These were Toronto’s leading corporate and commercial lawyers based on our 2021 peer review. Check out the full roster of leading lawyers and law firms in this field in our list of the best commercial corporate lawyers in Ontario here.
Corporate law is the branch of the legal profession that governs the establishment of companies, shareholder rights, and mergers and acquisitions. Commercial or business law, meanwhile, deals with the sale and distribution of goods.
Most frequently recommended corporate and commercial lawyers
Aaron Atkinson
Law firm: Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP
Year called to the Bar: 2001
Aaron Atkinson is a partner at Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP. He specializes in public and private mergers and acquisitions, capital markets and securities and corporate governance. Atkinson advises Canadian and international businesses in a wide range of industries, including mining, life sciences and financial services. He has also advised clients in various high-profile domestic and cross-border cases, including unsolicited takeover bids and proxy contests, financing transactions, negotiated acquisitions, joint ventures and partnerships. Atkinson is well-versed in commercial governance, which is why he is called to advise on transactional matters, internal investigations and complex governance issues.
Patrick G. Barry
Law firm: Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1993
Patrick G. Barry is a partner and the principal contact for several US and Canadian public and private companies at Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP. He devotes his practice to public and private mergers and acquisitions, private equity investment transactions, fund formation and debt and equity corporate finance. Barry advises on high-profile transactions and boasts substantial experience in corporate joint ventures and structured finance transactions. He has also advised on the formation of some of Canada’s largest and most prominent private equity and hedge funds. Barry is regularly called upon by leading private equity funds, hedge funds, asset managers and enterprises of all sizes from start-ups to multinationals.
Sarbjit S. Basra
Law firm: Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1994
Sarbjit S. Basra is the managing partner at Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP in Toronto. He specializes in private mergers and acquisitions, private equity investment transactions, fund formation and debt and equity corporate finance. Basra has more than two decades of experience advising leading private equity firms and institutions on private fund formation, the creation of pooled investment vehicles and investment transactions, both in Canada and internationally. He has also advised on the formation of many of Canada’s leading private funds.
Joel E. Binder
Law firm: Stikeman Elliott LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1991
Joel E. Binder is a partner at the corporate finance, securities and mergers and acquisitions groups at Stikeman Elliott LLP in Toronto, where he previously served on the management committee. Binder boasts extensive experience in these practice areas, along with private equity, where he often advises clients. Binder frequently represents public issuers, boards of directors and investment dealers in transactions involving public offerings, private placements, takeover bids, business combinations and governance and securities compliance matters. He regularly speaks at conferences on securities law and has authored articles on a variety of securities law topics. Binder is a past director and audit committee member of two public companies. He is also a member of the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) advisory committee and the firm’s associates committee.
William J. Braithwaite
Law firm: Stikeman Elliott LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1980
William J. Braithwaite is a senior counsel at Stikeman Elliott LLP. He was the firm’s chair from 2012 to 2018 and is former head of the corporate group in Toronto. He also previously served on the firm’s partnership board and executive committee. Braithwaite specializes in mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance. He has acted as counsel to major Canadian corporations, boards of directors and institutional shareholders and various governments and regulatory authorities. He is also a special lecturer in Osgoode Hall Law School’s part-time LLM program. Braithwaite has participated in numerous panels and conferences on corporate and securities law. He also serves as chairman of the board of directors of Computershare Trust Company of Canada.
Read more about Stikeman Elliott LLP on special purpose acquisition corporations
Douglas A. Bryce
Law firm: Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1997
Douglas A. Bryce is the national managing partner at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP. He is also a partner at the firm’s business law group, focusing on mergers and acquisitions and securities law matters. Bryce has acted on several of Canada’s highest profile M&A transactions. His practice includes a broad range of transactions and advice encompassing private and public company acquisitions, hostile and supported takeover bids, going private transactions, special committee situations and securities law. Bryce has practised at the firm’s New York office from 2008 to 2011 and is currently based at the firm’s Toronto office.
John J. Ciardullo
Law firm: Stikeman Elliott LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1997
John J. Ciardullo is a partner and head of the corporate group at Stikeman Elliott LLP. He is also the former head of the firm’s capital markets and public mergers and acquisitions group. Ciardullo boasts significant experience in a wide range of corporate and securities transactions, with a focus on complex M&A transactions, proxy contests and contested meetings and corporate finance transactions. He counsels clients on a wide variety of matters, including transaction structuring, acquisition and defense strategy and compliance with fiduciary duties. Ciardullo is a former member of the securities advisory committee to the Ontario Securities Commission.
