Lexpert reveals Montréal’s leading mergers and acquisition lawyers based on the results of our expansive annual peer survey. For the complete roster of the most recommended M&A lawyers and law firms in Québec, check out our practice area rankings.
Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) is the branch of corporate law dealing with the purchase of one company by another or the blending of two companies into a new entity.
Most frequently recommended mergers and acquisitions lawyers
Marc B. Barbeau
Law firm: Stikeman Elliott LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1986 (QC); 1991 (New York)
Marc B. Barbeau is the chair and a member of the partnership board and executive committee at Stikeman Elloitt LLP. He is also a partner and former head of the corporate group in the Montréal office. Barbeau practises in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, complex reorganizations and corporate governance. He has considerable experience advising a diverse range of clients, including senior management and boards of directors on some of the most significant and complex Canadian and cross-border transactions.
Carl Bélanger
Law firm: Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1998
Carl Bélanger is a partner and co-president of the corporate and commercial law group at Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP. He devotes his practice to commercial transactions and corporate structures, including mergers and acquisitions, venture capital and private sector-funding. Bélanger is also involved in helping clients set up funds and limited partnerships. He has assisted clients at every step of their development in Canada and abroad. Bélanger has been active in transactions involving private equity funds and business successions through management and other buyouts. He has led a significant number of transactional files involving private or public corporations from diverse fields, including information technology, real estate development, health care and services, manufacturing and industrial production, and agriculture and food.
Read more about Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP on the growth of capital markets amid the pandemic
Michel Boislard
Law firm: Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1989
Michel Boislard is a partner at Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP. He is an expert in commercial law, primarily in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, corporate financing, investment funds and securities. He advises clients from the high technology and biotechnology sectors. Boislard represents public and private corporations on complex domestic and international cross-border transactions. He also acts on behalf of investment funds during acquisitions.
Read more about Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP on digital privacy rights
Patrick Boucher
Law firm: McCarthy Tétrault LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1996
Patrick Boucher is a partner at McCarthy Tétrault LLP’s business law group in Montréal. He specializes in securities and corporate law, concentrating on mergers and acquisitions, takeover bids and public financings. Boucher has acted as counsel to issuers and underwriters in various public offerings, including initial public offerings and private placements of publicly listed issuers. He has also participated in numerous takeover bids and going-private transactions of publicly listed issuers and has acted as counsel to independent committees in connection with various transactions.
Read more about McCarthy Tétrault LLP on changes in Canada’s sales and income taxes
Robert Carelli
Law firm: Stikeman Elliott LLP
Year called to the Bar: 2000
Robert Carelli is a partner and head of Stikeman Elliott LLP’s corporate group in Montréal. He has more than 20 years of experience in the areas of securities, capital markets, public and private mergers and acquisitions and corporate governance. Carelli advises issuers and underwriters on public offerings and private placements, boards of directors and private equity funds. He is highly regarded in the Canadian capital markets space and recognized for his solid track record of successfully working on complex domestic and cross-border M&A for clients in various industries, including technology, retail, aviation and healthcare.
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Peter Castiel
Law firm: Stikeman Elliott LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1993
Peter Castiel is a partner at Stikeman Elliott LLP’s corporate group. He is also a member of the firm’s partnership board and executive committee. Castiel boasts over 25 years of experience, including as head of the mergers and acquisitions group in Montréal, in private transactions and cross-border mandates. He has extensive expertise in advising Canadian and international clients, including private equity funds, sovereign wealth funds and leading public and private companies, in connection with acquisitions, divestitures and investments.
Read more about Stikeman Elliott LLP on the growth of SPACs
Michel Gélinas
Law firm: Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1992
Michel Gélinas is a partner at Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP. He has extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions, private equity, venture capital and corporate finance transactions. Gélinas is also an expert in joint ventures, restructurings and other complex transactions across a broad range of industries. A significant part of his practice involves cross-border transactions. He regularly advises US, European and other international companies doing business in Canada. Earlier in his career, he practised corporate and securities law in New York. Gélinas is a member of the business law section of the American Bar Association, where he co-chairs the international expansion and cross-border transactions subcommittee. He has written and lectured on corporate and securities law matters at various forums and taught business law courses at the University of Québec in Montréal.
