Dentons

Real Estate

Partner

Based in Toronto, Sonja possesses strong, established local and regional knowledge on a wide range of real estate ventures and projects, and focuses on all aspects of commercial acquisitions and dispositions, financing and commercial leasing.

Sonja has experience acting on all kinds of acquisitions, dispositions and financing of commercial real estate, including some of the largest and most complex transactions in Canada. Her practicality and responsiveness make her a first choice for discerning clients.

Sonja acts for both landlords and tenants in respect of all types of leasing scenarios, including office, industrial and retail leasing, design-build leasing and design-build-finance leasing, leasebacks and ground leasing. Her extensive experience includes special uses such as libraries, community centres, hospital facilities, gymnasiums and fitness facilities, school uses, movie and production studios, entertainment venues, banquet halls, manufacturing facilities, mining uses and other special uses. Sonja’s clients include developers, government entities, pension funds and private companies. She is highly sought-after for large-scale and novel leasing arrangements, and is a frequent writer and speaker on commercial leasing topics.

In addition, Sonja has a deep and sound understanding of developing joint-venture structures for real estate acquisitions, as well as preparing and negotiating all forms of agreements relating to real estate. She takes a strategic approach to commercial real estate acquisitions and dispositions, and often acquires land for development purposes.

Sonja’s vast experience in all of these areas has earned her a place of prominence as one of the country’s most distinguished lawyers in the field. She is consistently praised for her problem solving and unwavering commitment to her national and global clients, with the industry hailing Sonja as among Canada’s leading lawyers in Commercial Leasing Law (Best Lawyers in Canada, 2018-2019), Real Estate (The Legal 500 Canada, 2019) and Property Leasing (The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, 2018-2019).

English

Member, Ontario Bar Association Member, Canadian Bar Association Member, International Bar Association Member, Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) Member, International Council of Shopping Centers Member, NAIOP Director, Silverhill Institute of Environmental Research and Conservation

University of Victoria, 1998, LLB

University of Victoria, B.A. (with Distinction) 1995