Department profile
Torys LLP

Corporate/Commercial

Canada Guide 2026 : Ontario


Torys LLP

Rankings

About

Provided by Torys LLP

Clients come to Torys for M&A counsel—not only for our sophisticated skills, but also because of our dedicated approach to working together to make our clients’ deal a success.

Our creative business acumen helps clients fully maximize the potential of their deals. Our clients value the sense of partnership we bring to executing their transactions with them: they can expect an approach that assembles the best of the firm to advise and run deals of any level of complexity or profile smoothly.

We are experienced in sophisticated, complex and first-of-kind transactions. We have acted on some of Canada’s largest and most preeminent transactions and are trusted advisors to many of the country’s leading organizations, pension funds, private equity funds and other institutional investors on their most strategic and transformational deals.

Our decades-long experience in Toronto, New York, Calgary and Montréal reflects our distinguished and diverse client base, which is engaged in deal activity across industries in Canada, the U.S. and globally. With full-service capabilities on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border, we are uniquely positioned to advise as a single firm on cross-border and international transactions.

Chambers Review

Provided by Chambers

Corporate/Commercial - Ontario


What the Team is Known For
Torys is a large Toronto-headquartered law firm of significant national and international renown. It is firmly placed at the forefront of the business law community in Toronto, advising on both high-end and mid-market domestic and cross-border M&A transactions straddling various industry sectors. The group maintains longstanding institutional relationships with various private equity firms, pension funds, financial advisers and large corporates. Its lawyers are well placed to advise on both public and private transactions.

Work Highlights

Provided by Chambers

  • Torys acted as counsel to Canadian Western Bank in its CAD5.3 billion sale to National Bank of Canada.

Strengths

Provided by Chambers

  • Torys and the deal team met or exceeded our expectations on all aspects of the transaction. They are very pragmatic and very responsive.

    Corporate/Commercial respondentCanada
  • Torys is a best-in-class firm. The team is adept at identifying nuanced issues in highly complex transactions and providing practical solutions and advice to mitigate risk.

    Corporate/Commercial respondentCanada
  • The firm is a market leader in Canada. Their depth of talent, relationship with clients and sophistication internally makes them a go-to in Canada for complex M&A transactions.

    Corporate/Commercial respondentCanada
  • Torys has a strong team broadly and deep bench strength.

    Corporate/Commercial respondentCanada
  • We are tightly connected and I felt like our business is a top priority for Torys. They know our company, including its business and internal culture well. Their advice is relevant and informed.

    Corporate/Commercial respondentCanada

Notable Practitioners

Provided by Chambers

  • Eminent PractitionersMatthew W Cockburn
    Eminent PractitionersMatthew W Cockburn

    Matthew W Cockburn

    Matthew Cockburn advises clients on significant M&A and leveraged buyout transactions, with a key focus on the private equity space. He currently serves as the firm's managing partner in Toronto.
  • Band 1John Emanoilidis
    Band 1John Emanoilidis

    John Emanoilidis

    John Emanoilidis is noted for his experienced handling of M&A and securities transactions across a number of industries. He currently serves as co-head of the firm's M&A group in Toronto.
    • John Emanoilidis is my number one choice of counsel, under all deals and types, period.

      Corporate/Commercial respondentCanada
    • John has deep and broad knowledge and excellent commercial awareness. He is clearly a leader in his field and at the top of Canadian legal talent.

      Corporate/Commercial respondentCanada
    • John is amongst the best lawyers I have ever worked with. I would recommend him without hesitation to anyone requiring sophisticated, thoughtful, experienced and responsive counsel.

      Corporate/Commercial respondentCanada
    • John is very experienced and has seen just about everything. I can call him and he has the right answer right away.

      Corporate/Commercial respondentCanada
    • John is a go-to set of safe hands to lead us through any high profile, complex transaction. He exhibits a calm demeanour and depth of experience that reassures us through high stress environments.

      Corporate/Commercial respondentCanada
  • Band 2Karrin Powys-Lybbe
    Band 2Karrin Powys-Lybbe

    Karrin Powys-Lybbe

    Co-head of the firm's M&A practice in Toronto, Karrin Powys-Lybbe is held in high esteem for her experienced counsel on corporate transactions, ranging from mergers and acquisitions to securities and corporate governance matters.
    • Karrin is a terrific lawyer.

      Corporate/Commercial respondentCanada
  • Band 5Adrienne DiPaolo
    Band 5Adrienne DiPaolo

    Adrienne DiPaolo

    Adrienne DiPaolo is a Toronto-based corporate lawyer with a noteworthy reputation in the market. She assists with significant transactions in diverse industry sectors.

    • Adrienne is excellent and I enjoy working with her. She is responsive, practical and always has the long-term and big picture in mind.

      Corporate/Commercial respondentCanada
  • Associates to watchAdam Ibrahim
    Associates to watchAdam Ibrahim

    Adam Ibrahim

    Adam Ibrahim is a senior associate in Torys' Toronto office and focuses his practice on corporate and securities law, with particular expertise on mergers and acquisitions.

    • Adam is outstanding and stands out to our in-house team as a great talent. He is extremely technically knowledgeable and makes everything easy for us.

      Corporate/Commercial respondentCanada
    • Adam is a very hard worker and a helpful resource at Torys. I enjoy working with him and would recommend him to others.

      Corporate/Commercial respondentCanada

Ranked Individuals at Torys LLP (5)

Ontario

Members

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