Read more about Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP on when a purchaser reneges on a deal
Éric Gosselin
Law firm: McCarthy Tétrault LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1995
Éric Gosselin is a partner and the practice group leader of McCarthy Tétrault LLP’s business law group. He is widely recognized for his experience in all aspects of corporate and commercial work. Gosselin represents clients in the food, beverage and agribusiness sectors. His practice focuses on all major areas of mergers and acquisitions, financing, restructuring and regulatory work. Clients appreciate his pragmatic and business-driven approach when advising on acquisitions, regulations and general commercial law. Gosselin serves as a director and vice-president/chairman on the board of each of Société de la Place des Arts, Fondation de la Place des Arts and Culture pour tous. He is also the chair of the faculty advisory board of the Faculty of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences of McGill University (Macdonald Campus).
Read more about McCarthy Tétrault LLP on private equity and investments outlook for 2021
Shahir Guindi
Law firm: Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1990
Shahir Guindi is the national co-chair and a member of the partnership board at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP. He also served as managing partner at its Montréal office for seven years prior to becoming national co-chair. Guindi has over 25 years of experience and is a recognized advisor in mergers and acquisitions, private equity and corporate finance. His private equity and venture capital experience includes advising funds on their domestic and cross-border portfolio investments and divestitures and on their fund formations. Guindi acts for several of the country’s most successful technology and biotechnology companies. He is also the chair of the Board of the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montréal.
Sidney M. Horn
Law firm: Stikeman Elliott LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1978 (QC); 1982 (AB)
Sidney M. Horn is a senior counsel in the corporate group at Stikeman Elliott LLP. He specializes in commercial, corporate and securities law. Horn advises large domestic and international corporations on complex questions concerning finance, mergers and acquisitions and corporate governance. He boasts extensive experience in complex transactions requiring creative solutions. Horn represents private equity firms in their investments in private and public corporations, as well as corporations and independent directors in transactions such as going private transactions, related party transactions and insider bids.
Read more about Stikeman Elliott LLP on carve-out transactions
Warren M. Katz
Law firm: Stikeman Elliott LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1996 (ON); 1996 (QC)
Warren M. Katz is a managing partner at Stikeman Elliott’s Montréal office, where he is a member of the management and business development committees. Katz is also a member of the firm’s partnership board and executive committee and the former head of its corporate group. He specializes in cross-border mergers and acquisitions involving both public and private companies and investment funds, public offerings, private placements and going-private transactions. Katz represents public and private corporations across many industries.
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Sophie Lamonde
Law firm: Stikeman Elliott LLP
Year called to the Bar: 2002
Sophie Lamonde is a partner and head of the mergers and acquisitions group at Stikeman Elliott LLP. She is also a member of the firm’s partnership board. Lamonde devotes her practice to M&A and private equity, with a focus on cross-border transactions. She advises Canadian and foreign clients in acquisitions, divestitures, reorganizations and general commercial negotiations. Lamonde works with businesses in various industries, including retail, manufacturing, contract research, technology and media.
Read more about Stikeman Elliott LLP on Canadian tech sector IPOs and M&As
Pierre-Yves Leduc
Law firm: Stikeman Elliott LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1999
Pierre-Yves Leduc is a partner and head of the securities group at Stikeman Elliott LLP. His practice focuses on public and private mergers and acquisitions, securities and corporate finance. Leduc has acted as counsel to issuers and underwriters in public offerings and private placements. He has also acted for corporations in acquisitions and divestitures. Leduc advises both buyers and sellers on numerous takeover bids and going-private and restructuring transactions. He also advises clients on corporate governance matters.
John W. Leopold
Law firm: Stikeman Elliott LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1980
John W. Leopold is a senior partner in the corporate group at Stikeman Elliott LLP. He devotes his practice to mergers and acquisitions, private equity and corporate finance. Leopold boasts extensive experience in cross-border transactions. He acts extensively for both corporate and financial sponsor clients in both public and private company transactions and all related matters with a client base that spans the globe.
