McCarthy Tétrault

Client Satisfaction

Hall of fame

Practice covers a full range of transactions, including leasing, acquisitions, development and financing. Acts for both large and small developers, pension funds and financial institutions. Practice also includes insolvency and realisation work related to real property.

Adam Goldenberg

Adam is a litigation partner at McCarthy Tétrault. His trial and arbitration practice focuses on commercial and regulatory disputes. He has particular expertise in appeals and judicial reviews. Clients value Adam’s advice on complex business problems, his agility in handling urgent issues, and his prowess in the courtroom. He has litigated matters in the courts of Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and New Brunswick, as well as the federal courts. He has been counsel in more than 20 appeals to the Supreme Court of Canada. Adam regularly acts pro bono for individuals and public interest organizations, including in high-profile matters affecting the LGBTQ2S+ community. Adam serves on the Leadership Council of the World Justice Project, an independent, multidisciplinary organization working to advance the rule of law worldwide. Early in his career, he was a law clerk to Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin at the Supreme Court of Canada. He has taught appellate practice and procedure at the University of Toronto and lectured at law schools across Canada on constitutional and administrative law.

Adam Ship

Partner in the firm’s Litigation Group and Lead of the firm’s national franchise practice. Focuses on complex commercial litigation and franchise-distribution law. Active commercial litigation practice before arbitration panels, all levels of court in Ontario, the B.C. Supreme Court, and the Supreme Court of Canada. Routinely advises domestic and international franchisors, manufacturers and master distributors in all areas of franchise-distribution law, including strategic and risk management issues, franchise agreements and national disclosure documents. Also advises numerous chartered banks on bills of exchange and other banking litigation.

Aidan Cameron

Aidan is a partner in McCarthy Tetrault’s Litigation Group and a lead member of our firm’s Construction, Insurance and Global Mining Litigation Groups. Aidan represents a wide variety of clients, including developers and others involved in large construction and infrastructure projects, global and domestic mining companies and others. Clients appreciate her responsiveness, her strategic and practical approach to problem-solving, her relationships with opposing counsel, and her deep industry knowledge, all of which Aidan uses to swiftly resolve complex and contentious disputes.

Alain Tardif

Alain N. Tardif is a partner in the Bankruptcy and Restructuring Group in Montréal. His practice focuses on domestic, cross-border and transnational corporate restructuring transactions, including All kind of cross-border restructurings, out-of-court restructurings and workouts, strategic insolvency-based acquisitions, and near-insolvency investing scenarios He has acted in a significant number of restructurings and reorganizations, leading representation of debtor companies, lenders, creditors, key shareholders, private equity firms and strategic investors. He frequently assists the World Bank as an insolvency law expert, and as such, participated in missions in various countries in the Caribbean and Africa. His expertise and experience have led to regular invitations to speak to various organizations about insolvency issues and to present restructuring strategies tailored to the firm’s clients , to be chosen as co-editor of the Canadian Bankruptcy Report and to becoming a member of the intervention committee of CAIRP.

Alexandra Cocks

Alex is a partner in McCarthy Tétrault’s Litigation Group and the National Class Actions Group. Alex is an experienced commercial litigator and has appeared in courts in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Ontario. Alex has significant arbitration experience, in domestic and international arbitrations. Her practice focuses on complex commercial disputes and class action defence. She is experienced in litigating contractual claims, partnership and shareholder disputes, fraud and breach of trust claims, real estate disputes, product liability and privacy claims. She represents clients from a broad array of industries, such as financial services, consumer and retail, technology and manufacturing.

Alyson Goldman

Alyson is a corporate lawyer who acts as counsel to various public and private companies, independent committees, underwriters and financial advisors on various securities and corporate law matters. Her extensive experience includes advising on public offerings and private placements of debt and equity securities, financial advisory matters, corporate governance matters, take-over bids, mergers, reorganizations and other business combinations, shareholder activism, proxy contests, stock exchange listing matters, regulatory compliance, and general corporate matters for public and private companies.

Amy Dupuis-Sène

Her practice is focused on immigration law, more specifically on the international mobility of workers and business people nationally and abroad. Amy offers comprehensive immigration services to individuals and Canadian and multinational companies, including regarding Canadian and foreign work permit matters. Amy holds a Bachelor’s of Civil Law (LLB) from Université de Montréal and a certificate in labour law from Université du Québec à Montréal. Her expertise was recently recognized in the 2021 and 2022 editions of Best Lawyers - Ones to watch. She is part of the executive committee of the Canadian Bar Association (Quebec division) Immigration and Citizenship section.

Ana Badour

Ana is a partner in McCarthy Tétrault’s Toronto Financial Services group and co-leader of the firm’s Fintech group. Ana regularly advises banks, credit unions, payment service providers, non-bank lenders and other Fintech entities on regulatory requirements, including prudential, consumer protection and anti-money laundering requirements. She is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS).

André Baril

Labour and Employment partner based in Montréal. Acts for employers in a number of sectors, including manufacturing, transportation, mining, financial institutions, universities and government. His expertise focuses on all aspects of both provincial and federal labour and employment law, including: Collective bargaining and agreement administration, wrongful dismissals, employment agreements, employment standards and policies, workplace harassment and discrimination, labour arbitration and pay equity. Has acted as counsel before the Québec Tribunal administratif du travail, the Canada Industrial Relations Board, boards of arbitration, Human Rights Tribunal, and other boards and tribunals, as well as civil and Federal courts.

Andrew Parker

Hall of fame

Andrew is co-head of the firm’s National Capital Markets Practice and is a partner in the firm’s Business Law Group in Toronto. Recognized as a leader in his field, Andrew’s practice focuses on corporate and securities law in general, including corporate finance (both domestic and cross-border), mergers and acquisitions, collective investment vehicles and registration and licensing matters. Andrew’s expertise in equity and debt capital markets combined with his practical, thorough, and responsive approach consistently make him the top choice for clients with sophisticated corporate and securities matters. Highly regarded by a variety of key sources, Andrew is involved in both public and private offerings for issuers, investors and underwriters with extensive experience in debt capital markets transactions (including high yield offerings). Clients count on Andrew’s deep understanding of the technical aspects of securities law to help guide them through complex legal matters efficiently and effectively.

Andrew Armstrong

Andrew is a partner in the Toronto office. His practice is principally focused on acting for investment managers and underwriters with respect to the establishment of investment products including retail structured products, investment funds, pooled funds, mutual funds and linked notes. Andrew is recognized in the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, PLC Cross Border Capital Markets Handbook, the Best Lawyers in Canada and the Lexpert/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada.

Andrew Matheson

Andrew is the Head of McCarthy Tétrault’s National White Collar and Investigations Group. He specializes in complex and cross-border investigations, regulatory and criminal defence, and professional discipline matters. His diverse experience includes practicing with Allen & Overy in New York City. In his investigations practice, Andrew addresses a wide range of exposures, including fraud, corruption, insider trading, money laundering, tax evasion and sanctions violations. He often appears before administrative tribunals, as well as appearing before the court of Ontario, including in the successful defence of the former CEO of Nortel on criminal fraud charges. He teaches at University of Toronto Law School, and publishes widely on matters relating to financial crime and investigations. He has been active in pro bono work throughout in his career, including acting for Guantanamo Bay detainees.

Annie Gagnon-Larocque

Partner in the Real Property and Planning Group in Montréal. Practice focuses on real estate acquisitions, real estate financings, property development, commercial leasing, and joint venture transactions. Regularly represents financial institutions and public and private companies in the multi-residential, retail and hotel industries, and for development work. Acting on major transactions for purchasers, lenders and developers of residential and mixed-use projects, including on projects involving vertical subdivisions and co-ownership.

Ariel DeJong

Partner in the firm’s Litigation Group and Insurance Group in Vancouver. Practice focuses on insurance coverage issues as counsel solely for policyholders. Also has significant experience in a wide variety of construction litigation matters both for plaintiffs and defendants and in education law. Has argued cases at all levels of the courts of British Columbia and has been involved in numerous mediations and arbitrations with respect to coverage and construction issues.

Barbara J. Boake

The firm’s National Practice Leader and member of Senior Leadership Team. Practices exclusively in the areas of bankruptcy and restructuring. Extensive experience in distressed M&A, high-yield debt-trading and complex restructurings. Recent engagements include counsel to Morneau Shepell as Canadian pension plan administrator in Nortel’s global restructuring proceedings and counsel to Stelco in its restructuring proceedings.

Barry Sookman

Hall of fame

Senior counsel in the Technology Law Group. Former leader of the firm’s Intellectual Property group. One of Canada’s foremost authorities in information technology, Internet, copyright and privacy law. Acts in connection with complex IT/AI//IP transactions and defense procurements and in IT/IP litigation. Has argued numerous precedent-setting cases at all levels of courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada. Adjunct professor of IP law at Osgoode. Author’s blog at www.barrysookman.com

Barry Ryan

Counsel in Financial Services Group. Focus on financial institutions regulation, debt financings and credit restructurings. Acts for various foreign and domestic financial institutions with respect to a range of financial services regulatory applications and advice. Leading expertise in financial institution regulatory capital offerings and public sector pension plan debt funding, having acted recently as counsel on capital offerings by Bank of Montreal, Royal Bank, National Bank, Canadian Western Bank, Sunlife, Manulife, Intact, Empire Life, Industrial Alliance, OMERS, CPPIB and Ontario Pension Board, among others. Specific illustrative retainers: acted for syndicate of dealers on a new capital offering structure by Royal Bank of $1.75 Billion Limited Recourse Capital Notes; for OMERS and OMERS Finance Trust on more than $6 Billion of debt financings in the global and domestic capital and bank markets; for lenders on $2 Billion emergency liquidity facility to Home Capital; for Bruce Power on its multibillion dollar debt program in the bond and bank markets; for Big 5 Canadian banks in the $32 billion ABCP restructuring. Acting for ten years for industry group consisting of major Canadian and foreign banks as well as institutional investors on Canadian derivatives regulatory reform.

Brian Lipson

Brian is a Partner and co-leader of the firm’s Transportation and Logistics group. His practice focuses on M&A, commercial agreements, regulatory compliance, and licensing in the areas of road and rail transportation, warehousing and supply chain. Brian has provided advice in respect of numerous purchase and sale agreements, reorganizations, and investments, and provides licensing advice in respect of cross-border transportation in the rail and road modes. He offers contractual solutions and advice on liability and risk exposure to a variety of transportation clients. Brian also has extensive experience with licensing and permitting requirements for commercial motor vehicles and for motor vehicle dealers throughout Canada, including obtaining licences from regulators in the context of cross-border acquisitions and expansions.

Brian Bidyk

Head of the firms oil and gas practice group. Practice encompasses a variety of corporate/commercial matters, with a specialization in M&A and divestitures in the oil and gas, electricity and renewable power industries. Advises major oil and gas corporations in the upstream, midstream and service sectors, as well as electricity developers, generators and transmission companies in respect of mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, and partnerships, as well as the operation, development and construction of energy projects. He currently acts as corporate secretary for several of his clients and has developed corporate finance experience through his work with both public and private companies in equity and loan financing.

Bryn Gray

Partner with extensive experience advising industry proponents and governments on Aboriginal law matters across Canada, including Aboriginal rights and title, the duty to consult, the negotiation and implementation of agreements with Indigenous groups, and litigation and dispute resolution. Previously served as a Ministerial Special Representative for the federal government on consultation and accommodation and has acted as counsel in matters relating to Aboriginal rights and title, the duty to consult, and revenue sharing arrangement disputes.

Cameron Belsher

Recent experience acting as lead counsel includes: friendly and hostile mergers and acquisitions involving public and private companies (both domestic and cross-border); debt restructurings; going-private transactions; proxy contests for control; initial public offerings; other public and private equity financings; all aspects of private equity M&A; royalty trust acquisitions and restructurings; and acting as general counsel and strategic advisor to management teams and their Boards.

