Department profile
Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP

Competition/Antitrust

Canada Guide 2027 : Nationwide - Canada

Share profile

Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP

Rankings

About

Provided by Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP

The Blakes Competition, Antitrust & Foreign Investment group is widely acknowledged as the leading practice in Canada. In 2019, we were named Regional Firm of the Year – Americas in the GCR Awards. We house a formidable team of practitioners with recognized expertise in every aspect of competition law and foreign investment review, including many of the strongest women lawyers in Canada. The Competition group is frequently retained by major domestic and international companies and law firms to provide strategic counsel and representation. Our lawyers have been involved in the largest and most complex mergers in Canadian history, and have led the Canadian aspects of some of the largest global transactions, including internationally recognized innovative matters. We are also a leading firm with respect to securing merger approvals for non-Canadian purchasers under Canada’s foreign investment laws.

Blakes is at the forefront of high-profile competition litigation matters, including contentious mergers, advertising, abuse of dominance, reviewable trade practices, criminal matters, class actions and other civil matters before the Canadian Competition Tribunal, the Federal Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada. 

Blakes has a proven track record of success, acting for clients on multinational transactions and investigations, coordinating among counsel and agencies in the U.S., Europe and other jurisdictions. 

Chambers Review

Provided by Chambers

Competition/Antitrust - Nationwide - Canada

Band 1

What the Team is Known For

Blake, Cassels & Graydon remains one of the leading competition law practices in Canada with a strong offering across both contentious and non-contentious competition law matters. Respected for its presence on leading M&A transactions, the competition, antitrust and foreign investment team has a strong track record in high-value, multi-jurisdictional merger clearance filings and also advises on FDI filings. Its lawyers also offer expertise in antitrust inquiries in relation to price-fixing cartels and have notable experience defending clients in high-profile class actions. The firm has established broad industry expertise, with impressive credentials in a range of sectors including energy, TMT and banking.

View ranking table

Work Highlights

Provided by Chambers

  • Blakes advised Paramount Skydance on Canadian competition aspects of its USD110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery.

Strengths

Provided by Chambers

  • They have excellent teams of experts who can mobilize quickly and help move deals forward at a fast pace. The bottom line is that I know that when I engage them, the work will be handled flawlessly.

    Competition/Antitrust respondentCanada

  • They are, by far, the most sophisticated in their thinking and approach. When you have a file that has high stakes or complex issues, they find the right path through the most sophisticated economics to get the file done. They're also very practical, responsive and business-oriented.

    Competition/Antitrust respondentCanada

  • We have been very happy with our Blakes team. They have excellent subject matter knowledge, make sound strategic recommendations and keep us well informed about the matters.

    Competition/Antitrust respondentCanada

  • Blakes has provided exceptional advice, reading the requirements of the Competition Bureau accurately and having ongoing discussions to ensure our submissions not only hit the mark but allowed us to move forward in a timely way. Their advice was spot on. There is no question we had the very best advice from some of the most experienced counsel in Canada. Their responsiveness to requests was exceptional.

    Competition/Antitrust respondentCanada

  • The team have a proven track record of successfully navigating the extremely complex Competition Act environment. They were exceptional at dealing with complex Competition Act issues and were instrumental to the success of our transaction. The team was incredibly responsive as we were under strict deadlines.

    Competition/Antitrust respondentCanada

Notable Practitioners

Provided by Chambers

  • Brian A Facey
    Brian A Facey

    Brian A Facey

    Brian Facey remains a leading figure in the Canadian competition law market, often advising clients from the TMT and energy sectors on merger clearance filings for high-value transactions.

    • He's one of the top advisers in Canada.

      Competition/Antitrust respondentCanada
    • Brian is a very creative lawyer and has a strong business sense. We rely on him to provide practical and creative legal and business solutions to complex problems.
      Competition/Antitrust respondentCanada

    • Brian provides an impeccable level of service. He's the person you want on your team for your most complex and highest stakes competition matters. He's smart, driven, personable and has expertise at the highest level, yet he's still practical.

      Competition/Antitrust respondentCanada

    • He is terrific, we like him a lot in terms of his judgement, his commercially savvy in terms of our industry, and that he knows his area very well and is easy to talk to.

