Ontario’s best technology transactions lawyers in 2021

Lexpert reveals Ontario’s best technology transactions lawyers based on the results of our comprehensive annual peer survey. The complete list of the province’s most recommended tech lawyers and law firms can be accessed via our practice area rankings.

In our survey, the practice of technology law involves working with investors, start-up or later stage enterprises, venture capital investors, technology lenders and technology-oriented investment dealers in matters such as private and public financings, stockholder and employment matters, strategic alliances, partnerships and joint ventures, stock exchange listings and mergers and acquisitions. The practice often necessitates working closely over a long period with a technology business at all stages, from initial business and financial start-up plans to an IPO and extends beyond high-end matters, including corporate governance.

Most frequently recommended technology transactions lawyers

Chad Bayne
Law firm: Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
Year called to the bar: 2002
City: Toronto

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Chad Bayne is a partner at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP. He is also the founder and co-chair of the firm’s emerging and high-growth companies practice group. Bayne practises corporate and securities law, with an emphasis on mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance in the technology sector. He advises some of the most notable Canadian emerging and later-stage tech companies and the venture capital investors that finance them. Bayne also advises several notable multinational technology companies in connection with their Canadian M&A activities. He plays a central role in the firm’s efforts in Rotman’s Creative Destruction Lab, NEXT Canada, Peerscale (formerly AceTech Ontario), C100, CIX and League of Innovators (formerly The Next Big Thing).

Wendy J. Gross
Law firm: Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
Year called to the bar: 1993
City: Toronto

Wendy J. Gross is a partner at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, where she chairs the technology group. She specializes in outsourcing and other complex corporate and commercial transactions relating to technology products and services and business processes and related regulatory and other legal issues. These areas include payment systems and networks, cloud computing, OSFI B-10 compliance, open banking, artificial intelligence, fintech transactions, blockchain and other distributed ledger technologies, public and private procurement e-commerce, privacy and data protection, consumer protection, intellectual property protection and licensing. Gross has extensive experience advising financial services, retail, e-commerce, transportation and energy companies in these areas.

Christine Ing
Law firm: McCarthy Tétrault LLP
Year called to the bar: 1995
City: Toronto

Christine Ing is partner and the head of the technology law and fintech groups at McCarthy Tétrault LLP. She has over 20 years of experience in strategic commercial transactions and collaborative arrangements involving technology, intellectual property and data at their core. Ing boasts extensive experience in all aspects of information technology law, including outsourcing, systems and software acquisitions, systems and software development, licensing, various ASP and SaaS arrangements, complex services agreements and distribution and reseller agreements. She is a well-recognized leader in open banking, alternative data, payment systems, artificial intelligence, blockchain, cybersecurity, cloud services, technology development and innovative collaborations. Ing also has significant experience in the payments space and has led large payment network deals on behalf of issuers. She is a member of the Canadian IT Law Association, the ITechLaw Association and the Toronto Computer Lawyers’ Group. She currently co-chairs the global digital transformation committee of the CPR International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution and is on the commercial transactions advisory board of Practical Law Canada.

Barry B. Sookman
Law firm: McCarthy Tétrault LLP
Year called to the bar: 1982
City: Toronto

Barry B. Sookman is a senior partner at McCarthy Tétrault LLP’s technology law group. He is also the former leader of the firm’s intellectual property group. Sookman is recognized as one of Canada’s foremost authorities in information copyright, internet, privacy and anti-spam law. He acts in connection with complex IT and IP transactions, including outsourcings, cloud computing, military defense procurements and litigation. Sookman has argued numerous precedent-setting IP and internet cases at all levels of courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada. He has authored numerous books, including the leading seven-volume treatise Computer, Internet and Electronic Commerce Law, Canadian and International Casebook, Copyright: Cases and Commentary on the Canadian and International Law and Computer, Internet and E-Commerce Terms: Judicial, Legislative and Technical Definitions. Sookman is an adjunct professor of IP law at Osgoode Law School. He is also a member of the PTIC copyright committee and on the advisory boards of IP Osgoode and MacDonald Laurier Institute (MLI).

George S. Takach
Law firm: McCarthy Tétrault LLP
Year called to the bar: 1985
City: Toronto

George S. Takach is a senior partner in McCarthy Tétrault LLP’s Toronto office. He advises clients on tech company mergers and acquisitions and financing deals, sophisticated tech licensing and tech procurement transactions and challenging e-commerce activities. Takach represents a wide range of software, hardware and other technology companies on commercial and financing and M&A matters. He has a national tech procurement practice and regularly assists companies in all sectors of the Canadian economy. Takach has authored the second editions of Computer Law, The Software Business and Contracting for Computers.

