Here are Québec’s top corporate tax lawyers based on the results of Lexpert’s latest comprehensive annual peer survey. For the complete roster of the province’s most recommended corporate tax lawyers and law firms, check out our practice area rankings.
Corporate tax law is the branch of legal profession governing systems of taxation used for taxing incorporated entities, including businesses, financial institutions and not-for-profit organizations.
Most frequently recommended corporate tax lawyers
Law firm: Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP
Year called to the bar: 1992 (QC); 1998 (ON)
Brian Bloom is a partner at Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP. He advises on a range of tax matters for both public and private sector clients, with an emphasis on cross-border mergers and acquisitions, international tax planning and transfer pricing. Bloom is regularly consulted for his expertise in structuring complex major transactions, including the first tax-deferred conversion of a mutual fund corporation into a REIT and the first Enhanced Equipment Trust Certificate aircraft financing in Canada. He also advises high-net-worth families on trust and estate matters and has advised the Canadian government on e-commerce taxation. Bloom is a tax lecturer at McGill University’s Faculty of Law. He is also a former governor of the Canadian Tax Foundation and presently sits on the Canadian Branch Board of the International Fiscal Association. Bloom is also a member of the Lord Reading Law Society.
Law firm: Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1990
Mark D. Brender is a partner and the head of the tax group at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP’s Montréal office. He is currently a member of the executive committee and the immediate past chair of the Canadian Tax Foundation, having occupied the office of chair of the board of governors in 2019. Brender is also co-editor of the Corporate Tax Planning feature of the Canadian Tax Journal published by the CTF. He frequently advises on some of the most important business transactions and critical tax disputes. His practice is broad-based, focusing on domestic and international tax-planning, cross-border and domestic mergers and acquisitions, corporate reorganizations, financings and tax dispute resolution. Brender has extensive experience in advising Canadian and foreign multinational corporations, private equity funds, venture capital funds and privately owned businesses. He also has significant expertise in advising private family enterprises and family offices on succession and estate planning.
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Law firm: Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP
Year called to the bar: 2002 (ON); 2003 (QC)
Michael N. Kandev is partner at Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP’s tax, mergers and acquisitions, private equity and private client practices. He focuses cross-border taxation. Kandev works with major Canadian, US and other publicly traded companies, private equity and hedge funds and tax-exempt institutions on investments, divestments, financings, mergers and acquisitions, reorganizations and real estate and resource projects. He provides counsel on disputes with tax authorities and is an expert in international tax issues and transfer pricing matters. Kandev also advises individuals on estate planning, personal trusts, and immigration and emigration matters. He is a frequent speaker at tax conferences in Canada and abroad. Kandev has published extensively in a variety of tax periodicals and is a contributing editor to Wolsters Kluwer International Tax Journal. He is a councillor and treasurer of the Canadian Branch of the International Fiscal Association.
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Law firm: Stikeman Elliott LLP
Year called to the bar: 2003 (QC); 2003 (New York)
Frank Mathieu is a partner at Stikeman Elliott LLP. He also heads the firm’s tax group in Montréal. Mathieu focuses on Canadian income tax law, including the income tax aspects of mergers and acquisitions and corporate reorganizations and restructurings in a cross-border context. He boasts extensive expertise advising foreign private equity funds in relation to their Canadian investments. Mathieu is a frequent lecturer and speaker at various conferences.
Law firm: McCarthy Tétrault LLP
Year called to the bar: 1998
Christian Meighen is a partner at McCarthy Tétrault LLP’s national tax group. He devotes his practice to corporate tax and tax planning. Meighen advises on the tax aspects of mergers and acquisitions and domestic and international corporate reorganizations. He acts for large Canadian and foreign corporations in matters relating to general corporate tax issues and mergers and acquisitions both at domestic and cross-border levels. Meighen is a frequent speaker on tax matters at conferences and seminars and has authored or co-authored articles and presentations for various legal organizations, including the Association de planification fiscale et financière (APFF) and the Canadian Tax Foundation. Meighen is a member of the Canadian Tax Foundation, APFF and Canadian Bar Association.
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Law firm: Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
Year called to the bar: 1986
Manon Thivierge is a partner at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP’s tax group. She focuses on domestic and cross-border tax law, with an emphasis on the taxation of mergers and acquisitions, financings and corporate reorganizations. Thivierge advises shareholders and directors in relation to personal tax matters and estate planning. She has also authored numerous publications on tax matters and frequently speaks on this subject. Thivierge is a member of the board of directors of the Association de planification fiscale et financière. She is a former chair of the Canadian Tax Foundation and a past governor and president of the tax section of the Canadian Bar Association for the province of Québec. She is also a former member of the joint committee on taxation of the Canadian Bar Association and the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants. Thivierge teaches estate planning at the Master of Laws, taxation option at the HEC. She is also a registered trust and estate practitioner by the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP).
