Department profile
Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP

Competition/Antitrust

Canada Guide 2027 : Nationwide - Canada


Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP

Rankings

About

Provided by Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP

Faced with heightened scrutiny of competitive practices around the globe, business leaders want to avoid challenges from the authorities – or respond swiftly if they happen. Our Competition, Antitrust and Foreign Investment team takes on the toughest assignments and develops strategies that work, while also offering insight into the Competition Bureau’s enforcement approach.

Leading businesses in Canada and internationally turn to our lawyers for their most demanding merger, cartel and antitrust cases. And when disputes arise, our top litigators bring extensive experience before the Competition Tribunal and at all levels of courts to win your case. From our work on the $26-billion Rogers-Shaw merger – the largest-ever completed transaction in the Canadian telecommunications industry – and related litigation to defending Google in claims launched by the Canadian Competition Bureau alleging abuse of dominance in the digital display advertising technology, or “ad tech” industry, we have shown that we can navigate and resolve complex issues to meet our clients’ objectives. Our deep client relationships mean that we also regularly counsel clients on advertising, marketing and distribution practices and general regulatory compliance.

Across the spectrum of competition, foreign investment and national security mandates – from merger reviews to ongoing compliance programs – our team combines cutting-edge knowledge with practical strategies to overcome the most intricate challenges.

Chambers Review

Provided by Chambers

Competition/Antitrust - Nationwide - Canada

Band 1

Band 1


What the Team is Known For

Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg is a leading law firm with a premier Toronto-based competition department, identified for its skilful handling of the antitrust elements of multi-jurisdictional transactions. The team is a popular choice with clients from the pharmaceutical, energy and technology sectors, as well as with private equity houses. The firm fields a sizeable team that adeptly handles both class actions concerning allegations of involvement in cartels and anti-competitive behaviour in advertising.

Work Highlights

Provided by Chambers

  • Davies advised Google in proceedings before the Competition Tribunal brought by a private party for leave to proceed on behalf of millions of Canadians and Canadian businesses, alleging abuse of dominance in internet search and anticompetitive agreements between Google and Apple.

Strengths

Provided by Chambers

  • Davies impressed me as the cream of the crop. They build excellent rapport with clients and offer subject matter expertise, strategic advice, and first-rate issue framing and guidance. Davies is the finest competition law group in Canada, in my view. They offer clients the best legal counsel, with a practical, helpful approach.

    Competition/Antitrust respondentCanada
  • Davies understands the complicated nature of our organization and industry, and reliably provides thoughtful, practical and innovative legal solutions. Davies is already a very trusted and reliable partner. They have a deep bench of legal talent and are extraordinarily fast and comprehensive in their responses.
    Competition/Antitrust respondentCanada
  • Davies stands out for combining deep technical expertise with highly practical, business-focused advice.

    Competition/Antitrust respondentCanada
  • They consistently demonstrate exceptional judgement and strategic insight in navigating politically complex, high-stakes matters. They are consistently highly responsive and proactive, providing timely, thoughtful advice with clear communication and strong ownership of issues.

    Competition/Antitrust respondentCanada
  • Davies provides reasoned, risk-adjusted advice that my business can act on. They are incredibly responsive with advice and ensure they stay on budget. For complex questions, the Davies team offers the best service bar none.

    Competition/Antitrust respondentCanada

Notable Practitioners

Provided by Chambers

  • Senior StatespeopleJohn Bodrug
    Senior StatespeopleJohn Bodrug

    John Bodrug

    John Bodrug has long been admired for the depth of his expertise in merger clearance and foreign direct investment matters, with notable experience in contested merger filings in the telecommunications sector.

    • John may be the brightest competition legal mind currently practicing in Canada. He is the go-to person when it comes to the most complicated and difficult competition issues.

      Competition/Antitrust respondentCanada
  • Band 1Anita Banicevic
    Band 1Anita Banicevic

    Anita Banicevic

    Anita Banicevic advises clients on significant merger review files and misleading advertising matters. She has deep experience in managing both litigious and transactional files, with matters often involving various jurisdictions.