Carmen Francis

Carmen Francis is a senior associate in the firm’s International Trade & Investment Law Group in Toronto. Her practice is focused on providing business-friendly, strategic and skilled advice across a wide range of trade, regulatory and compliance matters. Within her international trade practice, Carmen has significant experience acting for clients in litigation before the Canadian International Trade Tribunal and World Trade Organization, international investment disputes, import and export control matters, and customs and sanctions compliance. Her practice engages with a broad scope of industries, including the CPG, oil & gas, agribusiness, manufacturing and tech sectors, where her skillset provides clients with calibrated trade and product regulatory guidance. In the course of representing these clients, Carmen has developed a strategic understanding of the priorities, practical considerations and challenges faced by companies seeking to leverage cross-border business opportunities.

Caroline Zayid

National Leader of the Firm’s Litigation Practice Group. Practice focuses on product liability and class actions, at the trial and appellate levels. Has litigated many significant product liability cases including on behalf of manufacturers of pharmaceuticals, medical devices and consumer products. Has also acted on numerous cross-border class actions in relation to health care, financial services, securities, and automotive products. Extensive experience in administrative and public law for public and private sector clients. Represents clients at all levels of courts including the Supreme Court of Canada, the Federal Court of Appeal, and the courts of appeal of Ontario, British Columbia and Saskatchewan.

Catherine Samuel

Partner in the firm’s Business Law group and Technology Group in Calgary. Leads the National Procurement Group. Diverse practice focuses on complex M&A and commercial transactions, including private equity, acquisitions and divestitures, reorganizations, joint ventures, strategic projects, procurement, IT and outsourcing transactions. Extensive experience acting on cross-border and multi-jurisdictional transactions, including numerous Canadian market entry deals on behalf of foreign companies. Acts for Canadian and international clients in the energy, telecommunications, technology, retail, cannabis, financial services and healthcare industries.

Charles Morgan

National Co-leader of McCarthy Tétrault’s Cyber/Data Group. His practice takes a 360-degree approach to data, helping clients extract the tremendous value inherent in data, while at the same time managing the associated risks. He is a recognized thought-leader on the responsible deployment of artificial intelligence. Focus on cybersecurity, data protection, artificial intelligence, big data, tech sourcing, licensing, e-commerce, fintech and telecommunications. Represents broad range of clients, including financial institutions, communications, aeronautics and digital media companies in data management, outsourcing, systems integration and other complex commercial transactions. Regularly assists clients as breach coach (cyber readiness and response).

Christine Lonsdale

Christine is a partner in the Litigation Group in Toronto. A premier commercial litigator known for her practical approach, Christine’s practice focuses primarily on class actions, privacy defamation and administrative. Representing a broad range of clients, including financial institutions, media companies, and regulatory bodies, clients appreciate Christine’s responsiveness, ability to find creative legal solutions to real world problems, and commitment to providing optimal results to their complex issues in a timely and effective way. Working with client needs, she tailors her approach to suit the context in which their business operates, mitigating risk and advocating to protect their reputation and integrity. Christine has a strong track record of success in ensuring tight alignment between the litigation and media strategies. Christine can litigate a case to a successful conclusion or craft an early exit strategy. Christine is fully bilingual and litigates regularly in French and English. She has appeared as counsel at all levels of court, including the Supreme Court of Canada, in major cases in Ontario, British Columbia and Newfoundland.

Christine Ing

Hall of fame

Christine heads the firm’s National Technology Group and co-heads its Fintech Group. Christine’s practice focuses on commercial transactions involving technology, data and intellectual property. She is frequently sought in relation to digital transformation and collaborative innovation deals, involving novel technologies (including AI and blockchain). In the past several years, Christine has increasingly focused on data driven commercial arrangements that involve bilateral data sharing, data licensing, big data analytics and AI. She has had over two decades of experience in a wide variety of complex commercial arrangements having technology at their core, including outsourcing, systems and software acquisitions, systems and software development, licensing, various ASP and SAAS arrangements, complex services agreements and distribution/reseller agreements. Christine regularly acts for major Canadian financial institutions and other Fortune 500 companies.

Christopher McHardy

Partner in our Labour & Employment Group in Vancouver. Advises employers on a broad range of provincial and federal workplace issues relating to labour, employment, human rights, privacy and immigration law. Regularly advises US, UK, Australian, Chinese and other offshore clients in connection with establishing business operations in British Columbia. Also advises on and negotiates labour and employment issues in corporate mergers, acquisitions and outsourcing, including executive employment agreements. Regularly represents management in collective bargaining, negotiations, investigations, mediations, arbitrations, administrative hearings and in court. Appeared as counsel in matters before all levels of court in British Columbia, the BC Labour Relations Board, the Canada Industrial Relations Board, the BC Human Rights Tribunal, the BC Employment Standards Tribunal, the Workers Compensation Appeal Tribunal and provincial and federal grievance arbitration panels. Publishes and presents extensively on labour, employment, human rights, privacy and immigration issues in the workplace.

Christopher Langdon

Christopher Langdon is a partner in our Business Law Group in Toronto and London UK and is co-lead of our Projects Group. Christopher advises clients on a range of project development and finance transactions, representing sponsors, project companies, commercial banks and international financial institutions. He has extensive experience in banking, project finance, financial restructuring, joint ventures, metal streaming, off-takes and concessions. Most recently, he has been advising on major project financings and complex commercial arrangements for mining, energy and infrastructure projects in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Canada and the United States.

Chrystelle Chevalier-Gagnon

Chrystelle is a partner in McCarthy Tétrault’s business law group and the Industry Group Leader of our National Retail and Consumer Markets Group. She brings a creative and innovative approach to getting deals done. Her practice focuses on domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, private equity, venture capital, and complex ownership and governance structures. Chrystelle regularly represents U.S., European and other international clients investing in Canada, as well as Canadian clients investing abroad. She is a trusted advisor for private and public companies and organizations of multiple sizes across our Retail and Consumer Markets sectors, agrifood and food, forestry, energy and sustainable mobility.

Cindy Vaillancourt

Practice focuses on environmental, energy, mining, regulatory matters and pre-penal litigation advisory work. She advises clients from diversified sectors in the context of project development, permitting process, sales/purchases of business or properties, regulatory changes and advocacy initiatives. She also provides, trainings on liability and due diligence measures, advises on contaminated land management, supports clients with governmental investigation and inspections and coordinate risk monitoring and audit processes. She has developed a deep understanding of climate change policies and regularly helps clients navigate the greenhouse gas emission cap-and-trade systems. Prior to joining the firm, she was a legal and political advisor on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

Clemens Mayr

Practice focuses on securities and corporate law, concentrating on mergers and acquisitions, private equity, corporate governance and public financings, both domestic and cross-border.

Conrad Rego

Partner, Real Property & Planning Group in Vancouver. Practice focused on all aspects of commercial real estate, with a particular emphasis on real estate financing. Regularly advises significant institutional and private landlords, developers, investors and lenders on a variety of residential, commercial, mixed-use and comprehensive projects.

Craig Shirreff

Partner and leader of our Real Property and Planning Group in Vancouver. He advises clients in a number of different industries on all aspects of commercial real estate transactions, including acquisitions, dispositions, development, structuring, leasing and financing.

Dana Peebles

Past Chair of the firm’s National Class Actions Team and partner in the litigation group in Toronto. Civil litigation practice focused on class actions (particularly securities, data breach, pensions) and corporate-commercial litigation. Acted for leading Canadian and international companies in complex and challenging matters in the trial and appellate Courts in Ontario, Saskatchewan, British Columbia and Quebec, and in the Supreme Court of Canada. Was co-counsel for Defendants in the first two statutory secondary market securities class action leave motions in Canada.

Daniel Bornstein

Daniel’s legal practice is focused on project development and negotiating agreements between project proponents and Indigenous communities in the mining and energy industries, Aboriginal law and environmental law. Daniel has extensive experience advising domestic and international companies on permitting and environmental law, sustainability strategies and agreements with project stakeholders. Prior to joining McCarthy Tétrault, Daniel held various senior roles in the environmental and sustainability departments of an international mining company, where he gained extensive experience negotiating with Indigenous groups in Canada and throughout the Americas. Daniel is valued by clients for his on-the-ground experience with Indigenous communities and permitting major projects and his sound commercial judgment.

Daniel Glover

Partner in Intellectual Property group and national co-lead of Cyber/Data group. Advises on copyright, trademark and confidential information protection, primarily through litigation, including in technology, sports and entertainment, fashion, consumer products, retail, financial and health services fields. Numerous cases involving trade dress. Information law practice extends to privacy and cybersecurity litigation (including class actions), data breach response, and Internet law. Counsel in intellectual property matters before Supreme Court of Canada (7 appearances), US Supreme Court of the United States (led drafting of amicus brief on international copyright law), Federal Court of Appeal, Federal Court, numerous provincial appellate and superior courts, Copyright Board, CRTC, and the Trademarks Opposition Board. Testified as expert on Copyright Board before Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce; significant experience on copyright, trademark and privacy reform.

Danny Grandilli

Partner in the firm’s Toronto office. Practice focuses on private equity structuring, pension fund structuring, limited partnerships, joint ventures, and commercial real estate, including acquisitions, sale and leaseback transactions, financings, and property development. A significant portion of his practice is devoted to serving the pension fund industry and private equity real estate sector. Has been engaged by a range of private equity funds, pension funds, and pension fund managers in private equity fund structures, acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures, and asset management advice. In the last 15 years, has acted for real estate fund promoters in structuring, marketing, and closing multiple open and closed-ended funds across varying asset classes, which have attracted investment from investors of all sizes and types, and then in deploying funds raised in real estate projects.

Darryl Cruz

Darryl’s litigation practice is focused on professional liability and commercial litigation. He has appeared at all levels of court in Ontario and in the Supreme Court of Canada. Darryl has conducted many trials, both jury and non-jury, over his litigation career. His trials have been in relation to all areas of law, including contracts, advertising, competition, insurance, tax, environmental, intellectual property, technology, defamation, employment and professional negligence. In the professional negligence context, Darryl is known for his work as lead counsel for physicians in a wide variety of negligence and discipline cases. Darryl teaches Trial Advocacy and Medical Negligence at Queen’s Law School.

David Blair

Partner leading the firm’s Transportation and Logistics Group and a member of the Business Law Group. Drawing on his wide-ranging experience acquired over the past 30 years, he helps clients with complex regulatory transportation issues and finding adapted business solutions. He is known for his expertise in interprovincial and international transportation, safety standards regulation and carriers’ liability. Various leading Canadian, US and European companies in the rail, trucking and bus industries as well as the mining sector consult him for his in-depth experience and expertise. He is regularly involved in complex National and International transactions involving rail and road transportation businesses. He also appears before administrative tribunals, agencies and the courts in regulatory, safety compliance and liability matters.

David Lever

Hall of fame

David A.N. Lever is a partner in McCarthy Tétrault’s Corporate Finance and Mergers & Acquisitions Group in Toronto. In addition, he is the Industry Group Leader of the firm’s Infrastructure Group and Co-Head of the firm’s Projects practice. Known for his expertise in M&A and project finance and development, David has been actively involved in the power industry for over three decades. He has acted for developers, investors and lenders in connection with wind, hydro, nuclear and co-generation power projects in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and the United States. David has provided counsel in the areas of development, financing, contract negotiation, permitting and regulatory matters and ownership structures. He has extensive experience in financings for public and private corporations and income funds in both public and private markets. David also has significant experience in the purchase and sale of businesses in the energy industry.

David Woollcombe

David’s practice is focused on mergers and acquisitions and public company advice. David has advised many Canadian and international businesses on acquisition, divestiture and reorganisation transactions. David regularly advises public companies and their boards of directors on major transactions and governance matters. He has significant experience in capital markets matters, having acted for issuers and investment dealers in a wide variety of cross-border and domestic public offerings and private placements. David has experience across a broad range of industries, including financial services, natural resources, technology, manufacturing, consumer products and telecommunications.

Dean C. Masse

Dean focuses on securitization, structured finance, securities and fintech transactions, including single-seller, multi-seller and cross border securitization transactions.Dean has significant experience acting as lead counsel for issuers, sellers, purchasers, lenders, borrowers, underwriters and trustees in various public and private securitization, structured finance, securities and fintech transactions, with his securitization and structured finance transactions involving a variety of asset classes, including credit card receivables, residential and commercial mortgages, home equity lines of credit, auto loans and leases, and consumer finance receivables.Dean also has extensive experience acting as lead counsel for issuers and underwriters in connection with prospectus offerings, private placements, medium term notes programs, commercial paper programs, covered bonds programs and continuous disclosure matters. He has spoken at a number of conferences on various securitization, structured finance and fintech topics.