Amy-Lynne Williams
Law firm: Deeth Williams Wall LLP
Year called to the bar: 1980
City: Toronto

Amy-Lynne Williams is a partner and one of the founding members of Deeth Williams Wall LLP. She devotes her practice exclusively in information technology law. She advises clients on systems acquisitions, outsourcing, privacy, payments, internet issues and tech transfers. Williams is a past president of the International Technology Law Association and the Canadian IT Law Association. She has testified as an expert witness on outsourcing agreements and has served as an arbitrator on an international arbitration panel.

Consistently recommended technology transactions lawyers

Adam S. Armstrong
Law firm: Torys LLP
Year called to the bar: 1998
City: Toronto

Adam S. Armstrong is a partner at Torys LLP. He also serves as coordinator of the firm’s corporate department, head of the technology contracting practice and co-head of the payments and cards practice. Armstrong specializes in technology licensing and outsourcing and corporate and securities law. On the technology aspect of his practice, he advises clients on outsourcing transactions and licensing and conveyancing of hardware, software and other intellectual property. On the corporate and securities side, Armstrong focuses on public and private financing, including initial public offerings, shareholder arrangements and mergers and acquisitions.

Richard Austin
Law firm: Deeth Williams Wall LLP
Year called to the bar: 1985
City: Toronto

Richard Austin is a partner at Deeth Williams Wall LLP. His areas of practice include privacy, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, IT and business process outsourcing, applications development and licensing, software audits and Canada’s anti-spam legislation (CASL). He represents technology users in the public and private sectors and domestic and international service providers. Before joining the firm, Austin spent 18 years as general counsel of EDS Canada, one of the country’s largest technology service providers. He is a sought-after speaker on technology law issues, including on privacy and security, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, social media, identity management and professionalism in the digital age.

Michael G. Beairsto
Law firm: Dentons Canada LLP
Year called to the bar: 1989
City: Toronto

Michael G. Beairsto is a partner at Dentons Canada LLP, where he heads the firm’s technology law group in Toronto. Beairsto devotes his practice to corporate and commercial law, specializing in technology, e-commerce and internet matters. He has extensive experience in technology and corporate transactions, including software licensing and development, technology acquisition, service agreements and outsourcing arrangements. Beairsto advises on intellectual property licensing matters and protection of IP and information. He regularly advises clients on e-commerce matters and internet-based channels of business, including privacy-related issues and internet law matters. Beairsto represents clients on technology acquisitions, financing and corporate mergers and acquisitions in the technology field.

Duncan C. Card
Law firm: Bennett Jones LLP
Year called to the bar: 1984 (ON); 1984 (Bermuda)
City: Toronto

Duncan C. Card is a partner at Bennett Jones LLP, where he co-chairs the IT, managed services and outsourcing, procurement and government contracting practices. His practice involves contract drafting and negotiations, technology transactions, IP commercialization, procurement best practices, defence procurement, enterprise solutions, e-commerce, fintech and payments and SaaS and IaaS. Card serves as corporate director in several tech firms, including Osisko Mining Bermuda, FutureVault, Drone Delivery and EXEN (California). He is also a former governance chair of a large offshore bank. Card obtained his ICDD corporate director’s designation in 2013, finishing as valedictorian. He has authored more than 300 technology transaction publications and seminars.

Richard F.D. Corley
Law firm: Goodmans LLP
Year called to the bar: 1992
City: Toronto

Richard F.D. Corley is a partner and the head of the cleantech and outsourcing practice groups at Goodmans LLP. He boasts more than 25 years of experience advising clients on complex outsourcing transactions, technology mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, cleantech and other technology-related matters. He has led the procurement, negotiation, implementation, renegotiation and resolution of disputes in many complex outsourcing transactions. Corley has also pioneered the use of standardized tools and real-time issue resolution to facilitate the efficient preparation and management of outsourcing agreements based on well-developed precedents. He is a frequent speaker at professional conferences and seminars on outsourcing, technology and cleantech-related topics. Corley is the director of the Canadian Institute for Exponential Growth (SingularityU Canada), Can-Tech (IT law), CORE (outsourcing) and the Building Energy Innovators Council (BEIC). He is also a member of the Information Technology Association of Canada, ITechLaw, Canadian Bar Association, American Bar Association, Toronto Computer Lawyers Group, International Association of Outsourcing Professionals and Climate Change Lawyers Network.

