White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations | Canada

Bennett Jones is singled out for its strong fraud recovery capabilities, in addition to standout expertise in securities-related improprieties and litigation. The firm is active in both domestic and cross-border government investigations, and represents clients across a range of industry sectors including healthcare, financial services, energy and natural resources. The full scope of the firm's white-collar criminal practice includes securities, competition and antitrust, asset recovery, tax and money laundering issues. The team derives particular strength from its Calgary and Toronto-based lawyers.

Blake, Cassels & Graydon is recognised for its skilled fraud law group and its handling of significant government investigations. The business crimes, investigations and compliance team also actively assists clients with the development of anti-bribery compliance programmes, as well as handling sensitive internal investigations. With a track record of working on both domestic and multi-jurisdictional white-collar cases, the group is noted particularly for its expertise in relation to the corruption of foreign public officials. The firm also provides crisis response advice to firms under regulatory or criminal investigation, and advises clients on defending against class action litigation resulting from white-collar prosecutions. It has a notably strong presence in both Calgary and Vancouver, with considerable activity for clients in the finance, mining and energy sectors.

McCarthy Tétrault possesses a market-leading litigation team which is well known for its involvement in white-collar cases, particularly in its Toronto and Montréal offices. The firm's white-collar defence and investigations team is recognised for the strength of its client portfolio and for the depth of its bench, and is identified for its prevalence in anti-corruption and securities-related issues, as well as criminal competition matters, foreign corrupt practices, economic sanctions, tax evasion and insurance fraud. Its lawyers are frequently credited as a dominant force in professional discipline defence and prosecution, and known for their international reach and multi-jurisdictional capabilities. The firm's client list includes notable individuals and corporations in the finance sector, in addition to a number of Crown corporations.

Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg maintains an experienced investigations and white-collar defence team that stands out for its strength in Montréal. The firm possesses experience in a broad range of matters in the white-collar space, spearheading domestic and international investigations into corruption, sanctions violations and fraudulent activities. It offers additional assistance with compliance strategy, as well as experience representing clients in multiple judicial settings, including cartel-related cases.

Norton Rose Fulbright is an international law firm with a skilled and well-established corporate criminal defence group in Canada. The team advises clients from a diverse range of industries on securities litigation and anti-corruption matters. Its investigations work incorporates criminal and regulatory wrongdoing, internal investigations and asset tracing. Norton Rose is particularly well known among market commentators for its leading role in high-profile anti-corruption and fraud investigations for clients in the construction and manufacturing industry in Québec.

Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt maintains a solid white-collar crime practice group which offers expertise in anti-money laundering, fraud, anti-corruption and securities-related investigations. With particular strength across its Toronto and Montréal offices, the firm has a client roster that includes an impressive array of corporate entities in the banking, construction and entertainment sectors. The team wins praise for its versatility and experience acting for a range of corporations, public consortiums and high net worth individuals, and is also skilled at handling antitrust inquiries by the Canadian Competition Bureau.

Borden Ladner Gervais operates a prominent investigations and white-collar defence group with experience in a range of mandates, including securities work, tax evasion and sanctions breaches. The firm is also particularly well regarded for its solid anti-corruption practice, which has been consulted at both domestic and international levels by clients in the natural resources and technology sectors. Its Toronto and Calgary-based lawyers additionally represent individual clients facing criminal prosecution.

Gowling WLG has a robust white-collar defence and investigations team with notable expertise in dealing with the Corruption of Foreign Public Officials Act and OSC and Competition Bureau prosecutions and investigations. The firm acts on both the defence side and for regulators across a range of subjects, including insider trading, regulatory enforcement and securities-related issues. It is also active in the fraud space, representing individuals and corporate clients across a number of sectors, including mining and financial services. Additional experience includes advising on enforcement investigations into financial discrepancies associated with fintech.

McMillan is recognized for its strength in securities fraud matters and its capabilities in fraud prevention, detection and litigation, in addition to significant anti-corruption mandates. The firm represents individuals and corporations in a range of white-collar matters, including cases with complex cross-border dimensions. It also advises on corporate governance issues, asset recovery, criminal antitrust and regulatory compliance.

Stockwoods is an impressive Ontario litigation boutique with notable prowess in the white-collar space. The firm's experience covers an array of contentious issues, including corporate fraud and administrative law, as well as traditional criminal defence and labour exploitation.