Debbie Salzberger

Debbie acts for clients in domestic and multinational mergers and acquisitions with respect to competition/antitrust law and foreign investment review matters. She also regularly provides competition law compliance advice in respect of criminal cartel matters and reviewable practices, including joint ventures, resale pricing, advertising and distribution issues. Widely recognized in Canada and abroad for her experience working on complex domestic and multijurisdictional transactions, Debbie’s practice is marked by her pragmatic and solutions oriented approach, working with clients to achieve their objectives. Her deep knowledge of the Canadian competition/antitrust and foreign investment regimes is complemented by her understanding of a variety of industries, making her a valued business advisor.

Deborah Salzberger

Deron Waldock

Deron is co-Chair of McCarthy Tétrault’s seven-lawyer national Pensions, Benefits & Executive Compensation practice. Deron provides strategic advice to employers with respect to the legal and regulatory aspects of pension plans, profit sharing plans, registered retirement savings plans, welfare benefits plans, retirement compensation arrangements and other areas of executive compensation and their related investment arrangements. He has broad and deep experience with respect to the treatment of plans on purchase or sale of a business and corporate reorganizations (including CCAA) and advises as to entitlement to use of surplus assets, and transactions involving numerous publicly traded entities with pension plans involving employees in numerous Canadian jurisdictions. He advises both private and public sector clients that included universities, governmental agencies, multinational corporations and jointly-trusteed and multi-employer pension plans.

Dominic Thérien

Dominic advises clients on all aspects of competition law, including merger control, cartel defence, abuse of dominance, and advertising and marketing practices. He has solid experience with domestic and international criminal cartel and bid-rigging investigations. He also advises on foreign investment merger review and national security issues arising under the Investment Canada Act. From 2011 to 2013, Dominic acted as Assistant Deputy Commissioner for the Quebec and Atlantic regions with the Canadian Competition Bureau. In his role, he was responsible for criminal cartel and bid-rigging investigations, as well as investigations with respect to advertising and marketing practices.

Donald Houston

Competition law and litigation practice includes defending criminal prosecutions, Competition Tribunal proceedings and private actions, including class actions. Has frequently represented the Commissioner of Competition. Significant cartel and merger practice, both domestic and international. Extensive experience litigating Competition Tribunal cases. Adjunct Professor at Western University Law School.

Donovan Plomp

Partner in firm’s Labour & Employment group in Vancouver. Appeared as counsel in matters before all levels of court in British Columbia, the British Columbia Labour Relations Board, the Canada Industrial Relations Board, the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal and grievance arbitration panels. Publishes and presents extensively on labour, employment and human rights legal issues.

Douglas Yoshida

Doug Yoshida is a partner and the Practice Lead of the firm’s Litigation Group in Calgary. Doug’s practice focuses on corporate-commercial disputes in the energy industry, including disputes regarding joint ventures, securities, facility and equipment failures, accounting, valuations, insurance and asset and corporate transactions. He represents private and public companies such as exploration and production companies and global companies that service and invest in the energy sector. Doug has appeared as lead counsel at all levels of court in Alberta, including in chambers, trials and appeals and represents parties before administrative, mediation and arbitration hearings. He has been retained to litigate disputes elsewhere in, and outside of, Canada.

Douglas Cannon

Practices taxation law with an emphasis on Canadian and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, reorganizations, financial products and investment funds. Also advises on tax aspects of business operations, including transfer pricing. Represents clients before the Canada Revenue Agency, the Ministry of Finance and the Department of Finance.

Emmanuelle Poupart

Partner based in Montreal with a general litigation practice in professional liability, class actions related to pharmaceutical products and other consumer products and insurance for policyholders. She is the lead for the firm’s Medical Liability Group, supporting both the Quebec City and Montreal offices. She frequently acts as lead counsel for doctors in a wide variety of negligence and discipline cases. She has experience at trial and appellate level and before administrative tribunals.

Eric S. Block

A partner in the Toronto office of McCarthy Tétrault LLP since 2002. Eric is a trial lawyer focusing on complex commercial litigation, cross-border litigation, internal investigations, real estate litigation, cannabis litigation, environmental litigation and defamation. He also specializes in class actions in the agricultural, product liability, securities, and employment spaces.

Erin Keogh

Erin Keogh is an associate in the firm’s Competition/Antitrust and Foreign Investment Group. She maintains a general practice encompassing all aspects of competition law, including mergers and acquisitions, marketing and distribution practices, abuse of dominance, criminal and civil investigations, and compliance matters.

François Giroux

Partner in the firm's Litigation Group in Montréal. Practice focuses on complex corporate commercial litigation, internal investigations, banking litigation and class actions. Highly versatile litigator, with significant experience in mediatized disputes and multi-jurisdictional litigation. He regularly appears before federal and provincial courts of all levels and many administrative tribunals. Member of the firm's Recruitment Committee.

Frank McLaughlin

Frank’s practice focuses on the defence of pharmaceutical product liability class actions, medical malpractice claims and a range of commercial litigation cases. Frank is a leading trial lawyer in medical malpractice litigation, having successfully defended over 30 cases through trial, both jury and non-jury. Frank has many high-profile representative works, including acting as National lead counsel for a number of pharmaceutical innovator companies.Frank and his team have taken creative approaches to the defence of class actions and have defeated class certification motions on behalf of AstraZeneca, in Martin v. AstraZeneca (involving the atypical anti-psychotic medication Seroquel), and on behalf of Lundbeck in Price v. Lundbeck (involving the anti-depressant Celexa)(currently under appeal). Frank has been involved in many leading medical malpractice decisions and specializes in birth injury litigation. Frank is a frequent presenter at conferences on medical legal issues.

Gabrielle Richards

Counsel in the firm’s Toronto office with a practice focused on tax implications of mergers and acquisitions, corporate reorganisations and corporate finance, as well as other general taxation matters.

Geneviève St-Cyr Larkin

Geneviève St-Cyr Larkin is an associate part of the Litigation Group in Montréal. Her practice focuses on commercial litigation more particularly related to banking law, fraud and securities, white collar defence, regulatory compliance, and internal investigations.

Geoff Hall

Geoff is a partner in the firm’s Litigation Group in the firm’s Toronto office. As a leading litigator on corporate and commercial matters, Geoff represents a broad spectrum of organizations in contract disputes; shareholder disputes; banking disputes; tax disputes; administrative law litigation; Aboriginal litigation; and insolvency and bankruptcy cases. Highly effective and equally at ease as trial and appellate counsel, he consistently provides high-quality, strategic advice to clients and successfully resolves precedent-setting cases before all levels of Canadian courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada, and in domestic and international arbitrations.

George Takach

Senior partner in the firm’s Technology Law Group in Toronto. Generates significant value add for clients across a range of transactions involving IT and related technologies. A trusted advisor to C-Suite decision-makers, as well as entrepreneurs, funders and investors. Represents public and private Canadian, US and international technology companies - brings significant value to them in tech company M&A/financing deals (particularly cross border). Very experienced at crafting creative solutions for the different challenges confronting public companies, mid-market private companies, and even select early stage ventures. Deep experience for private and public sector clients leading sophisticated tech commercial/outsourcing/procurement transactions; particularly adept at structuring and running “dual-track” competitive procurements – he helps parties structure and sign win-win deals in relatively short periods of time. Wide and deep experience with all forms of tech procurements, including BPO, infrastructure, cloud, on premise, and various versions of SaaS arrangements. Proficient and efficient at solving difficult e-commerce legal challenges, including those involving privacy law and data breach, incident management and litigation. Currently particularly active in the following sectors: artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data, cyber security, healthcare informatics, fintech, legal tech, facial recognition, smart cities, gaming technologies, cryptography, autonomous and connected vehicles, property tech.

George Vegh

Prior to joining McCarthy Tétrault, George was General Counsel of the Ontario Energy Board. Leader in energy sector, served on the OEB’s Innovation Advisory Committee, and as Chair of the IESO Market Forum. The Ontario Energy Association and Vice Chair of Vice-Chair of Association of Power Producers, Ontario. Led a number of industry initiatives, including Task Forces on Distribution Rate Regulation, Infrastructure Renewal, Distributed Generation, and Transmission Connection for Renewable Generation. George has also advised on energy market reforms in Kenya, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and Indonesia.

Gideon Kwinter

Gideon Kwinter is an associate in the firm’s Competition/Antitrust and Foreign Investment Group in Toronto. Gideon advises clients on all aspects of competition law, including mergers and acquisitions, marketing and advertising practices, abuse of dominance, criminal and civil investigations, and compliance matters. Gideon also provides counsel to foreign investors and Canadian businesses with respect to economic, cultural and national security matters under the Investment Canada Act. Gideon has advised on numerous complex, global and domestic strategic transactions, with extensive experience in the transportation, telecommunications, retail, financial services and aerospace industries.

Godyne Sibay

McCarthy Tétrault's Regional Managing Partner (Ontario), a Senior Partner in the firm's Real Property, Projects and Infrastructure Group and a former member of the firm’s Board of Partners, a trusted legal and strategic advisor with extensive experience in project development, public-private partnerships (PPP), public procurement and real estate including acquisition, disposition, leasing and construction matters. Significant landmark infrastructure and development projects across Canada include numerous PPP and other projects involving hospitals, power, transportation, universities, hotels, forensic facilities, police facilities, condominium, commercial, mixed use and professional sport facilities that strengthen our cities and communities. Godyne is consistently recognized for her experience in leading legal directories in Canada and beyond. Awarded the Women’s Infrastructure Network’s National 2021 WIN Award as Outstanding Leader for significant and meaningful contributions to infrastructure in Canada and beyond. Godyne is recognized as a Leadership Champion by WLI and one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women by WXN.

Gordon Willcocks

Practises in the area of public procurement, infrastructure and project development, particularly with a variety of public-private partnership arrangements and concessions covering hospitals, courthouses, LRT, entertainment facilities, sports arenas, defence, transportation, rail, and airports. Clients include hospitals, universities, municipalities, government agencies, Crown corporations, professional sport team owners, equity investors, consortia, developers, lenders, Infrastructure Ontario, the procurement agency of the Province of Ontario for large public infrastructure projects, Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, Metrolinx, the Provincial rapid transit authority, the Province and Provincial Ministries.

Gordon Baird

Focuses on lending and secured transactions, with particular emphasis on the power, financial services, financial market infrastructure, private equity, and communications industries. Regularly acts for banks, non-bank lenders and borrowers on domestic, cross-border and international debt transactions. Recent transactions include acting for lenders to hydro-electric, wind and solar generation facilities, both at the operating level, the holding company level, and the super holding company level, acting for central clearing parties on liquidity facilities of various types, including by way of a syndicated repurchase and reverse repurchase transactions, acting for pension fund related commercial paper issuers and a financial institution on their backstop liquidity facilities, acting for lenders providing capital call facilities, subscription facilities, net asset value facilities and hybrid facilities to domestic and international private equity funds, acting for lenders on single lender and syndicated margin loans secured by significant blocks of public company securities, including in the context of a take-over bid, financing acquisitions of hydro-electric generation projects, financing a government payment stream relating to the cessation of coal powered generation, and, acting for lenders and borrowers on the financing of infrastructure projects in Canada and the United States.

Gordon Nettleton

Gordon Nettleton is a partner in McCarthy Tétrault’s Oil & Gas Group and co-head of the National Environmental, Regulatory & Aboriginal Group. He specializes in energy regulatory, Aboriginal, environmental, and business law matters, and has significant experience in the regulation of oil & gas, including liquefied natural gas, pipelines and projects, and electricity industries. Gordon’s clients have included shippers on major pipelines and applicant pipeline companies seeking facilities and tolling approvals. He also has acted for Canada’s largest transmission and distribution utilities in respect of major rates revenue applications and facility expansion approvals. Gordon regularly appears before the Commission of the Canadian Energy Regulator (formerly the National Energy Board) and provincial regulatory tribunals including the Alberta Energy Regulator, the Alberta Utilities Commission, the Ontario Energy Board, the British Columbia Utilities Commission, and the New Brunswick Energy Utilities Board.

