Gowling WLG leverages the global bench strength of locations in 19 cities across nine countries and three continents, to advise on the entire lifecycle of major constructions, including multi-phased, multi-purpose real estate development projects (such as office, retail, commercial and residential complexes). In addition, the group’s full service extends to procurement processes, the negotiation of contract and labour agreements, project financing and insurance, environmental issues, health and safety, workers’ compensation and construction litigations, mediation and arbitration. The firm’s client portfolio spans such sectors as education, insurance, government, energy and aerospace. Ted Betts heads the practice, bringing over 20 years of experience to construction and infrastructure matters. Other key figures include seasoned litigator Sahil Shoor and associate Tristan Neill, who works at the firm’s office in the Waterloo region. Matthew Bernardo and Aaron Hunter joined as partners from in-house roles in January and February 2023. Unless noted, all lawyers mentioned work in Toronto.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

‘The Gowling practice has a broad footprint of knowledge, experience and coverage in Canada. The varied client base and projects provides for a unique perspective on the market and current trends. Coupled with their legal expertise, this provides an extremely valuable resource for all matters of dispute and litigation support in the construction and infrastructure space.’
‘Sahil Shoor is an experienced practitioner. He is hands-on in managing his client’s needs and risks, providing real world solutions tailored to the specific challenges in the current market.’
‘They have a diverse and strong team of lawyers that the group can pull support from to address multiple issues within the same project.’
‘Very pragmatic and results-driven.’
‘The Gowling team is very detail-oriented, organized and well-spoken. They carefully review and consider the materials provided to ensure all angles are covered.'

Key clients

Acciona
AECOM
Aoyuan International
First Capital Realty
IAMGOLD Corporation
Keolis
Ledcor Group Inc.
McMaster University
RATP Dév
RioCan Real Estate Management
Siemens Canada
Stantec
Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC)
Town of Milton
Victor Insurance

Work highlights

Assisting with the development of IMAGOLD's Côté Gold Project in northeastern Ontario, advising on design, construction, commissioning and transition to operations for the mine, including contracting matters, change order matters and dispute resolution.
Acting as primary counsel for Victor Insurance covering claims made against engineers, architects and other professionals in the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Acted as the counsel to McMaster University in all stages of the development of the McMaster Innovation Park, a 60-acre health sciences innovation and business incubator ecosystem.