Anthony de Fazekas
Law firm: Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP
Year called to the bar: 1997
City: Toronto

Anthony de Fazekas is a partner and patent agent at Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP, where heads the technology and innovation practice in Canada. He devotes his practice to information technology law, including the formation of winning IP strategies and the development and prosecution of original patent applications in a wide range of IT-related technologies. De Fazekas has also handled all aspects of high-profile in-bound and out-bound technology licensing transactions and has developed cutting-edge legal templates for numerous significant IT companies. He has worked extensively in the innovation sector with many research institutions, large corporate innovators, startups and scaling technology companies.

Michael G.G. Fekete
Law firm: Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
Year called to the bar: 1993
City: Toronto

Michael G.G. Fekete is a partner at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP’s technology group and the firm’s national innovation leader. His practice focuses on outsourcing, information technology, government contracting, e-commerce and privacy. Fekete has extensive experience advising clients in developing and exploiting technology- and e-commerce-related products and meeting related Canadian regulatory requirements, including Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation. He represents IT service providers, software publishers, hardware manufacturers, online vendors and purchasers of technology and services. Fekete provides legal services to these clients in connection with outsourcing transactions, complex joint ventures, strategic alliances, product distribution arrangements, systems integration projects and compliance initiatives.

K. Vanessa A. Grant
Law firm: Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP
Year called to the bar: 1997
City: Toronto

K. Vanessa A. Grant is a partner at Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP’s Toronto office. Her practice focuses on public and private corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions and private equity. Grant advises issuers, investors and underwriters on financings, initial public offerings, public and private M&A, corporate governance, joint ventures, and licensing and distribution agreements. She also designs, structures and negotiates complex collaborations, licensing, commercial arrangements and M&A transactions. Grant provides ongoing general corporate and commercial legal advice to several clients and works with national and international clients across all industries, with a particular focus on technology, including fintech and artificial intelligence, and life sciences companies, including digital healthcare, therapeutics, devices, diagnostics and agribusiness. Grant also represents private equity and venture capital funds investing in those industries. She lectures regularly on topics related to M&A, securities law, corporate governance and industry-specific issues. Grant is the co-director of the Osgoode Hall LLM program in business law and teaches a course in corporate finance for the program.

Christopher A. Hewat
Law firm: Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
Year called to the bar: 1987
City: Toronto

Christopher A. Hewat is a partner at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP. He specializes in securities and business law, focusing on mergers and acquisitions, capital markets and private equity transactions. Hewat has been involved in the development of securities regulation in Canada, having advised the Ontario Securities Commission in connection with its rules reformulation project and the Toronto Stock Exchange in its review of rules governing listed companies. Hewat has extensive M&A experience, advising on several high-profile transactions, including the Toronto-Dominion Bank’s acquisition of artificial intelligence firm Layer 6 Inc. and institutional asset manager Greystone Managed Investments Inc. He also boasts significant experience acting for issuers and underwriters in public offerings, including those by Stelco, OpenText, Descartes and Shopify.

Andrea C. Johnson
Law firm: Dentons Canada LLP
Year called to the bar: 1999
City: Ottawa

Andrea C. Johnson is a partner at Dentons Canada LLP. Her practice focuses on corporate and securities law, with an emphasis on technology and emerging growth companies. Johnson has extensive experience in the private equity and venture capital area. She has acted as lead counsel on many of the largest VC financings in Canada. Johnson also advises TSX-listed companies on IPOs, financings, mergers and acquisitions, stock-based compensation and corporate governance.

Lisa R. Lifshitz
Law firm: Torkin Manes LLP
Year called to the bar: 1995
City: Toronto

Lisa R. Lifshitz is a partner at the business law group at Torkin Manes LLP. She is also the leader of the firm’s technology, privacy and data management group. Lifshitz specializes in information technology and privacy and cybersecurity law. She is the chair of the robotics and AI subcommittee and cyberspace committee of the American Bar Association’s business law section. She is also a council member of the science and technology and business law sections of the ABA. Lifshitz is an editorial board member of The Sci-Tech Lawyer of the ABA’s science and technology section. She is a past president and director of the Canadian Technology Law Association. Lifshitz is a prolific writer and speaker and was the long-term author of a monthly feature column for Canadian Lawyer Magazine and the co-editor and contributor to Cloud 3.0: Drafting and Negotiating Cloud Computing Agreements, published in May 2019 by the ABA.