Grant Buchanan

Practice focuses on broadcast and telecom regulation and Copyright Board work. Broad understanding of the communications industry, related corporate documentation and the framework for broadcast and telecom regulation and financing.

Gregory Winfield

Provides strategic legal advice with respect to retirement, health & welfare and other compensation plans. Recent focuses are on investments, DB plan freezes and innovative plan designs, governance and changes to retiree benefits. Advises on the treatment of benefit plans in M&A transactions, lending transactions and insolvencies; advises on private and public sector pension plans. Experience in litigating matters before pension regulatory authorities and provides pension expertise to McCarthy litigation team in pension class proceedings. Represented employer in connection with nation’s first Employee Life and Health Trust. Frequent speaker and writer on benefits topics, including Canadian contributor to first UNEP FI paper on ESG for Institutional Investors.

Hartley Lefton

Hartley Lefton is a partner in McCarthy Tétrault’s Financial Services Group, including serving in Toronto as national co-chair of the Insurance and Reinsurance Group. He is recognized as a leading transactional, commercial, governance and regulatory/compliance advisor to financial sector participants operating in Canada, most notably insurers, reinsurers, insurance brokers, insurance adjusters, banks, credit unions, and FinTech/InsurTech companies. He leverages his insurance regulatory and transactional expertise, and his experience interacting with regulators, to ensure clients are not only aware of regulatory changes, but truly understand how regulation will impact each aspect of their business and manage risk, including acquisitions/divestitures, formation/licensing, product launches, financings, outsourcing, investment strategy, related party transactions, issues relating to capitalization and accounting standards, and joint ventures. Hartley has particular expertise assisting clients with regulatory inquiries and investigations. Hartley’s deep understanding of the financial services landscape in Canada, coupled with his diligence and resourcefulness, allows him to deliver practical insights that help global companies operating in Canada achieve their business objectives.

Heather Meredith

Practice focuses on commercial insolvency, restructuring, bankruptcy and related litigation. Experience in numerous complex Canadian corporate restructurings representing a wide variety of stakeholder groups, including debtors, secured creditors, court officers and landlords. Experience includes, the restructuring of 33 Yorkville, Halo, Clover, Rothmans, Benson and Hedges, U. S. Steel Canada, Bondfield Construction – related P3 projects, Arctic Glacier, Cash Store, Skyservice and Asset Backed Commercial Paper as well as the cross-border restructurings of Takata, SquareTwo and Elephant and Castle.

Ian Mak

Ian Mak is a partner in the Financial Services Group in Toronto. He has a corporate practice specializing in all aspects of leveraged finance, banking, and secured lending. Ian regularly advises Canadian banks and other major international institutional lenders and alternative capital providers in the negotiation and structuring of corporate and commercial credit facilities. In addition, he regularly acts for industry leading alternative asset managers, private equity funds, and other financial sponsors in the negotiation and structuring of complex debt arrangements in connection with leveraged buyouts, recapitalization transactions, mergers & acquisitions, and other strategic investments across diversified sectors including technology and infrastructure. Ian also has a deep understanding of the Canadian and US credit markets and regularly advises on complex cross-border transactions.

Isabelle Vendette

Isabelle Vendette is a partner in the firms’ Litigation Group in Montréal. Her practice focuses on corporate commercial litigation and civil litigation, as well as on internal investigations and cybersecurity. She regularly pleads before the Superior Court and the Court of Appeal. Her principal areas of expertise are injunctions, financial services litigation, securities, franchise litigation, privacy, ESG and contract disputes. Isabelle advises and represents some of the firm’s most important clients including financial institutions, telecommunication companies and other public and privately held corporations in complex and high-profile cases. She has led litigation files in various fields, including unfair competition, banking law, product liability, securities, consumer law, false or misleading advertising and in special remedies such as injunctions. Isabelle is a regular speaker at conferences, where she presents on trends in ESG-related securities litigation, commercial law, class actions, consumer law and cybersecurity. She is also a contributing author to the fifth edition of Defending Class Actions in Canada and to articles on injunction and data protection.

Jacques Rousse

Partner based in Montréal, Mr. Rousse advises management in all matters with respect to human resources and executive compensation. In the event of litigation, he acts before arbitration boards, administrative tribunals and the civil courts in matters related to grievance arbitration, employment contracts, wrongful dismissals and human rights complaints. Mr. Rousse also appears before tribunals in matters concerning occupational health and safety, restrictive covenants and privacy law. Furthermore, he has acquired considerable experience in collective bargaining, as well as in labour and employment matters related to restructurings and mergers and acquisitions. He represents a wide number of private and public sector employers both unionized and non-unionized, including companies and organizations in the manufacturing, transportation, mining, financial, hospitality and service sectors. Mr. Rousse also assists physicians in matters of disciplinary and administrative law.

James Gage

Practises exclusively in bankruptcy, insolvency and restructuring matters. Extensive experience advising debtors, creditors and court officers in work-out, restructuring, receivership and bankruptcy proceedings in both Canadian and international contexts. Recent matters include lead bankruptcy counsel to Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Inc. in its restructuring proceedings under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act, to the syndicate of senior secured lenders in the cross-border restructuring proceedings of a natural gas and electricity retailer, and to CannTrust Holdings Inc. in its restructuring proceedings under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act. Other recent matters include Canadian restructuring counsel to a car rental company in its global restructuring proceedings implemented under chapter 11 the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, and to U.S. Steel Canada Inc. in its restructuring proceedings under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act and chapter 15 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.

James Papadimitriou

Senior partner in the Montréal office. Practice focuses on real estate (acquisitions, dispositions, development, joint ventures, financing, mortgage purchases, syndications, participations and leasing). He is also the firm’s Real Property and Planning Group lead for the Québec region.

Jamie Orzech

Practice focuses on commercial real estate including acquisitions and dispositions of all asset classes; commercial leasing including, new project first occupancies, ground lease and sale lease back transactions; borrower and lender side financing transactions, including securitization/ bond financings; real estate development projects including condominium and subdivision development. Extensive experience in the structure and implementation of real estate joint ventures, co-ownerships and other multi-ownership structures. Represents pension funds, REITs, developers, government agencies, financial institutions, public and private real estate managers, and life insurance companies.

Jason Gudofsky

Hall of fame

Jason is the Chair of McCarthy Tétrault’s Competition/Antitrust & Foreign Investment Group. He has over 25 years of experience advising on all aspects of competition law, including mergers, joint ventures and alliances, and both civil and criminal investigations. Significant recent mandates include: Parkland/Husky, Parkland/Pétroles Crevier, Discovery/WarnerMedia, Hitachi Rail/Thales Ground Transportation Systems, NCR/Cardtronics, AstraZeneca/Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Aon/Willis Towers Watson AbbVie/Allergan, Harris Corporation/L3 Technologies, and Walt Disney/21st Century Fox. Jason also advises on foreign investment/national security reviews under the Investment Canada Act, including the following significant transactions: Cineworld/Cineplex, Zijin Mining/Continental Gold, CCCI/Aecon and CNOOC/Nexen. Jason is regularly relied upon to provide risk assessments, internal audits and navigate sensitive matters through the relevant Canadian governmental authorities. Jason previously worked for three years at a leading international law firm in Brussels.

Jeff Oldewening

Jeff is a Partner in the McCarthy Tétrault’s National Tax Group in Toronto with a practice focusing on domestic and cross-border mergers & acquisitions and reorganizations. Jeff is an experienced senior tax practitioner, renowned for developing innovative tax planning structures for multi-nationals and Canada’s leading financial institutions. He has extensive experience guiding clients through complex, domestic and cross-border M&A transactions, reorganizations and investments. He is one of the leading tax advisors in Canada in the area of corporate reorganizations and butterfly transactions.

Jill Yates

Partner in and Practice Lead of the firm’s Litigation Group in Vancouver. Chair of the firm’s National Class Actions Group. Experienced commercial litigator and has appeared at all levels of court in British Columbia, in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario, in the Federal Court, and in arbitral hearings. Has expertise in complex commercial litigation involving a variety of types of claims and in a broad range of industries, and particular expertise in defending class actions. Has significant trial experience, including trial of common issues. Frequently represents financial institution clients on a variety of matters including in relation to fraud, de-marketing, contract terms and mortgage issues. Frequently represents clients in consumer protection, product liability and privacy claims.

Jo-Anna Brimmer

Partner in the firm’s Business Law Group in Toronto. She has a structured finance, financial services and securities practice with a focus on securitization, covered bonds and debt capital markets transactions. Her recent cross-border transactional experience includes public and private securitization transactions covering a variety of asset classes, including auto and equipment loans and leases, dealer floorplan loans, HVAC and water heater rental contracts and trade receivables. She has also advised a number of Canadian financial institutions on the establishment of covered bond programmes and related international offerings. Regularly acts for issuers and underwriters in connection with public securities offerings and private placements, including secured and unsecured bond and limited recourse capital notes offerings.

Jocelyn Perreault

His practice consists of advising clients on insolvency or potential insolvency or reorganization matters, and representing them in informal workouts, formal restructurings under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act, the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act or other statutes, receiverships or bankruptcies, or as part of commercial or litigation matters involving insolvency questions. He has represented various parties in such matters: debtor companies, monitors, trustees, receivers, secured creditors, unsecured creditors, creditor groups, purchasers and investors. He has appeared in front of first instance and appellate courts in Quebec and other Canadian provinces and of the Supreme Court of Canada, as well as in France as part of a French insolvency proceeding involving a Canadian client. He has also been involved in special mandates for the World Bank consisting of the review of insolvency and creditors’ rights regimes in foreign jurisdictions. He assists clients with both transactional and litigious aspects as part of insolvency and reorganization proceedings.

Jody Aldcorn

Jody is a partner in McCarthy Tétrault’s Business Law Group in Vancouver. Her practice focuses on infrastructure, projects and general corporate and commercial law. Jody has significant experience in infrastructure projects in Canada, the United States and the Caribbean, and provides advice throughout the full life cycle of a project, including in connection with project procurement, structuring, bidding, transactional matters and ongoing governance, management and operational issues. Recent transactions include advising the lead developer of the team selected by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for the John F. Kennedy International Airport Terminal 6 and 7 Redevelopment Project, advising a member of the successful proponent for the redevelopment of the William H. Grey III 30th Street Rail Station (Philadelphia), advising a Canadian international airport on financing and operational matters, advising a short-listed proposer on a bid for the operation of the Grantley Adams International Airport (Barbados), advising the developer of the L.F. Wade International Airport Redevelopment Project (Bermuda) on construction, financing and ongoing operational issues and advising an equity member and operator on its successful bid and subsequent management of the LaGuardia Airport Central Terminal B Redevelopment Project.

John Gilmore

John R. Gilmore is a partner in the Labour & Employment Group in Calgary. As a seasoned labour lawyer with over 30 years of experience advising employers and large unionized clients, John has built a reputation for creativity, excellence and value generation. With deep industry expertise in Canada’s dynamic energy sector, he delivers strategic insights and critical dispute resolution counsel, earning a Chambers Canada Band 1 ranking for Employment & Labour – Alberta that makes him a sought after advisor in labour relations, employment contract negotiations, commercial transactions and dispute resolution.

John Currie

Hall of fame

Commercial real estate practice covers all aspects of real estate transactions, including acquisitions and dispositions, large and mid-scale secured construction and term financing, securitizations, construction contracts, asset management and development agreements, joint ventures, operating contracts, leasing and licensing. Recent transactions include acting for lenders in respect of large-scale bond and other forms of financings relating to office, retail and industrial complexes, condominium and hotel developments, entertainment and gaming facilities, timberland operations and multi-asset pool senior and mezzanine lending.

John Boscariol

Acts for a wide range of clients on investigations, enforcement, disputes and compliance in respect of anti-corruption law and policy, business integrity laws, economic sanctions, export and technology transfer controls, defence trade controls, import controls, national security measures, customs and tariffs, anti-dumping, countervail and safeguard actions, and government procurement, including on the application of debarment regimes. Assists manufacturers, suppliers, distributors and retailers in the design and implementation of supply chain strategies to maximize efficiencies while ensuring full compliance with laws governing the cross-border movement of goods, services and technology. Also advises on rights, obligations and remedies under international trade and investment agreements, including the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (NAFTA’s replacement), the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, bilateral investment treaties, and the agreements of the World Trade Organization (including TRIPS and GATS).

