explaining complex matters in an intelligible way. Gwen Watson stands out for her technical capabilities and practical advice. Jerald Wortsman is very responsive, helpful, intelligent, capable, practical, timely with responses.’
‘The team's expertise and professionalism stand out.’
‘My experience is primarily with the financial services tax experts. In my opinion, they are the best in Canada. The team works well with each other and the rest of the firm, resulting in timely, accurate and effective advice.’
Key clients
- Homesteaders Life Company
- Home Trust Company, Smith Financial
- Prairie Centrals
- Crew Energy
- Orion Mine Finance
- Alamos Gold
- TorQuest Partners
- Canadian Apartment Properties Real Estate Investment Trust
- Fairfax Financial
- Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce
- Alphi Capital
Work highlights
Advised Homesteaders Life Company on its C$1.2bn acquisition of Park Lawn Corporation.
Advised Smith Financial on the merger of Home Trust Company with Fairstone Bank of Canada to create an alternative lender in Canada.
Advised the Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan credit union centrals on their sale of the business of Celero Solutions to CGI.
Lawyers
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Practice head
Jerald Wortsman
Other key lawyers
John Tobin; Corrado Cardarelli; Martha MacDonald; Gwen Watson