Matthew Cockburn
Law firm: Torys LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1995
Matthew Cockburn is a partner at Torys LLP. He practises corporate and securities law, with an emphasis on mergers and acquisitions and private equity. Cockburn acts for a wide variety of private equity firms and pension funds, advising on all aspects of their investment transactions. He has also advised on public takeover bids, plans of arrangement, and private acquisitions and divestitures. Cockburn has significant experience in the corporate finance area, advising issuers and underwriters on public and private offerings of debt and equity securities.
Read more about Torys LLP on the shift to renewable energy sources
Curtis Cusinato
Law firm: Bennett Jones LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1993 (ON); 1991 (Michigan)
Curtis Cusinato is a partner and the vice-chair of Bennett Jones LLP. He also serves as co-head of the firm’s mergers and acquisitions group. He devotes his practice to corporate and securities law, with a focus on cross-border M&A, private equity and capital markets transactions. For over two decades, Cusinato has advised leading multinational, public and private companies and private equity groups on domestic and cross-border M&A, divestitures, leveraged and management buyouts, going-private transactions and other private equity transactions. He has also advised on public offerings, restructurings, reorganizations, joint ventures and debt and equity financings. His practice also includes advising boards of directors on various corporate governance matters and covers a spectrum of industries, including technology, steel, manufacturing, agribusiness, foodservice, hospitality, gaming, environmental, financial services, and life sciences. Cusinato’s clients include multinational, US and Canadian public companies, North American private companies, Canadian chartered banks, investment and merchant banks, private equity groups, hedge funds and sovereign wealth funds. He sits on the board of several entities and frequently acts as a speaker on various corporate topics.
Read more about Bennett Jones LLP on the importance of vigilance to avoid fraud
John E. Emanoilidis
Law firm: Torys LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1999
John E. Emanoilidis is a partner and co-head of the mergers and acquisition practice at Torys LLP. He specializes in corporate, commercial and securities law, with an emphasis on M&A and corporate finance. Emanoilidis advises companies, directors and shareholders on corporate governance and securities compliance matters. He also boasts significant experience advising domestic and foreign acquirors, selling shareholders and investment banks in all aspects of public and private M&A, including hostile takeover bids, strategic review processes, proxy contests, going-private transactions, private equity transactions and negotiated acquisitions. Emanoilidis has extensive experience in corporate finance transactions, representing issuers, underwriters and investors in domestic and international debt and equity public offerings and private placements. He also provides ongoing advice to public companies on their disclosure, corporate governance and other corporate and securities law obligations.
Read more about Torys LLP on cannabis sector regulation
Jeremy D. Fraiberg
Law firm: Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
Year called to the Bar: 2000
Jeremy D. Fraiberg is a partner Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, where he chairs the mergers and acquisitions group. Fraiberg has acted for several public and private companies, private equity firms and investment banks on a range of acquisitions, securities offerings and other corporate transactions. He routinely represents investment dealers on fairness opinions, valuations and complex financial advisory assignments. Fraiberg has also taught at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law on contested mergers and proxy contests. He has spoken and written about a range of legal issues.
Michael Gans
Law firm: Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1996
Michael Gans is a partner at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP. He devotes his practice to international inbound and domestic mergers and acquisitions. Gans has advised on many of the country’s highest-profile M&A transactions. He frequently acts for financial sponsors in both platform and roll-up transactions. Gans also regularly acts for special committees of boards in connection with internal investigations and related party transactions. Recent examples of his experience include advising The Stars Group on its combination with Flutter Entertainment, Cerberus on its acquisition of Dorel Industries and Danaher Corporation on several Canadian acquisitions. Gans also regularly acts for special committees and boards in connection with corporate governance matters, internal investigations and related party transactions.
Read more about Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP on Indigenous consultation standards
Jeff Glass
Law firm: Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1991
Jeff Glass is a partner at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP. He practises in the investment products and asset management group, advising leading investment dealers, financial institutions, asset management companies and senior issuers on public and private financings and on governance and securities regulatory matters. Glass has leading expertise in the structuring and regulation of listed and unlisted structured products and special purpose acquisition corporations. He advises special committees and independent review committees on related-party transactions and going-private transactions. Glass serves as general securities counsel to several public entities. He has also been involved in the reformulation of the regulations and policies of the Ontario Securities Commission and has assisted the Toronto Stock Exchange in a review of its policies and procedures for the regulation of listed entities.