John Osler

John Osler, Q.C. is a partner in our Business Law Group and a member of the board of directors of McCarthy Tétrault. John’s practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, securities and corporate law matters for senior issuers. He has represented many of Canada’s largest corporations in a variety of public and private transactions. John advises public corporations on securities and corporate finance matters including corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions and dealings with securities regulators and Canadian and U.S. stock exchanges. He also advises special committees and boards of directors on mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance and corporate securities matters, and advises corporations in connection with proxy fights and other shareholder disputes.

Jonathan See

Jonathan See is a partner in the firm’s Business Law Group in Toronto and Co-Head of the national M&A Group and Private Equity Group. Recognized for his client-centric approach, Jonathan is one of Canada’s most well-known M&A lawyers acting for sponsors, private equity, alternative investment funds, strategics, and investment banks on a wide range of domestic and cross-border transactions across a wide range of industries. Jonathan is also recognized by Legal 500 and IFLR as a leading lawyer in Corporate M&A, and by a number of noteworthy publications in the areas of infrastructure & energy, private equity, corporate/commercial, and investment funds and banking.

Joseph Palin

Joe is a partner in the McCarthy Tétrault Financial Services Group. His practice is focused on structuring and completing domestic and international financing transactions, frequently advising both lenders and borrowers as they navigate matters involving complex financing structures. Acting as a trusted advisor, Joe leverages his business acumen and legal expertise to achieve the best possible outcomes for clients. With over 30 years of experience in the practice of law, Joe has detailed industry knowledge and established relationships in the oil & gas, energy services, and power sectors. Through first-rate technical knowledge, strategic advice and understanding of clients’ business, he guides clients through even the most challenging situations.

Julie-Martine Loranger

Litigation partner based in Montréal. Practice focuses on class actions, product liability, tort, consumer protection, securities, and white collar crime. Highly experienced litigator with over 30 years of experience, and has appeared before all levels of Courts of Canada, including the Supreme Court of Canada, Quebec Court of Appeal, and the superior court. Has appeared before various regulatory bodies, arbitrators, and mediators. Recognized as a skilled negotiator with proven affinity for strategy and innovation.

Junior Sirivar

Junior is a Partner and co-chair of McCarthy Tétrault’s International Arbitration Group. Junior advises domestic and international clients across a broad range of industries, including mining, banking and telecommunications in complex commercial disputes. Junior provides strategic advice and has argued numerous cases before tribunals seated in a variety of venues. Junior has also acted as trial and appellate counsel in numerous civil matters, appearing before all levels of court in Ontario.

Justin Turc

Justin Turc is an associate in the Labour and Employment Group in Calgary and advises employers on a range of human resources issues, including employment contracts, workplace policies, terminations, occupational health and safety incidents, diversity and inclusion, disability management, and workplace investigations. Justin is frequently engaged as a subject matter specialist on corporate transactions and to assist employers with human rights complaints, wrongful dismissal lawsuits, disputes over restrictive covenants, arbitrations, and matters before the Alberta Labour Relations Board.

Justin Lapedus

Partner in the Financial Services Group in the Toronto office, with a practice focused on banking and secured-lending transactions. Acts for Canadian banks, US banks, as well as other Canadian, US and international financial institutions and non-bank lenders in connection with structuring and negotiating all types of debt financings, including acquisition financings, asset-based loans, and other corporate and commercial loans.

Kara Smyth

Partner in firm’s Calgary Litigation Group. Practice focuses on corporate commercial, class action and public law litigation. Represents clients from a wide range of industries such as oil and gas, wind farm development, commercial real estate, retail and agrosciences in disputes concerning commercial contracts, class actions, departing fiduciary obligations, product liability and a variety of other matters concerning complex commercial transactions. Appeared before arbitral tribunals, all levels of court in Alberta and the Federal Court including on complex interlocutory motions, judicial reviews, trials and appeals.

Karl Tabbakh

Karl Tabbakh is the Regional Managing Partner for Québec and Co-Leader of the Firm's International & Business Strategy. Karl is also a member of McCarthy Tétrault's Senior Leadership Team determining and implementing the firm’s overall strategy. In addition, Karl maintains a formidable practice focusing on complex financings and transactions, including both domestic and international private equity and M&A deals for some of the firm’s most significant clients. Karl led and participated in the negotiation and structuring of some of the most high profile and strategically critical transactions in Canada, the Middle East and globally. With over 20 years of experience structuring, negotiating, executing and closing critical business transactions in Québec and around the world, Karl uses his deep knowledge of transactions and global experience to ensure clients are well-served and equipped with an understanding of both legal and business implications during major decisions.

Keith Rose

Keith Rose draws on a practical background in the IT and telecommunications businesses, with more than a decade of prior experience as a software developer and project manager, as well as a deep interest in the interfaces between law and technology in the real world, to identify and resolve legal problems. Keith advises clients on a range of technology and communications law issues including telecommunications and spectrum regulatory compliance and policy issues for wireline and wireless communications, wireless equipment certification, privacy and anti-spam compliance, intellectual property, e-commerce, and general commercial matters. Keith is frequently called upon to help clients address novel regulatory issues on the leading edges of technological change.

Keith Burrell KC

Counsel in the firm’s Vancouver office. Emphasis on complex commercial real estate acquisitions and dispositions, financings, subordinated debt transactions, workouts and strategic advice. Extensive work with major public/private real estate developers, both local and offshore, and real estate investors including pension funds and REITs seeking commercial income properties. Expertise in commercial investment property (including hotels) and in representing developers of large residential and mixed-use projects and private equity lenders providing subordinated debt for development projects. Extensive experience preparing and negotiating documentation for projects structured as partnerships or joint ventures, and ancillary management and other service agreements required for such projects.

Keith Burrell KC

Kelleher Lynch

Partner in McCarthy Tétrault’s National Pension, Benefits and Executive Compensation Practice in Toronto, and a member of the Firm’s Pension Funds Group. Kelleher advises public, private and not-for-profit clients on legal issues relating to the sponsorship and administration of pension plans, health and welfare benefits, and other employee compensation arrangements. He also has expertise advising on employee plan matters in major M&A transactions and secured lending transactions.

Kendra Levasseur

Kendra Levasseur is an associate in our Intellectual Property Litigation group in Toronto. Kendra’s practice focuses on complex intellectual property disputes, with an emphasis on patent litigation and copyright disputes. She has represented large pharmaceutical, oil and gas, and technology companies in complex patent infringement and impeachment actions and appeared before the Federal Court and Federal Court of Appeal. Kendra’s experience in copyright disputes includes work for major Canadian telecommunications companies and international recording artists. Beyond intellectual property, Kendra has been active in Federal Court proceedings involving questions of administrative law and regulatory matters.

Kimberly Howard

Kimberly is a partner in McCarthy Tétrault’s Energy & Infrastructure Groups in Calgary and the National Environmental, Regulatory and Aboriginal Group. Her practice focuses on energy (including electricity and oil and gas), regulatory, and environmental law. Kimberly’s practice involves a broad range of regulatory and commercial work involving pipelines, natural gas and electric utilities and energy projects, including renewables, energy storage and carbon capture, utilization and storage. She has experience in all aspects of energy project development and has appeared before several regulatory tribunals, including the Canada Energy Regulator, the Alberta Energy Regulator, the Alberta Utilities Commission, the Alberta Environmental Appeals Board and the British Columbia Energy Regulator.

Lara Nathans

Lara is McCarthy Tetrault’s Industry Strategy Leader, responsible for leading the firm and its people to truly understand and align with our clients and their industries. As Leader of our Retail and Consumer Markets Group, Lara is a trusted advisor to consumer-facing businesses looking to establish or grow in the Canadian market. She advises global companies entering Canada (through M&A, e-commerce, bricks and mortar or a combination) on their market entry strategies and related legal issues. She regularly advises retail industry clients on operational issues, new projects and their response to COVID-19, including navigating reopening and recovery across jurisdictions. Lara excels at negotiating M&A transactions, reorganizations and commercial matters for retailers (including e-commerce and digital) and consumer facing businesses. She provides well-informed guidance on multifaceted strategic and operational issues, including domestic and global expansion, COVID-19 response, reopening and recovery.

Liezl Behm

Liezl is a partner in McCarthy Tetrault’s Financial Services and Infrastructure Groups in Vancouver. Her practice is primarily focused in the areas of project finance, infrastructure, public-private-partnerships and secured lending. She also has experience with refinancings and other secondary market transactions in respect of completed projects. Liezl represents a wide variety of clients, including borrowers and lenders, in connection with project finance agreements, secured credit facilities and the development of projects. She also regularly advises developers and lenders in connection with developing and financing renewable energy projects.

Linda Brown

Focus on projects, project finance and infrastructure. Regularly advises project proponents on all aspects of the development of projects across Canada and internationally. Advises borrowers, banks, life insurance companies and pension funds regarding projects/project lending, and investment dealers regarding private placements of debt products relating to projects.

Lisa Melanson

Lisa Melanson is a partner in McCarthy Tétrault LLP’s Intellectual Property Group. She has more than two decades of experience managing global IP portfolios and leading complex prosecution and regulatory files. Her full-service practice spans the range of IP protection, from patents and designs to trademarks and trade secrets. Building on her previous practice as a litigator, Lisa consults with the IP litigation team on contentious matters, often auditing the IP prosecution work of competing firms at the request of our litigation clients. She also provides IP and regulatory support on large commercial transactions. She is a pioneer of strategic practice at the complex IP/drug-regulatory interface under the Certificate of Supplementary Protection Regulations and the Patented Medicines (Notice of Compliance) Regulations.

Madeleine Hawkins

Madeleine is an associate in McCarthy Tétrault’s Real Property & Planning group. Her practice covers a broad range of commercial real estate matters including transactions, commercial leasing, financing and property development matters.

Marc MacMullin

Leader of the firm’s National Financial Services Group. Partner in the firm’s Toronto office with practice focusing on financial institutions, and capital market and structured finance transactions, including new issuer transactions, global covered bond programs (lead issuer counsel on a majority of the Canadian market covered bond programmes), cross-border transactions, asset-backed programs and novel capital market transactions. Acted as lead counsel on numerous public securitization transactions and global covered bond programs, both for issuers and underwriters. Extensive experience in innovative transactions and single-seller and multi-seller securitisation transactions for various asset classes, including credit card receivables, trade receivables, consumer loans, commercial mortgage and residential mortgage loan securitizations (CMBS and RMBS).

Marc Dorion KC

Co-leader of the firm’s national Energy and Infrastructure law groups, supervises the natural resources group in Québec and is responsible for the activities of the firm in relation to development of Northern Québec. Practice focuses on development and financing of major projects and other financing operations and privatizations. Advises companies, lending institutions and others. He acts as strategic counsel for numerous companies in connection with the development of Northern Québec and has considerable experience in commercial negotiation and public affairs.

Mark Christensen

Mark leads the firm’s Real Property & Planning Group in Calgary. His practice primarily focuses on commercial real estate transactions in all asset classes. He regularly acts for major Canadian developers, lenders, and borrowers as they navigate complex commercial acquisitions, dispositions, leasing and financial lending issues. Mark provides practical and actionable counsel during all aspects of land assembly, financing and leasing. He also acts for lenders and borrowers during the procurement of construction and acquisition loans, and guides his clients through issues related to corporate and ownership matters, including partnership, joint venture and co-ownership agreements. Mark has specialized experience working on deals surrounding senior assisted living spaces, and has represented owners and operators of both private and government-funded facilities. Clients turn to Mark for deals involving various governmental departments as well as intricate privacy, tax and employment issues.

Martha Harrison

Partner in the International Trade and Investment Law group, specializes in international trade and customs law, product marketing and advertising regulatory law, procurement law, and international arbitration. International trade practice includes customs law, anti-dumping and countervail issues, import and export controls, trade facilitation and advising, foreign investment. Has participated in all stages of trade remedy disputes before the Canada Border Services Agency and the Canadian International Trade Tribunal, including inquiries, expiry reviews, as well as China-specific and global safeguards. Acted for investors in numerous investor-state arbitrations. Regulatory law practice involves advising on international and domestic requirements regarding product and supply chain regulation, and key strategies for accessing and compliance and scoping opportunities in new markets. Expertise in specially regulated products. Ranked in Chambers, The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, Expert Guides, Who’s Who Legal, Best Lawyers in Canada and Lexpert.