      Competition/Antitrust respondentCanada
    View profile
  • Julie Soloway
    Julie Soloway

    Julie Soloway

    Julie Soloway has a strong reputation for assisting clients from the TMT sector with obtaining competition law approval for high-value and often multi-jurisdictional mergers. She serves as the co-chair of the firm's competition, antitrust and foreign investment group.

    • She's the leading advisor on Canadian merger control and FDI. We would always go to Julie for the most complex and high-profile matters.

      Competition/Antitrust respondentCanada

    • Julie is without a doubt one of the best lawyers I’ve worked with. She is extremely knowledgeable of the rules and the market, both Canadian and US, and is laser focused and very efficient, especially when it comes to complex situations.

      Competition/Antitrust respondentCanada

    • She's one of the top practitioners in her area in Canada. She's extremely thorough, client-oriented and she gets results.

      Competition/Antitrust respondentCanada
    View profile
  • Navin Joneja
    Navin Joneja

    Navin Joneja

    Navin Joneja has considerable experience assisting clients with merger control mandates. He is a popular choice with clients from the pharmaceutical sector. He currently sits as the co-chair of Blakes, Cassels & Graydon's competition, antitrust and foreign investment group.

    • Navin is best in class and is known for being collaborative and results-oriented. Navin is very smart and creative on challenging matters.

      Competition/Antitrust respondentCanada

    • Navin has been a very strong adviser on our deal. I appreciate his calm and measured approach. He's also a very good communicator and very responsive.

      Competition/Antitrust respondentCanada
    View profile
  • Cassandra Brown
    Cassandra Brown

    Cassandra Brown

    Cassandra Brown acts for sellers on the merger control aspects of divestments and assists with competition clearance filings for joint ventures, notably in the energy sector. She is often engaged in transactions involving multiple jurisdictions across Europe and Asia.

    • She’s our go-to on any matters - she understands our business inside and out. She's incredibly thoughtful and has a very reflective grasp of the issues at play.

      Competition/Antitrust respondentCanada

    • Cassandra is phenomenal.

      Competition/Antitrust respondentCanada

    • She has a great focus, with the ability to find workable solutions on contentious matters, and she's great with clients.

      Competition/Antitrust respondentCanada
    View profile
  • Randall J Hofley
    Randall J Hofley

    Randall J Hofley

    Randall Hofley represents clients in a number of competition law litigation matters, with a particular focus on class actions concerning allegations of price fixing. He frequently acts for defendants.
    • Randall's knowledge and experience is greatly appreciated.
      Competition/Antitrust respondentCanada
    • Randall earns his reputation as one of Canada's preeminent antitrust practitioners. He knows the law very well and explains it clearly and patiently. He is a thoughtful case strategist and delegates effectively to get the best out of his team.
      Competition/Antitrust respondentCanada
    View profile
  • Micah Wood
    Micah Wood

    Micah Wood

    Micah Wood regularly assists clients with obtaining clearance for corporate transactions under the Canadian Competition Act and the Investment Canada Act. He is based in Toronto.

    • He understands the inner mechanics of the Competition Bureau and the individuals who make decisions. His reputation allows him to engage in conversations with Bureau contacts to gain insights into what they may be after and what concerns them. His understanding of our business in the context of the services provided was exceptionally high.

      Competition/Antitrust respondentCanada

    • He's exceptionally good at what he does and he is practical and solution-oriented.

      Competition/Antitrust respondentCanada
    View profile
  • Kevin MacDonald
    Kevin MacDonald

    Kevin MacDonald

    Kevin MacDonald enjoys a robust reputation for his activity in the field of merger clearances, often acting on behalf of clients in the energy and construction sectors.

    • Kevin is an incredible partner to work with. He's sharp, practical and super responsive.
      Competition/Antitrust respondentCanada
    View profile
  • Jonathan Bitran
    Jonathan Bitran

    Jonathan Bitran

    Jonathan Bitran wins plaudits for his competition law practice, acting for a broad range of international and domestic corporates on merger clearance and FDI issues.

    • Jonathan is an excellent lawyer and a tremendous business partner. His advice has been invaluable as we navigate a complex business and regulatory environment.
      Competition/Antitrust respondentCanada
    View profile

Ranked Individuals at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP (8)

Nationwide - Canada

Members

Provided by Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP

Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP has rankings in the following guides

What success is built on

Chambers is the leading data and intelligence partner for the legal sector.

Explore thought leadership