Corporate/Commercial: The Elite | Canada

Blake, Cassels & Graydon is a strong choice for corporate and commercial work in Ontario as well as nationwide. The Toronto corporate practice has a robust private M&A component, coupled with an acclaimed securities offering and substantial experience of joint venture transactions, as well as a wide variety of strategic commercial agreements. The firm also demonstrates expertise in advising on inbound and outbound investments. It is particularly active in the financial services sector, as well as advising on work in various other industries including infrastructure, automotive, retail and real estate. The lawyers are active on high-end, cross-border deals, as well as in the corporate mid-market.

Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg's Toronto-based corporate team is offers sophisticated strategic advice on high-level public and private M&A, as well as other matters including corporate governance and shareholder activism. The law firm's corporate department maintains a strong focus on inbound transactions and offers significant experience in relation to unsolicited takeovers, as well as advising on various debt and equity financing matters. The team has a strong track record of advising on transformative cross-border deals; its wide industry experience encompasses mining and energy, technology, financial services and healthcare. The firm's clients range from bidders and investors to target boards.

Goodmans is an eminent Toronto M&A firm with a notable profile in the REITs space and deep experience across various other industry sectors including mining and telecoms, healthcare, senior care, energy and financial services. In addition to high-end merger work, the firm has strong securities and private equity expertise, including experience of SPACs. It also advises on matters of corporate governance and shareholder activism. The team is frequently involved in multi-jurisdictional matters, including major inbound deals. It also benefits from the firm's leading expertise in corporate restructuring and is increasingly noted for its work in the cannabis space.

McCarthy Tétrault is highly regarded for commercial energy and financial services sector transactions. The law firm's Toronto corporate team acts for issuers and underwriters on capital markets matters, including IPOs, as well as undertaking a large number of M&A deals. It is also well equipped to represent major private equity sponsors; its enviable client list includes significant Canadian companies as well as major multinationals. The lawyers offer additional expertise in reorganisations, divestitures and joint ventures; their industry expertise encompasses telecoms and entertainment, retail and hospitality.

Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt is a regular feature of the market-leading Canadian deals, with an elite Toronto-based corporate department acting alongside partners based nationwide. The firm's extensive deal sheet includes sophisticated M&A and capital markets transactions, acting for both issuers and dealers, as well as high-profile private equity deals. The group stands out for its representation of major Ontario-based clients, as well as its emerging companies practice. The practice is well regarded for its industry-specific experience, with extensive expertise in the financial services, mining, and oil and gas sectors. The legal team advises clients ranging from financial institutions and pension plans to start-ups in the tech and life sciences sectors. The law firm has also recently been active advising clients on their strategic investments into the cannabis space.

Stikeman Elliott is a national M&A powerhouse with a distinguished corporate and commercial base in Ontario. The law firm has a strong tradition of public M&A and is well equipped to advise on the regulatory aspects of market-leading deals. The Toronto corporate group also boasts a strong track record of private equity deals and capital markets transactions, particularly equity IPOs, across numerous industry sectors including tech and fintech, resources, cannabis and retail.

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.

Bennett Jones is highly regarded for its focus on transactions in the mining, energy, tech and fintech sectors. The corporate team benefits from the firm's strength in areas such as restructuring and tax to provide a comprehensive service on a range of deals, including public and private M&A, joint ventures and capital markets matters. Its Toronto lawyers are experienced in handling deals in the telecommunications, retail and construction industries. The firm also advises on transactions in the cannabis space.

Cassels Brock & Blackwell is a dominant law firm in Canadian mining with a strong base in Toronto. Its corporate lawyers also advise on M&A transactions in the wider resources sector and offer notable experience of cross-border work. The group's industry expertise also encompasses technology and gaming, as well as a growing presence in the cannabis industry. The law firm acts for a range of clients from multinational mining majors to small and medium-sized Canadian businesses.

Fasken advises on both public and private M&A across a diverse range of sectors including transportation and infrastructure, media, manufacturing, communications, mining and financial services. The law firm's Toronto office represents large multinational businesses as well as mid-sized companies and start-ups, and continues to be very well known for its transactional expertise. The legal team has notable experience in corporate reorganisations, joint ventures and corporate governance matters.

Norton Rose Fulbright operates a robust corporate practice in Toronto and Ottawa, with an especially high profile for its experience of proxy contests and other hostile and distressed transactions. The firm also handles going-private matters, recapitalisation transactions and joint venture arrangements. The practice often advises on national and international transactions, leveraging the expertise of its counterparts across the country and worldwide. Its client roster features a variety of companies, boards of directors and private equity investors straddling a broad range of sectors, including mining and energy, infrastructure, technology and cannabis.