Mason Poplaw

Hall of fame

Partner in the Montréal office and a member of the firm’s Board of Partners. Known for his business acumen and broad experience as a corporate commercial litigator, Mason’s practice focuses primarily on corporate disputes, governance, securities, internal investigations, crisis management, insolvency, and restructuring. Recognized for his ability to successfully manage litigation and investigations matters with a great deal at stake, Mason leverages his considerable corporate and financial industry knowledge to find practical solutions to complex disputes. Working with a range of clients including financial institutions, public and privately held corporations, members of board of directors and trustees, he takes a strategic approach to securities and banking class actions, financial product liabilities cases, financial frauds, corporate governance issues, plans of arrangement, liquidation, oppression remedies, complex contract disputes, and directors’ liabilities. Clients appreciate Mason’s ability to gain insight into the dispute and bring the right angles and arguments before the court to achieve swift and successful resolutions. He has appeared before all Québec judicial courts, before the Supreme Court of Canada, and in numerous commercial arbitration proceedings.

Matthew Kelleher

Matthew is a Partner in the Business Law Group of McCarthy Tétrault LLP and Co-Head of its Public Sector Group. Matthew has experience leading complex and important mergers, acquisitions and other commercial transactions across a wide range of industries. He is often engaged on high-profile transactions, with particular experience advising clients pursuing disruptive or transformative change within an industry or organization. His matters often involve public and governmental sensitivities or diverse stakeholder interests.

Mendy Chernos

Practices corporate and securities litigation, energy litigation, commercial litigation, real property litigation, commercial and banking litigation, product liability litigation, insurance litigation, administrative law litigation, and commercial arbitration, and class action defense. Extensive experience in disputes involving corporate and securities issues, including take-overs, proxy contests, reorganizations, shareholder disputes, director and officer duties, oppression remedies, accounting practices, share valuations and public securities matters. Substantial experience in disputes concerning oil, gas and NGLs, and electrical and wind power issues. Considerable experience with domestic and international industry experts in accounting, economics, engineering, oilfields, power and regulatory.

Michael Scherman

Michael is a partner in the Technology Law Group and Cyber/Data Groups with deep experience in providing practical legal solutions across a broad range of technology-related transactions, including in relation to privacy, technology outsourcing, cloud services, licensing, joint development arrangements, e-commerce, data sharing, distribution agreements and competitive/public technology procurements. Michael brings specific knowledge and experience in addressing the unique concerns posed by emerging technologies and trends, including artificial intelligence and big data. He regularly advises companies in relation to complex arrangements involving novel and innovative uses of data and technology and speaks on topics of strategic importance in the industry, including at the 2022 Canadian Open Banking Forum regarding data ownership and at the 2022 IEEE GET Blockchain Forum regarding privacy considerations.

Michael Feder KC

Highly versatile litigator. Handles both complex commercial disputes and constitutional and other public law litigation at both the trial and appellate levels. Practices nationally in the product liability and class action fields. Has acted in more than 25 Supreme Court of Canada appeals on a wide variety of subjects, including as amicus curiae appointed by the Chief Justice of Canada to assist the court. Lead counsel for the successful appellants in the leading Canadian cases on contractual interpretation (Sattva Capital Corp. v. Creston Moly Corp.) and discretionary trusts (S.A. v. Metro Vancouver Housing Corp.). Member of Supreme Court Advocacy Institute’s National Advisory Committee and past Executive Director. Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America. Appointed King’s Counsel in 2018. Recognized by Canadian Lawyer magazine as one of Canada’s Top 25 Most Influential in 2019. Included by Benchmark Litigation on its Top 50 Trial Lawyers in Canada list.

Michael Feder KC

Hall of fame

Michel Gagné

Partner based in Montréal, Michel’s practice focuses on commercial and civil litigation, and more specifically on complex technical litigation. Michel specializes in defending class actions as well as in environmental litigation. More specifically, he defends manufacturers’ liability class actions related to pharmaceutical and consumer products, as well as medical devices. He has extensive lead counsel experience in personal injury cases and in cases involving toxicology and scientific issues. He regularly pleads before the civil courts. His experience includes numerous proceedings for damages, injunctive relief and judicial review. Michel also acts as lead appellate attorney. He has experience in statutory penal law and has pleaded before numerous administrative tribunals and arbitration boards.

Michel Deschamps

Practices banking and commercial law. Broad experience in domestic and cross-border loan syndications, secured transactions, receivables financing, international banking transactions, and regulation of financial institutions (including on consumer protection matters).

Miranda Lam

Partner in Litigation Group, Retail sector lead of National Retail & Consumer Markets Group, member of Mining Group. Specializes in complex business disputes, including contractual claims and economic torts, securities litigation/class actions, shareholder remedies, corporate governance issues, internal investigations, internet and e-commerce issues and consumer protection. Has appeared in BC and Ontario superior and appeal courts and the Supreme Court of Canada, and as arbitration counsel.Ranked in Benchmark Canada, Legal 500, The Best Lawyers in Canada, and Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory. Recognized as a "Leading Lawyer under 40" Lexpert (2017), "Best Lawyers Under 40" (NAPABA 2015), PEAK Women in Finance "Rising Star" (2014), Business in Vancouver's "Forty Under 40" (2013), and on Vancouver Magazine’s 2018 Power 50 List as "one of the city's top business litigators". Instructor for UBC's Allard School of Law, CLE BC, The Advocates Society, CBA BC, OBA, The Directors College on range of topics from litigation strategy to diversity and inclusion.

Morgan Troke

Partner in McCarthy Tétrault’s Business Law Group in Vancouver. Practice focused mainly in the areas of project finance and corporate commercial law, with an emphasis on public-private partnerships, infrastructure and renewable energy projects. Regularly advises domestic and international developers, equity sponsors, lenders and other participants in connection with complex project financings across North America. Recent transactions include advising the successful bidder for the GO Rail Expansion – On Corridor Works Project, the successful bidder for the Edmonton Valley Line West LRT Project, the lenders to a bidder for the Ontario Line RSSOM Project, the lenders to a bidder for the Ontario Line Southern Civil, Stations and Tunnel Project, the lenders to the successful bidder for the Grandview Children’s Hospital Project, a bidder for the Broadway Subway Project, and the lenders to the successful bidder for the QEII Bayers Lake Hospital Project.

Moya Graham

A partner in the firm’s litigation group in Toronto, Moya’s practice focuses on corporate and commercial litigation, professional liability, and infrastructure and construction disputes. In addition to a variety of commercial disputes, clients turn to Moya for her experience and knowledge on cases involving allegations of breach of fiduciary and other employment duties and misuse of confidential information claims. She also focuses on infrastructure litigation, including design/construction deficiencies, bid/tender, fairness and procurement processes. Moya has both a trial and appellate practice. She has appeared before all levels of Court, including the Supreme Court of Canada, and has been counsel in private arbitrations involving issues of professional negligence and commercial disputes.

Nancy Carroll

National Co-Head of Insurance and Reinsurance Group. With deep insurance regulatory and transactional expertise, advises insurance companies, reinsurance companies, insurance agencies, brokerages, banks and financial institutions on complex transactions, regulatory and corporate governance matters. Acts for Canadian and global insurance companies on significant M&As, reinsurance transactions, transfers, demutualizations, reorganizations, licensing and commercial matters. Advises on all aspects of insurance and bank regulatory compliance: regulatory approvals, financing, outsourcing, privacy, cyber security, anti-money laundering, insurtech/fintech, compliance and market conduct reviews/ investigations, ESG, risk management, permitted investments, and distribution of insurance and other financial services. Acts on the establishment of insurance companies, reinsurance companies, brokerages and banks, and entry to and exit from the Canadian market. Advises regulated and unregulated financial services providers and corporations on what constitutes insurance and licensing requirements.

Nicholas Hughes

Mr. Hughes is a senior litigator in McCarthy Tétrault’s Vancouver Office who specializes in regulatory litigation, administrative law, environmental litigation and constitutional litigation primarily in the mining, transportation and industrial sectors, including defending and prosecuting civil claims, acting on appeals and judicial reviews of regulatory decisions, and the defence of clients in regulatory and quasi-criminal prosecutions. He regularly represents client before the Environmental Appeal Board (EAB) and on judicial review applications of regulatory decisions and appeals therefrom.

Nigel Johnston

Practice focuses on providing tax advice to the investment funds and asset management industry (domestic and foreign), private equity, the creation of new financial products, the taxation of renewable energy projects and corporate income tax issues.

Nikiforos Iatrou

Focused on contentious antitrust matters, Niki is routinely retained by Canadian and multinational clients facing high-stakes, competition issues, including mergers, cartels, abuses of dominance, false and misleading advertising claims, and class actions. Recent matters involve investigations into social media, food delivery, alleged abuse of dominance in commercial aviation; alleged misleading online price representations in intercity transportation and temporary accommodations; e-Book publishing; airline joint ventures; and class actions regarding salmon, hard drive suspension systems, sub-sovereign bonds, and generic drugs.

Noel Chow

Noel Chow is an associate in the firm’s Financial Services Group in Toronto. Her practice focuses on all aspects of banking and secured lending transactions, including acquisition financings, mezzanine financings, asset-based lending, syndicated and bilateral financings and multi-jurisdictional and multi-currency transactions. Noel regularly advises Canadian and foreign banks and financial institutions and borrowers in diverse industries in the structuring, negotiation and execution of their financing transactions.

Oliver Borgers

Practice focuses on all aspects of antitrust law, foreign investment and national security review. Emphasis on application of these laws to mergers, acquisitions, notifications and market conduct. Regularly provides merger advice to major global companies. Has obtained competition and foreign investment clearances for Canada’s largest transactions, among many others.

Olivia Colic

Regional Managing Partner for Alberta. Partner in the firm's Real Property & Planning Group in Calgary. Practice focuses on all areas of commercial real estate including acquisition and sale transactions, domestic and cross-border financing, development and leasing. Trusted real estate advisor for over 20 years to property owners, lenders, borrowers, landlords, managers and tenants on the multi-faceted contractual, operational and financial issues they face throughout Canada. Acted also for major property developers, pension funds, REITs and other private investors on numerous significant commercial real estate transactions.

Patrick Williams

Patrick Williams is an associate in McCarthy Tétrault LLP’s Litigation Group in Vancouver. Patrick represents leading Canadian and multinational companies in complex high-stakes litigation, including class actions and regulatory investigations and proceedings. He focuses on product liability claims and contractual disputes. Patrick also practices public law and has represented clients in disputes involving a variety of government entities and all levels of government. Patrick has appeared in the Supreme Court of Canada, all levels of court in British Columbia, the Federal Court of Appeal, the Federal Court, administrative tribunals, and commercial arbitrations. Patrick is a contributing author to the fifth edition of Defending Class Actions in Canada, published by LexisNexis, and Co-Editor of McCarthy Tétrault LLP’s “Canadian Class Actions Monitor” blog.

Patrick Boucher

Patrick is co-head of our National capital markets group. Patrick's practice focuses on securities and corporate law, concentrating on mergers and acquisitions, take-over bids, private equity deals and public financings. He is counsel to issuers and underwriters in various public offerings (including initial public offerings) and private placements of publicly listed issuers. He participated in numerous take-over bids and going-private transactions of publicly listed issuers, and has acted as counsel to independent committees in connection with various transactions.

Patrick M. Shea

Corporate/M&A/Private Equity partner. Patrick is co-head of the firm’s private equity group and he co-manages the firm’s relationships with U.S. law firms. His principal areas of expertise are mergers and acquisitions, private equity and corporate and commercial law. Patrick has acted for private equity, corporate and pension fund clients in Canadian, U.S. and international mergers and acquisitions across a wide range of industries and has represented numerous sponsors and investors in connection with the formation of and investments in private equity funds in Canada and abroad. He is the relationship partner for a number of Canadian clients and U.S. and international clients that operate in Canada, including public companies, small- and mid-sized businesses, private equity firms, hedge funds, investment banks and entrepreneurs. Patrick was an associate at a top New York City law firm for the first five years of his career.