W. Ian Palm
Law firm: Gowling WLG
Year called to the bar: 1995
City: Toronto

W. Ian Palm is a partner at Gowling WLG’s Toronto office. His practice focuses on corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions and private equity. Palm has extensive experience working with Canadian and international clients in a variety of industries, with particular emphasis on the technology, energy and infrastructure sectors. He represents private and public companies, major corporations, pension funds, and private equity and venture capital investors. Acting for issuers, investors and underwriters, Palm has advised clients in a range of corporate finance and M&A transactions, including private placements, public offerings, private equity and venture capital transactions, joint ventures and public and private M&A. He speaks frequently at law schools, institutes and conferences on mergers and acquisitions, private equity and securities law.

Joel Ramsey
Law firm: Torys LLP
Year called to the bar: 2007 (ON); 2004 (New York)
City: Toronto

Joel Ramsey is partner at Torys LLP, where he co-heads the payments and cards and technology contracting practices. Ramsey devotes his practice to technology contracting and outsourcing and payments and cards. He assists clients on corporate transactions and on matters involving offshoring, procurement, privacy, consumer protection, mobile payment systems, IT strategy, data distribution, cloud computing and e-commerce solutions. Ramsey’s clients include financial institutions, technology service providers, retailers, pension funds and companies in the asset management, energy and securities sectors.

Barry J. Reiter
Law firm: Bennett Jones LLP
Year called to the bar: 1977
City: Toronto

Barry J. Reiter is a corporate partner and the chair of the Bennett Jones LLP’s technology, media and entertainment and corporate governance and director protection groups. His corporate practice involves advising on corporate development and finance. This includes representation of founder and other shareholders, executives, businesses, investment banks and private equity sources, shareholder, executive and employee arrangements, privacy and cyber security, distribution arrangements, strategic alliances, partnerships and joint ventures, licensing and other commercial arrangements, private and public financings, mergers and acquisitions and international tax planning. Reiter’s governance practice involves advising boards, board committees, independent directors and management on compliance, effectiveness and protection issues. Reiter is the lead director at Baylin Wireless Technologies and director at RIMES Technologies. He is also a member of the Advisory Council of StarTech.com.

Parna Sabet-Stephenson
Law firm: Gowling WLG
Year called to the bar: 2000
City: Toronto

Parna Sabet-Stephenson is a partner in Gowling WLG’s Toronto office and co-leader of the firm’s fintech and insurtech groups. Her practice focuses on all aspects of outsourcing, technology law and e-commerce. She also advises on the legal implications of emerging technologies, including blockchain and the Internet of Things. Sabet-Stephenson assists domestic and international customers and service providers in a range of industries, including telecommunications, financial services, retail, pharmaceutical, energy, technology and automotive. She has extensive experience in structuring, negotiating and drafting various outsourcing, joint venture, technology acquisition, technology development, licensing, supply, cloud services and complex services agreements. Sabet-Stephenson is regularly called upon for technology transformation and digitization projects. She is fluent in English, French and Farsi. Sabet-Stephenson is a member of the Canadian delegation to the e-commerce working group (Working Group IV) of the United Nations commission on international trade law.

Gary S.A. Solway
Law firm: Bennett Jones LLP
Year called to the bar: 1985
City: Toronto

Gary S.A. Solway is the managing partner of the technology, media and entertainment group at Bennett Jones LLP. His practice focuses on all aspects of corporate commercial, corporate governance and securities work for companies at all stages, from startups to mature public companies. Solway advises on mergers and acquisitions, private and public financings, including IPOs, cyber security governance, special committee matters, shareholder arrangements, executive and employee compensation arrangements, licensing and distribution agreements, international corporate structurings, corporate reorganizations and private equity and venture capital fund formation. He regularly represents US and Canadian private equity and venture capital investors and foreign buyers acquiring Canadian businesses. Solway serves secretary of the CVCA, Canada's venture capital and private equity association.

Edward Vandenberg
Law firm: Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
Year called to the bar: 1996 (BC); 1998 (ON)
City: Ottawa

Edward Vandenberg is a partner at the business law department and a member of the technology business group at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP. He practises corporate and securities law with an emphasis on private equity financing, mergers and acquisitions and venture capital fund formation. Vandenberg’s practice focuses almost exclusively on emerging technology companies and private equity funds. He advises a wide range of Canadian and international clients in the technology sector such as start-ups and medium-size companies, as well as VC and institutional investors. Vandenberg also advises clients in structuring private equity funds and has acted for fund managers and investors.

Firm(s)

Bennett Jones LLP Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP Deeth Williams Wall LLP Dentons Canada LLP Goodmans LLP Gowling WLG McCarthy Tétrault LLP Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP Torkin Manes LLP Torys LLP