Read more about Stikeman Elliott LLP on pandemic disruptions in the agribusiness sector
Eric M. Levy
Law firm: Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1996
Eric M. Levy is the head of Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP’s Montréal corporate group and chair of the gaming group. He is also a partner at the firm. Levy has extensive experience in cross-border mergers and acquisitions and securities law. He advises on public offerings, private placements, recapitalization and stock exchange listings. His work also encompasses initial public offerings and other public and private placement offerings of many Québec-based and multinational companies in various industries, including mining and gaming. Levy’s private equity expertise includes representing technology-based companies and institutional private equity funds in structuring cross-border financings.
Clemens Mayr
Law firm: McCarthy Tétrault LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1991
Clemens Mayr is a partner at McCarthy Tétrault LLP’s Montréal office and a member of the board of partners. He specializes in domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and corporate governance. Mayr regularly represents issuers and underwriters in Canadian and cross-border public financings in various industry segments. He also represents boards of directors and independent committees of public companies in various contexts. Mayr is a member of the executive committee and the board of directors of the Institute of Corporate Directors (Québec). He also holds chairmanship at the Legal Advisory Committee of the Autorité des marchés financiers. Mayr is fluent in English, French and German.
Robert Paré
Law firm: Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1977
Robert Paré serves as a partner at Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP. He devotes his practice to corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions and securities law. Paré has extensive experience in advising board of directors and special committees in challenging situations. He acts as counsel in Canada and overseas on large-scale acquisition projects and takeover bids. Paré has also worked for corporate issuers and underwriters in several public offerings domestically and internationally. He speaks regularly in the context of professional training programs and at seminars on specialized topics related to his area of practice.
Paul Raymond
Law firm: Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1986
Paul Raymond is a senior partner at Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP. He boasts substantial experience in corporate and securities law, financings and business acquisitions and sales. Raymond has extensive domestic and international experience, mainly in the US, Europe and emerging markets. He has been involved in debt and equity financing of private and public corporations, governments and Crown corporations by way of private or public offerings, acting on behalf of issuers and underwriters. Raymond has acted in various transactions for the purchase or sale of businesses and in mergers and reorganizations. He has also been involved in various structured finance transactions.
Read more about Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP on the importance of vigilance to avoid fraud
Franziska Ruf
Law firm: Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1987
Franziska Ruf is a partner and a member of the management committee at Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP. She focuses on corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, private equity and pension funds, advising on Canadian and international public and private acquisitions, divestitures, securities issuances, investments and joint ventures. Ruf frequently advises domestic and foreign corporations, private equity firms, pension funds and financial advisers on public and private cross-border M&A. She also regularly advises boards of directors, special committees, senior management and shareholders on a wide range of transactions, public disclosure issues, and corporate governance matters. Ruf is a director and member of the corporate governance and human resources committee of Saputo Inc. and a director and corporate secretary of La Fondation Le Chaînon.
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Patrick M. Shea
Law firm: McCarthy Tétrault LLP
Year called to the Bar: 2007 (QC); 2000 (New York)
Patrick M. Shea is a partner at McCarthy Tétrault LLP, where he co-heads its private equity group and co-manages the firm’s relationship with US law firms. His principal areas of expertise are mergers and acquisitions, private equity, and corporate and commercial law. Shea has acted for private equity, corporate and pension fund clients in Canadian, US, and international M&A across a wide range of industries. He has also represented sponsors and investors in connection with the formation of and investments in private equity funds in Canada and abroad. He is the relationship partner for several Canadian, US and international clients that operate in Canada, including public companies, small- and mid-sized businesses, private equity firms, hedge funds, investment banks and entrepreneurs. Shea is fluent in English and French. An ardent believer in giving back to the community, he serves on the boards of numerous foundations, charities and other not-for-profit organizations and has led and participated in numerous charitable fundraising campaigns.
Read more about McCarthy Tétrault LLP on legislative shifts in climate change environmental regimes
Maxime Turcotte
Law firm: Stikeman Elliott LLP
Year called to the Bar: 2001
Maxime Turcotte is a partner in the corporate group at Stikeman Elliott LLP. He has a diverse national and cross-border practice supporting clients, their boards and special committees with complex and strategic transactions, including private and public mergers and acquisitions, corporate and fund finance and project development. Turcotte has developed industry experience in various sectors including in professional services, infrastructure and renewable energy, financial services and insurance.
Read more about Stikeman Elliott LLP on financing the mining industry