Paul Cassidy

Practice is a combination of regulatory, corporate/commercial, litigation, policy and project development work for clients across North America in a variety of industries, including the energy (conventional, upstream, pipelines, LNG, renewables, power generation and transmission)), marine and terminal shipping, mining, forest products, transportation, agri-food (vegetables and cannabis) and manufacturing sectors.

Philippe Leclerc

Partner in our Business Law Group in Québec City and Montréal. Philippe has extensive experience in commercial, corporate and securities law. He has led numerous business transactions, including initial public offerings, acquisitions, take-overs, commercial agreements, public and private equity, and debt financings, both in Canada and abroad. He is active in the technology and life sciences sector and regularly advises companies and their board on governance matters.He is a lecturer at the Université Laval where he teaches business and securities law courses.

R Paul Steep

Hall of fame

Litigation partner based in Toronto, with a broad commercial litigation practice that focuses on securities litigation including class actions. Has appeared before all levels of the Courts of Ontario, including the Supreme Court of Canada. Acts in major commercial disputes, including contractual disputes, all forms of securities litigation, directors’ and officers’ liability cases, banking litigation, and class actions. Regularly appears before the OSC on a variety of regulatory and enforcement matters, and acts on behalf of corporations and individuals subject to OSC investigations.

Raj Juneja

Hall of fame

Raj has more than 20 years’ experience in advising clients on their most complicated tax planning or tax disputes needs. Raj is an advisor that provides creative solutions in a way clients can understand and is one of Canada’s most prominent tax lawyers. Raj plays an integral role in many of Canada’s largest transactions and largest tax disputes with the Canada Revenue Agency. He develops creative solutions for complex tax problems and works closely with leading private and public companies, pension funds and private equity firms on all aspects of their domestic and international tax planning. His experience crosses industries and borders, and includes corporate finance, capital markets, REITs, private equity, hedge funds, derivatives, domestic and cross-border reorganizations and mergers and acquisitions. Raj is the principal tax adviser to many leading Canadian companies.

Rami Chalabi

Rami Chalabi is a partner in the firm’s Business Law Group in Toronto and member of the firm’s national Cannabis Group. He has a dynamic corporate commercial practice and is an expert in guiding businesses through complex transactions. With a practice focused on mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, joint ventures and strategic alliances, Rami acts in both the Canadian and cross-border context. Rami advises a range of clients across the cannabis industry and is resolute in helping them identify and pursue strategic growth opportunities, and advising them on their most critical mandates. From emerging companies to large publicly traded issuers, Rami is trusted by clients to understand their business needs and defend their interests with pragmatic and strategic counsel.

Ranjeev Dhillon

Hall of fame

Ranjeev is a partner and Co-Head of McCarthy Tétrault’s national Cannabis Law Group. He helps clients successfully navigate the evolving demands of the cannabis market in Canada and abroad, advising in a broad range of corporate and commercial matters, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, debt and equity financings, public listings (IPOs and RTOs), private equity and venture capital transactions, corporate governance matters including acting for special committees, shareholder arrangements, corporate reorganizations, regulatory matters, public markets matters and distribution and supply agreements. He has worked on a number of the most significant mandates in the sector and has been featured in numerous articles and media outlets. Ranjeev has spoken at conferences across Canada and internationally in the US and the UK and is ranked by various ranking services for his work in the cannabis market and for M&A and corporate services. Ranjeev represents “plant touching” and “non-plant touching” private, public, domestic and international clients including new entrants into the cannabis sector, with international experience in the US, UK, continental Europe, South America, Africa and Australia.

Richard Higa

Practice focuses on all aspects of domestic and cross-border financings, including acquisition, asset-based, cash flow and recurring revenue based lending, bilateral and syndicated financings, Term B, second lien and mezzanine financings, as well as debtor-in-possession financings and high-yield notes. Recently acted on behalf of a variety of Canadian and US financial institutions including banks, insurance companies and specialty debt funds on asset-based financings and leveraged cash-flow financings and mezzanine financings provided to private equity funds in connection with acquisitions in the gaming, telecom, insurance, medical, technology and manufacturing sectors. Richard brings a pragmatic, solution oriented practical style to closing transactions. In addition to his finance practice, Richard is the Practice Group Leader for the firm’s business law group in Toronto.

Robert Kopstein

Robert is Counsel who practices in the areas of Canadian, US, domestic, and international taxation, with emphasis on Canada–US cross-border transactions. He has extensive experience in corporate finance, resource taxation, structured finance, corporate reorganizations, tax disputes, and mergers and acquisitions involving public and private companies and governmental agencies.

Robert Brant

Robert Brant is the Managing Partner of our London, England office where he has been based since 1998. He is an experienced corporate/commercial lawyer, focusing his practice on transatlantic M&A and capital markets work. Rob regularly advises a wide range of Canadian and international companies in connection with European M&A and corporate finance transactions (including new stock exchange listings) as well as significant commercial contracts. Mr. Brant’s experience extends to a number of different sectors with a focus on all forms of energy, natural resources, cannabis and technology. Clients which Mr. Brant has recently represented include Asanko Gold, CGI, CIBC, Dadco Group, Duke Royalty, Enbridge, First Quantum Minerals, Helios Investors, Heritage Oil, Mercuria Energy Trading, National Bank, Sundial Growers, TD Bank and Vitol.

Robert Glasgow

Robert is recognized for his strategic, proactive approach. Robert regularly provides advice to clients in the public and private sectors regarding the application of Canadian trade and customs law. Well regarded for his activity in the sector and ability to approach the law with a fresh perspective, Robert provides valuable service to clients across a wide range of matters, from sanctions to controlled goods to anti-dumping and countervailing trade remedy disputes. Clients rely on Robert’s assistance with various government regulatory bodies including the Canadian Border Services Agency and Global Affairs Canada. Beyond traditional trade law related areas, Robert has an extensive practice regarding government procurement. His clients value his in-depth knowledge of procurement law and his understanding of the impact of Canada’s various free trade agreements and the obligations they impose on public bodies conducting a procurement. Robert also appears before the Canadian International Trade Tribunal, the Federal Court, and the Federal Court of Appeal representing his clients on a variety of matters ranging from trade remedies to sanctions to government procurement. Providing innovative advice that clients trust, Robert uses his comprehensive knowledge to deliver practical and real-time solutions to complex international trade matters.

Robert Hansen

Partner based in Toronto focused on mergers & acquisitions and capital markets transactions. Purchasers, vendors, targets and special committees trust Robert’s experience and strategic advice in connection with purchases and sales of shares and assets of public and private companies. Issuers, investment dealers and investors look to Robert’s advice on offerings of equity and debt securities by way of private placement and prospectus. Robert also advises clients on continuous disclosure and governance matters.

Robin Sirett

Partner in the Business Law Group in Vancouver. Practice involves a broad range of regulatory and commercial work for clients in the energy sector, including pipelines, distribution utilities, mid-stream service providers, power generators, district energy companies, investors, lenders and industrial and other end-use customers. Has represented applicants and intervenors in numerous revenue requirement, cost of capital, toll design and tariff proceedings and major project applications before the National Energy Board and the British Columbia Utilities Commission. Experienced in all aspects of energy project development, including advising on project-related commercial agreements and permitting matters.

Robin Mahood

Robin is a Partner in the firm's Business Law Group in Vancouver. He advises private and public corporations in a wide range of industries regarding mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity financing activities, shareholder matters, corporate governance and day-to-day commercial matters. Recent transactional experience includes advising Canadian, US and international acquirers and targets in respect of domestic and cross-border financing and M&A transactions in the mining, renewable energy, forestry, infrastructure, hospitality and technology sectors.

Roger Taplin

Co-leader of the firm’s Global Mining Group. Practice primarily focuses on the areas of M&A and financing. Experience includes advising on significant mining M&A transactions, including takeover bids, business combinations, share or asset sales and joint ventures. Acts for issuers and underwriters on public and private securities offerings as well as providing general securities regulatory and corporate advice to public companies. Acts for mining clients and banks in relation to sizeable mining projects in a wide variety of international jurisdictions, including metal streaming and royalty transactions.

Samantha Cunliffe

Partner in the firm’s Infrastructure and Project Finance Groups in Vancouver. Practice is primarily focused on the development and financing of complex infrastructure projects. Regularly acts for borrowers and lenders on both the commercial and financing aspects of public-private-partnership projects in a wide range of industry sectors, including water treatment, social infrastructure, road, rail and other transportation. Recent transactions include advising the successful bidder on the Edmonton Valley Line West Project and the lenders to the successful bidder on the Bayers Lake Community Outpatient Centre Project.

Sandra Lange

Sandra (Aigbinode) Lange is an associate in our Litigation Group in Calgary. She maintains a general corporate commercial litigation and arbitration practice. She has extensive experience appearing before the Provincial Court of Alberta, Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench, the Provincial Court of Ontario, and the Superior Court of Ontario. She has also appeared as counsel at the Supreme Court of Canada.

Sarit Pandya

Sarit Pandya is a Partner in McCarthy Tétrault’s Real Property and Planning Group in Toronto. He acts for and advises clients on all aspects of transactions in the commercial real estate industry, including secured financings (including syndicated bank facilities, project and construction financing and traditional mortgage lending), acquisitions and dispositions across all real estate asset classes, construction and project development, and the structuring of real estate transactions (including private equity investments, partnerships, and fund formations). He has significant experience in and has advised on transactions across all asset classes, including multifamily, industrial, long-term care, office, and hospitality properties.

Sarit Batner

Successful trial and appellate practice, focused on complex commercial litigation and arbitrations. Extensive trial and appellate experience including in cases considering breach of contract, patents, shareholder disputes, taxation, oppression, professional negligence, and breaches of fiduciary duties. Appears before juries, arbitration panels, administrative and regulatory tribunals, and appellate courts of all levels, including the Supreme Court of Canada.

Scott Chalmers

Scott is a partner in the Business Law Group in Toronto and leads McCarthy Tétrault’s National Construction Group. His career focus has been entirely on construction law, largely for owners, sponsors, developers and lenders. He is qualified and practiced in Ontario, Texas, England and Wales, and Australia and has done projects in over 40 countries. His extensive global experience includes advising on some of the largest and most complex infrastructure and construction projects in the world. Prior to his legal career, Scott practised for a decade as an architect in Australia and Canada. He has on the ground experience on a wide array of projects globally in several industry sectors, including oil and gas, petrochemicals, LNG, road and rail infrastructure, power (nuclear, gas, coal, renewables), mining and metals, shipbuilding and architecture.

Scott Smythe

Partner in the Real Property and Planning Group in the firm’s Vancouver office. Practice is focused on commercial real estate and related corporate matters, with particular expertise in land acquisitions, land development, structuring, strata property, commercial leasing and real-estate related corporate reorganizations. Acts for several leading real estate investors and developers, as well as owners of major office towers, industrial parks and shopping centres. Extensive experience with the structuring, acquisition, financing, development, leasing and sale of significant residential, industrial, retail, office and mixed-use projects.

Sean Collins

Sean has widespread experience in all forms of complex corporate, financial and operational restructurings and insolvency proceedings, including representing debtors, distressed investors, private equity funds, hedge funds, boards of directors, court officers, creditors and contractual counterparties in both court-supervised and out-of-court restructurings. Sean has extensive experience in international cross-border insolvency proceedings.

Sean Sadler

Practice focused on securities trading and adviser regulation, particularly advising Canadian and non-resident dealers and advisers on offering services in Canada. Regularly advises registrants on private placements, commodity futures and OTC derivatives trading, acquisitions, divestitures and reorganizations of registrants and merger of investment fund complexes and establishment of investment fund businesses. Has, together with local counsel, assisted clients in establishing or restructuring investment funds in non-Canadian jurisdictions including, Bermuda, BVI, Cayman Islands and Mauritius. Regularly advises on securities law/IIROC/MFDA compliance and enforcement matters, and white collar defense and internal investigations on matters involving securities. Has taught various securities law subjects at Canadian law schools.