Read more about Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP on the rise in litigation in the cannabis sector
Stephen H. Halperin
Law firm: Goodmans LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1976 (QC); 1979 (AB); 1987 (ON)
Stephen H. Halperin currently serves a counsel for Goodmans LLP after more than 30 years as a partner. He was also co-chair of the firm’s corporate and securities group. Halperin specializes in transactional corporate and securities law, domestic and international corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions and corporate governance, including activist shareholders matters. Halperin was lead counsel for Pan-Canadian Investors Committee for Third Party Asset-Backed Commercial Paper (ABCP) Restructuring from 2007 to 2009.
Read more about Goodmans LLP on Canadian venture capital investment
Christopher A. Hewat
Law firm: Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1987
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.
Samantha G. Horn
Law firm: Stikeman Elliott LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1993
Samantha G. Horn is a partner and a member of Stikeman Elliott LLP’s management committee in Toronto. She formerly served as co-head of the firm’s mergers and acquisitions and private equity groups. Horn practises primarily in the areas of M&A, private equity, venture capital financing and fund formation. She is a fellow of the American Bar Foundation and past chair of the private equity and venture capital committee of the Business Law Section of the American Bar Association, where she also served on the council of its Business Law Section. Horn is a founding and executive member of the Canadian Women in Private Equity Committee of the Canadian Venture Capital Association. She has authored several articles and participated as a speaker in various seminar programs in both Canada and the US with respect to private equity and venture capital financing, shareholders agreements and fund formation matters.
Read more about Stikeman Elliott LLP on recognizing Canada’s stake in leading the energy transition
Jonathan Lampe
Law firm: Goodmans LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1984
Jonathan Lampe is a partner at Goodmans LLP, where he is also past co-chair of the corporate and securities group and member of the executive committee. He advises domestic and international clients on mergers and acquisitions, strategic relationships, financings, dissident shareholder activities, governance and regulatory matters and investigations. Lampe also advises entrepreneurial families and their family offices on strategic and structural matters. His clients include Canadian and international publicly listed companies, family offices, pension funds and private equity investors. He has also represented Ontario Securities Commission staff and market participants in enforcement and transactional regulatory proceedings. Lampe is a former Ontario Securities Commission general counsel, past chair of the OSC securities advisory committee and past member of OSC enforcement advisory committee.
Dale H. Lastman
Law firm: Goodmans LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1984
Dale H. Lastman is the chairman of Goodmans LLP. He practices corporate, commercial and securities law and provides counsel in connection with public offerings, mergers and acquisitions and business restructurings. He is also the director of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd, governor of the Canadian Football League’s Toronto Argonauts and an alternate governor of the National Hockey League and National Basketball Association. Lastman serves as an honorary trustee of the Hospital for Sick Children and on the board of directors of RioCan REIT and Roots Corporation. He is also a member of the Order of Canada and Order of Ontario and an honorary captain of the Royal Canadian Navy.
Jon Levin
Law firm: Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1975
Jon Levin is a partner at Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP. He devotes his practice to mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, securities regulation and business law. Levin has acted as lead counsel in high profile financings, takeovers and restructuring transactions. In the corporate governance area, he has advised special committees and provided strategic guidance on board procedures and the implementation of governance polices in response to new legislation and developments.
Read more about Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP on capital markets amid the pandemic
Jeffrey R. Lloyd
Law firm: Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1991
Jeffrey R. Lloyd is a partner at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP. He specializes in mergers and acquisitions, public company advisory matters and capital markets transactions. Lloyd advises purchasers, target companies and vendors on public and private M&A transactions. He has extensive experience in both negotiated and unsolicited transactions. Lloyd also advises public companies on corporate governance, shareholder activism and securities law matters and in connection with public offerings of equity and debt securities. He boasts extensive experience in a wide range of industries, including mining, real estate, financial services, power generation and retail and consumer products.