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Law firm: Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP
Year called to the bar: 1999
Marie-Emmanuelle Vaillancourt is a partner and coordinator at the tax practice at Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP’s Montréal office. She works closely with clients, primarily in Canada and the US, on all aspects of their domestic and international tax planning. Vaillancourt advises clients on tax matters across a broad range of critical business activities, including corporate reorganizations, mergers and acquisitions, real estate, financings and restructurings. She also regularly acts for public and private companies and their shareholders and pension and investment funds. Vaillancourt has significant expertise in advising high-net-worth clients on their estate tax planning and trust matters. She is a frequent lecturer and speaker and is actively involved in the Canadian Tax Foundation, International Fiscal Association and Association de planification fiscale et financière.
Consistently recommended corporate tax lawyers
Law firm: Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP
Year called to the bar: 1981
Nathan Boidman is a senior counsel at Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP. He specializes in taxation law. Boidman advises clients on international tax matters, with a focus on cross-border mergers and acquisitions, financings, joint ventures, partnerships and business trusts. He also counsels clients on transfer pricing and other cross-border tax disputes with the Canada Revenue Agency. Boidman also advises individual clients on international tax issues. He is a prolific author and speaker and was the organizer and coordinator of Tax Notes International’s, Forum on International Mergers and Acquisitions. He has held senior leadership positions in leading industry associations, including the International Fiscal Association and the Canadian Tax Foundation. Boidman was also admitted to the Order of Chartered Professional Accountants in Ontario and FCPA in Québec. He is a lifetime honorary member of the International Fiscal Association’s Canadian Branch.
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Law firm: Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP
Year called to the bar: 1998
Derek Chiasson is a partner in the Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP’s tax team. He devotes his practice to domestic and international tax aspects of mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and corporate reorganizations for public and private corporations. Chiasson also regularly advises on tax disputes, commodity taxes and executive compensation. He boasts extensive experience to bridge tax, finance and legal aspects of the transactions and reorganizations. Chiasson is a member of the Canadian Tax Foundation, Association de planification fiscale et financière, International Fiscal Association and IFA Canada Council. He is also a former member of the Canadian Bar Association’s CBA/CICA joint committee on taxation. Chiasson has been a speaker for the Canadian Tax Foundation, IFA, APFF and Wolters Kluwer. He boasts extensive industry experience, having served as vice-president, corporate development and strategy and legal affairs of a multinational US public company in the video game sector listed on the NASDAQ.
Law firm: Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
Year called to the bar: 2003
Alain Fournier is a partner and member at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP’s tax group. He boasts expertise in Canadian income tax laws, with a focus on the tax aspects relating to mergers and acquisitions, public and private financing and corporate reorganizations. Fournier is a member of the Canadian Bar Association, Canadian Tax Foundation, Association de planification fiscale et financière and International Fiscal Association. He is also a member of the Montréal Regional Activities Committee and the annual conference committee of the APFF. He has written numerous topics relating to Canadian tax laws and frequently speaks at different conferences on tax matters.
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Law firm: Stikeman Elliott LLP
Year called to the bar: 2005
Pierre-Louis Le Saunier is a partner at Stikeman Elliott LLP’s tax group. He focuses on tax dispute resolution and litigation. Le Saunier regularly represents clients before tax authorities and courts in cases involving domestic and international issues. These include research and development tax credits, the general anti-avoidance rule (GAAR), reorganizations involving trusts and family holdings, transfer pricing, voluntary disclosures, judicial reviews, residency status, non-resident trusts, investment structures and funds and treaties. Le Saunier has court experience before the Supreme Court of Canada, Federal Courts, Tax Court of Canada and Cour du Québec.
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Law firm: Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP
Year called to the bar: 1999
Martin Legault is a partner at Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP’s tax group. He has a diversified practice focused on commercial transactions and encompasses all aspects of Canadian tax law. Legault advises clients on complex tax aspects related to mergers and acquisitions, reorganizations, restructurings, financings, spin-offs and divestitures. He has in-depth know-how relating to the tax aspects related to restructuring of entities experiencing financial difficulties. Legault frequently participates in conferences and seminars on taxation as a presenter. He is a member of the Association de planification fiscale et financière and Canadian Tax Foundation.
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Law firm: Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP
Year called to the bar: 2006
Ryan Rabinovitch is a partner at Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP’s tax group. His practice deals with all aspects of tax law, with a focus on tax planning and tax litigation. Over the years, Rabinovitch has held a variety of positions in the legal profession, from which he has gained broad expertise. He has worked as a comparative law clerk for Aharon Barak, then the President of the Supreme Court of Israel and served as law clerk to the Honourable Louise Arbour, then a justice of the Supreme Court of Canada.
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Law firm: Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
Year called to the bar: 1981 (QC); 1997 (ON)
Robert Raizenne is a partner at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP. He boasts extensive experience in tax planning matters, including cross-border and domestic mergers and acquisitions, corporate reorganizations and restructurings, corporate finance, international tax and trusts. Raizenne is also an experienced tax litigator. He is an adjunct professor of tax law at McGill University's Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto. He is also a sought-after speaker and writer on tax topics. Raizenne has spoken frequently at the Canadian Tax Foundation’s Annual Conference, the Annual Conference of the Canadian Branch of the International Fiscal Association and other professional venues.