Sean Smyth KC

Sean has appeared before all levels of court in Alberta, the superior courts of Ontario, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan, the Federal Court of Canada, the Supreme Court of Canada, and many regulatory, disciplinary and arbitral tribunals. Represents clients in various industries (oil and natural gas, pharmaceuticals, agrosciences, telecommunications, manufacturing, real estate) in contentious matters involving commercial contracts, shareholders’ rights, directors’ liabilities, securities, real estate transactions, product liability, intellectual property rights, class actions, and other matters related to corporate law and commercial transactions.

Seán O'Neill

Industry Group Leader of firm’s National Power Group and Partner in the firm’s Toronto office and. Significant experience representing domestic and foreign acquirers, investors and sellers of a variety of power assets, including transmission and distribution, district energy, and all conventional and alternative generation technologies, including nuclear. Has assisted financial institutions and borrowers on project financings and re-financings of power projects and distribution systems across Canada and in the US. Regularly acts for project developers and sponsors negotiating commercial arrangements in the sector, including power purchase and energy service agreements, CFDs, service contracts, conservation and demand management agreements and joint-venturing agreements.

Sean Smyth KC

Selina Lee-Andersen

Partner in the firm’s Vancouver Business Law Group. Specializes in environmental law, corporate/commercial law, regulatory law, compliance, and Aboriginal law issues across sectors. Areas of specialization include environmental assessment and permitting, contaminated sites, environmental management systems, fuel standards, product stewardship, product and food safety, and partnering with Indigenous groups. Expertise in climate change law and advising clients on matters relating to carbon pricing, emissions trading, offset systems, compliance, and carbon disclosure. Regularly advises non-profit organizations on regulatory and commercial aspects of managing plastic waste in the ocean.

Shana Wolch

Emphasis on: occupational health and safety (investigations, defence of charges, policy creation, training and implementation); alcohol and drug policies; cannabis (assisted growers and retailer operations through to workplace management of safety sensitive); white collar crime and employee trust thefts; mergers and acquisitions; privacy; workplace employment policies, including training; workplace investigations including training; employee discipline and dismissal; disability and accommodation; human rights and discrimination; workers’ compensation; pension and benefits; and, unionized workforce issues.

Shea Small

Shea Small, Co-Head of Mergers & Acquisitions and Co-Leader of McCarthy Tétrault’s Global Metals & Mining (GMM) Group, has an international practice based in Toronto, Canada and London, UK focusing on mergers & acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic investments, private equity, capital markets and special situations. Shea is also a member of McCarthy Tétrault’s Senior Leadership Team in his role as Co-Leader, International & Business Strategy. Shea has significant industry expertise, particularly in complex multi-jurisdictional transactions, and deep industry connections in the global metals and mining sector. Shea is repeatedly recognized by Chambers, Lexpert, Best Lawyers, Legal 500, IFLR 1000 and others for his significant experience in M&A, joint ventures, natural resources and international transactions.

Shefali Tanna

Shefali is an associate in the Immigration Group in Toronto with a practice focused on Canadian and U.S. immigration law, specifically corporate immigration and the global mobility of workers. She counsels American clients on non-immigrant and immigrant visas, consular processing, citizenship and naturalization, U.S. waivers, and corporate compliance with immigration laws. She also advises corporations in Canada and internationally on all matters pertaining to Canadian immigration. She practices across all industries, including automotive, technology, aviation, financial, infrastructure, mining and minerals and manufacturing. Shefali has strong experience in crafting global mobility strategies for both start-ups and established Canadian and U.S. companies and supports them in ensuring they have the required talent to drive their business forward. During the COVID-19 pandemic and the corresponding fundamental change in global travel, she was instrumental in driving McCarthy’s response to clients and supported the development of a practical toolkit for clients travelling to Canada and the U.S.

Shevaun McGrath

Partner. Co-head of the firm’s national Private Equity Group. Focuses on M&A, private equity and investment funds. Advises on domestic and cross-border public/private M&A and other securities matters. Represents institutional investors in their investment activities, including acquisitions and divestitures of portfolio companies and investments in private equity, other alternative investment funds and fund formation. Acted for Vista Equity Partners in its C$4.8 billion acquisition of DH Corporation and the combination of D+H with Vista portfolio company Misys, creating “Finastra”, a new global fintech leader. Presents at various conferences on corporate/securities law.

Stéphane Duval

Leader of the National Immigration Law Practice. He possess a sound expertise in various aspects of immigration law, specifically relating to corporate immigration and global mobility of foreign workers. He provides multinational corporations, executives and specialized foreign workers with high-end service and creative solutions. He provides a wide range of legal advice, including developing and advising on strategic international mobility issues, corporate restructurings, mergers and acquisitions, legal compliance with immigration rules, and filling labour shortages. Stephane has been recognized for his 20+ years of innovative, creative and responsive services adapted to the very specific needs of his clients. He is regularly asked to lecture or act as moderator at various conferences on immigration law. Frequently interviewed by journalists on immigration issues. Previously acted as a Canadian Immigration and Customs Officer. He is leading and developing the firm’s expansion of it’s corporate immigration practice.

Stephen Furlan

Practice focuses on project finance and secured lending. Regularly advises Canadian and foreign lenders with respect to the structuring and negotiation of some of the most complex project financings in the Canadian marketplace. Has acted for both lenders, borrowers and governments with respect to project financing, public private partnership infrastructure financings and loan work-outs in the project finance area.

Stephen Livergant

Practice involves all aspects of commercial real estate with particular emphasis on development, acquisitions and divestitures with respect to all asset classes., as well as structuring of co-ownerships and partnerships. In addition, has extensive expertise in the development and conveyancing of residential and industrial condominium projects. Represents private and public real estate companies as well as acts for pension funds and other institutional clients. Has acted as a director of a public real estate company. For several years he has lectured at universities and the Alberta Bar Admission course on real estate law.

Steven Mason

Chair of the firm’s National Intellectual Property Litigation Group. Acted as lead trial and appellate counsel in a broad range of IP cases in Ontario, British Columbia, in the Federal Courts and in the Supreme Court of Canada. Also practised IP Litigation in the United States (Cal.). Adjunct Professor at Osgoode Hall Faculty of Law; teaches Intellectual Property Law.

Sunil Kapur

Advises employers in financial services, manufacturing, transportation, education, health care, security, information technology, resources and public service. Assists those employers in labour board proceedings, arbitration, mediation, collective bargaining, employment litigation, judicial reviews, civil appeals and human rights. Advised numerous Fortune 500 companies on labour and employment matters arising from mergers and acquisitions. Regularly trains clients on a variety of issues. Frequent speaker on labour, employment and human rights matters.

Susan Nickerson

Head of McCarthy Tétrault’s Pensions, Benefits, & Executive Compensation Group. Susan is well known for her strong relationships in the Canadian pensions and benefits sector and proven track record of success. Clients balancing their obligations to stakeholders with the complex interplay of macroeconomic conditions and regulations can rely on Susan’s unique insights to both plan ahead for change and quickly respond to evolving day-to-day issues. Her advice covers fiduciary duties and risk management, plan conversion and funding, and the implementation of new designs, as well as the pensions and benefits aspects of corporate transactions, restructurings, and insolvencies. Boards of directors can further draw on Susan’s expertise in all aspects of governance structures and systems, including both their development and implementation.

Suzanne Murphy

Suzanne Murphy is a partner in our Business Law Group in Toronto with a practice focused on private mergers and acquisitions, private corporate finance and general corporate matters in the power industry. She regularly represents acquirers, investors and developers of a variety of energy assets including natural gas, wind, solar, biomass, nuclear, energy storage and thermal energy. Suzanne has significant experience preparing and negotiating complex commercial agreements in the energy sector including acquisition agreements, power purchase agreements, operations and maintenance agreements, supply agreements, shared services agreements, joint venture agreements, partnership agreements and shareholder agreements.

Sven Milelli

Managing Partner of the firm’s B.C. Region. Advises Canadian, U.S. and international public and private companies and investors in a wide range of industries regarding mergers & acquisitions, securities offerings, joint ventures and corporate governance matters. Recognized as a leading lawyer in the areas of Mergers & Acquisitions, Corporate Mid-Market, Private Equity and Energy. Formerly a senior associate with Sullivan & Cromwell LLP in New York.

Ted Koffman

Partner in the firm’s Business Law Group and Technology Group in Vancouver. Practice focuses on providing general counsel to businesses, with a particular emphasis on mergers & acquisitions, private equity, venture capital, outsourcings, as well as the formation and financing of business ventures and corporate reorganizations. Regularly advises various technology companies, venture capitalists and investors in numerous equity and debt financings. Extensive experience in cross-border transactions. Lecturer at various programs and conferences on the legal aspects of buying and selling businesses, outsourcing agreements, and the formation of business ventures.

Tim Lawson

Tim is a partner in Toronto and the Head of McCarthy Tetrault’s National Labour and Employment Group. Practicing Canadian management-side labour and employment law on behalf of national and global employers. Provides advice and advocacy in all areas including union organizing, collective bargaining, grievance arbitration, provincial and federal labour boards, corporate structuring pre-and post-acquisition, human rights, employment standards, workers compensation, privacy, and pay and employment equity. Frequent author, interviewee and speaker on labour and employment issues and government policy.

Trevor Lawson

Trevor Lawson is a partner in McCarthy Tetrault’s Labour & Employment Group in Toronto. Trevor's broad practice encompasses all aspects of labour and employment-related litigation, labour relations, corporate transactions, executive compensation and privacy. He has represented employers in proceedings before the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, Court of Appeal for Ontario, Ontario Labour Relations Board, Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, boards of arbitration, coroner’s inquests and other administrative tribunals. His clients carry on business in a wide range of sectors, including hospitality, retail, consumer goods, gaming, manufacturing, property management, banking and finance. Trevor is the Hospitality sector lead as part of the firm’s National Retail and Consumer Markets group.

Tzen-Yi Goh

Maintains a general real estate practice, with a particular emphasis on real estate financings (including private placements (mortgage bonds), credit tenant financings, syndicated bank facilities, project financing and commercial mortgage lending), acquisitions and sales, property development and commercial leasing (including solar panel rooftop leases). Has extensive experience in the area of public offerings/private placements of commercial mortgage-backed securities.

Una Radoja

Una is a partner in McCarthy Tétrault’s Litigation Group, and a leading lawyer in environmental law and commercial litigation. With over a decade of experience representing diverse clients, from small businesses to large, multi-national corporations, Una delivers strategic advice that enables them to resolve challenges and attain their business goals. In her commercial litigation and dispute resolution practice, Una acts for both plaintiffs and defendants on high-profile and multi-faceted matters, involving contractual and shareholder disputes, claims against directors and officers, and real estate related disputes. In her environmental law practice, Una advises clients on all aspects of major project development, including federal impact assessments, permitting and approvals pursuant to applicable provincial legislation, appeals and judicial reviews of regulatory decisions, environmental incident reporting, risk management, and regulatory investigations and compliance. She is a leading expert on contaminated site redevelopment, risk management, regulation and litigation.

Vincent Yip

Partner in the firm’s national Intellectual Property and Business Law Groups. Based in Vancouver, leads the firm’s Western Canadian intellectual property practice and has a national practice, working closely with clients of the Calgary, Toronto, and Montréal offices. Practice focuses on the global acquisition, commercialization, and enforcement of intellectual property rights, including drafting and prosecuting patent and trademark applications; managing trademark oppositions, rendering patentability, validity, freedom-to-operate, and infringement opinions; and resolving intellectual property rights disputes. Has significant experience in the prosecution and management of global patent and trademark portfolios. As a patent and trademark lawyer with substantial corporate and commercial expertise, provides intellectual property advice on complex corporate and commercial transactions, including licensing, research and collaboration agreements, mergers & acquisitions, reorganizations, and financing transactions.

William Scott

William's practice includes the resolution of insurance coverage disputes, reinsurance disputes and complex general liability claims. He is a certified Specialist in Civil Litigation by the Law Society of Ontario. He has acted for numerous clients in connection with insurance coverage disputes including directors’ and officers’, general liability, cyber, fidelity, property, life, construction, commercial, and environmental coverage matters. His specialisation also includes Alternate Dispute Resolution, as a result, he acts as counsel in numerous mediations, and regularly speaks and teaches about ADR.

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