Neill I. May
Law firm: Goodmans LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1992
Neill I. May is a partner Goodmans LLP, where is also the co-chair of corporate securities group and a member of the executive committee. May boasts extensive experience in corporate and securities law, with a focus on mergers and acquisitions, governance and proxy matters, domestic and cross-border public and private financings, private equity and business restructurings. May is also actively involved in mining and Asian market practice areas.
Vincent A. Mercier
Law firm: Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1990
Vincent A. Mercier is a partner at Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP. He specializes in mergers and acquisitions, where has acted for many of Canada’s most important transactions. Mercier represents acquirers, targets, controlling shareholders and committees of independent directors in public company acquisitions, both negotiated and hostile. He also represents strategic and private equity buyers in private M&A transactions and has extensive experience in cross-border transactions. Mercier is well-versed in various industries, including financial services, communications and media, technology, mining and energy. He advises public company boards on activism defence and other corporate governance issues.
J. Alexander Moore
Law firm: Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1998 (ON); 2001 (California)
J. Alexander Moore is a partner at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP. He devotes his practice to mergers and acquisitions, capital markets and corporate governance. Moore advises Canadian and international clients on public and private M&A transactions and has experience in both negotiated and unsolicited transactions. He also advises issuers on equity and debt financings, public company corporate governance and securities law matters. Moore has represented boards and shareholders in many shareholder activism matters and played a central role in some of Canada’s most high-profile proxy contests. His extensive experience in corporate governance matters provides him with valuable insight as a key member of the firm's corporate governance practice. Moore is a fellow of the American College of Governance Counsel. He has been a lecturer and adjunct professor at Osgoode Hall Law School and has taught courses on his fields of practice.
Patricia L. Olasker
Law firm: Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1979
Patricia L. Olasker is a partner at Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP. She acts on many of Canada’s most complex mergers and acquisitions and capital markets transactions. Olasker has extensive experience advising parties on both sides of proxy contests and shareholder activism issues. She also advises boards of directors, special committees and activist shareholders on corporate governance and transaction-specific matters. Olasker’s practice also involves public market derivatives, the development of innovative structured debt and equity products and multi-jurisdictional disclosure system offerings of equity and debt. Olasker is an adjunct professor at Osgoode Hall Law School, where she teaches advanced M&A and cannabis law. She is also a former adviser to the chair of the Ontario Securities Commission and past chair of its securities advisory committee. Olasker serves as vice-chair of the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research, president of the Osgoode Hall Law School Alumni Association and vice-chair of the Royal Ontario Museum Foundation board.
Carol D. Pennycook
Law firm: Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1981 (AB); 1985 (ON)
Carol D. Pennycook is a partner at Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP. She advises on a wide range of transactions, including syndicated loans, corporate finance, structured finance, project finance, debt capital market offerings, private equity, private mergers and acquisitions, corporate reorganizations and derivative products. A significant portion of her practice is devoted to financing transactions, acting for both borrowers and lenders. Pennycook also acts on renewable energy transactions, joint ventures, corporate and acquisition credit facilities and capital markets bond, debenture and note offerings, both Canadian and cross-border. She acts in many of the highest-profile public-private partnership projects in Canada and the U.S. and has achieved great success for borrower and lender clients in complex infrastructure financings. Pennycook is a former director of PPP Canada.
Karrin A. Powys-Lybbe
Law firm: Torys LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1996
Karrin A. Powys-Lybbe is a partner at Torys LLP. Her practice focuses on corporate and securities law, with an emphasis on corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions and related party transactions for companies in a variety of industries. Powys-Lybbe has represented issuers and investment banks in public offerings for debt and equity. She also does ongoing corporate and securities work for several clients, including companies in the Brookfield Group. Powys-Lybbe has been involved in more than 60 debt and equity offerings for the Brookfield Group of companies totaling over $20 billion.
Emmanuel Pressman
Law firm: Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1998
Emmanuel Pressman is a partner at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, where he is also chair of the corporate department and former head of the mergers and acquisitions group. He represents public and private companies, private equity sponsors, special committees, boards of directors, and financial advisers involved in takeover bids, negotiated and contested M&A, joint ventures, and a range of corporate transactions and restructurings. Pressman’s clients include Constellation Brands, Magna International, Blackstone, TPG Capital, KingSett Capital, Vector Capital, Fairfax Financial, Walter Energy, The ADT Corporation and Shoppers Drug Mart.