    • Anita is a highly responsive and trusted advisor who consistently delivers thoughtful, solution-oriented support. She combines strong technical expertise with a clear understanding of business objectives, providing advice that is both legally sound and commercially practical.

      Competition/Antitrust respondentCanada
    • Her depth of knowledge is unparalleled - she knows every case, decision and regulation, and her advice is invaluable. She is particularly hard-working and diligent, well above what I would expect from someone at her level.

      Competition/Antitrust respondentCanada
    • An excellent lawyer and a pleasure to work with.
      Competition/Antitrust respondentCanada
  • Band 1Elisa K Kearney
    Band 1Elisa K Kearney

    Elisa K Kearney

    Elisa Kearney has a broad practice advising clients on contested merger clearance filings and on Competition Bureau investigations into allegations of anti-competitive behaviour.
    • She has really strong judgement and the ability to issue spot across cases and clients.

      Competition/Antitrust respondentCanada
    • I think she's excellent.
      Competition/Antitrust respondentCanada
    • Elisa and the team are exceptionally responsive and able to distill complex issues into clear, actionable guidance.

      Competition/Antitrust respondentCanada
    • Elisa is phenomenal - she's very strategic, very smart and produces very high-quality work.

      Competition/Antitrust respondentCanada
  • Band 1Sandra A Forbes
    Band 1Sandra A Forbes

    Sandra A Forbes

    Sandra Forbes is well-regarded for her ability to represent defendants in competition class actions, with a particular focus on disputes concerning allegations of price-fixing.

    • I found Sandy's advice to be quite knowledgeable and pragmatic.
      Competition/Antitrust respondentCanada
    • Sandra Forbes is simply the pinnacle of competition litigators in Canada. Her superlative ability to create innovative and effective legal strategies is matched by her excellence in implementation and execution in the courtroom. Her extraordinary communication skills generate respect and resonate in both the boardroom and the courtroom.
      Competition/Antitrust respondentCanada
    • Sandy is simply the best commercial litigator I have worked with.
      Competition/Antitrust respondentCanada
    • She is an extremely experienced competition defence lawyer, who is very comfortable in court, knows the system and plaintiffs' lawyers, and can speak with authority. They respect her, and she is very hard-nosed but does it in a way that's pleasant, professional and cordial.

      Competition/Antitrust respondentCanada
  • Band 3Chantelle Cseh
    Band 3Chantelle Cseh

    Chantelle Cseh

    Chantelle Cseh has experience representing defendants in class actions alleging involvement in price-fixing cartels.

    • She brought deep litigation experience, acumen with experts and a high EQ.

      Competition/Antitrust respondentCanada
    • Chantelle is superb and has been involved in many of the great victories in the class action space in Canada.

      Competition/Antitrust respondentCanada
  • Band 3Charles Tingley
    Band 3Charles Tingley

    Charles Tingley

    Charles Tingley represents clients in Competition Bureau reviews of proposed mergers, including in the energy and natural resources and retail sectors.

    • He's highly professional and responsive.

      Competition/Antitrust respondentCanada
    • Charles is very personable and knowledgeable in his field.
      Competition/Antitrust respondentCanada
    • Charles is one of the sharpest and most analytical lawyers I have ever worked with. His keen intellect and astute observations never fail to impress.

      Competition/Antitrust respondentCanada
  • Band 4Mark C Katz
    Band 4Mark C Katz

    Mark C Katz

    Mark Katz assists clients with merger control filings. He has experience acting for both private equity houses and pharmaceutical companies.
    • He's extremely knowledgeable, professional and an exceptional educator for us.

      Competition/Antitrust respondentCanada
    • Mark was excellent to work with!
      Competition/Antitrust respondentCanada
  • Band 5Jim Dinning
    Band 5Jim Dinning

    Jim Dinning

    Toronto-based Jim Dinning assists companies and investors with obtaining competition law clearance for high-value transactions.

    • He stands out for combining first-rate legal judgment with a calm, solution-oriented approach under pressure.

      Competition/Antitrust respondentCanada
    • We are very well served and are very happy to work with Jim.
      Competition/Antitrust respondentCanada

Ranked Individuals at Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP (8)

Nationwide - Canada

Members

Provided by Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP

Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg 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