Brian M. Pukier
Law firm: Stikeman Elliott LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1994
Brian M. Pukier is a partner at Stikeman Elliott LLP’s mergers and acquisitions group, which he previously headed. He also serves on the management committee in the Toronto office. Pukier specializes in cross-border M&A, private equity investments, corporate finance transactions, complex corporate reorganizations and public policy. He boasts significant experience in counselling senior management and the boards of directors of leading public and private corporations. Pukier is a member of the Ontario Bar Association, the Canadian Bar Association and the International Bar Association. He is also on the board of directors of Computershare Trust Company of Canada. Pukier is a frequent speaker and writer on M&A and securities regulatory topics.
Simon A. Romano
Law firm: Stikeman Elliott LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1989
Simon A. Romano serves as partner in the capital markets and mergers and acquisitions groups at Stikeman Elliott LLP. He was also a former member of the management committee in the Toronto office. His practice focuses on securities, public and private mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance. Romano advises public companies, financial institutions, underwriters, investment funds, private equity funds, real estate investment trusts and income trusts, alternative trading systems and regulatory and self-regulatory organizations. He also acts on corporate governance and executive compensation matters. Romano was instrumental in the structure and launch of special purpose acquisition companies in Canada. He was previously seconded to the Ontario Securities Commission as special counsel and is a former member of its securities advisory committee. He also co-authored the first book on Canadian income funds and is a former clerk at the Supreme Court of Canada.
Cameron M. Rusaw
Law firm: Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1990
Cameron M. Rusaw is a partner at Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP, where he chairs the lawyer evaluation committee. He specializes in mergers and acquisitions, private equity and corporate finance. He acts for public and private companies, private equity funds and portfolio companies in domestic, cross-border and international acquisitions, investments, sales processes and financings. Rusaw has significant experience in a variety of industries, including pharmaceuticals, healthcare, laboratory testing, heavy equipment manufacturing and distribution, technology, movie theatres, mortgage lending, retail and mining. He is also well-versed in venture capital financing and technology. Rusaw is an adjunct professor at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law, where he teaches an advanced corporate transactions course. He is actively involved in the ABA’s M&A Committee, including as chair of the biennial ABA Canadian Public Target M&A Deal Points Study and issue group leader in the biennial ABA Canadian Private Target M&A Deal Points Study.
Jeffrey Singer
Law firm: Stikeman Elliott LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1994 (ON); 1994 (California)
Jeffrey Singer is the managing partner at Stikeman Elliott LLP’s Toronto office and a member of its executive committee and partnership board. He devotes his practice to domestic and international mergers and acquisitions, capital markets and private equity-related transactions. Singer previously served on the securities advisory committee to the Ontario Securities Commission. He is also the Canadian contributing editor to the International Finance and Law Review and Federated Press’ Corporate Finance and Innovative Financing publications. Singer has written several articles about domestic and cross-border M&A, capital markets, private equity and sovereign wealth funds and income funds and REITs. He has spoken domestically and internationally on these subjects. He has also lectured on these topics at the University of Toronto Law School, Osgoode Hall Law School, Windsor Law School and the Law Society of Ontario.
Edward J. Waitzer
Law firm: Stikeman Elliott LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1978 (ON); 1985 (New York)
Edward Waitzer is a former partner of Stikeman Elliott LLP but continues his relationship with the firm as an independent law practitioner. He was chair of the firm from 1999 to 2006. His practice focuses on complex business transactions and advising clients in respect of various public policy and governance matters. Waitzer has served as a director of numerous corporations and community organizations and writes and speaks extensively on a wide range of legal and public policy issues. He is also a contributing editor on the advisory boards of various publications. Waitzer was chair of the Strategy Working Party, which restructured the International Accounting Standards Board. He also served as a member of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants’ Task Force on Standard Setting, public director of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, member of the Independent Review Panel on the Comptrollership Function in Canada, chair of the Liquor Control Board of Ontario, vice-chair of Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile S.A. (SQM) and as president of the Canada-Chile Business Council. Waitzer is a professor and holds the Jarislowsky Dimma Mooney Chair in Corporate Governance at Osgoode Hall Law School and Schulich School of Business at York University. He is also the director of the Hennick Centre for Business and Law.
David E. Woollcombe
Law firm: McCarthy Tétrault LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1991
David E. Woollcombe is a partner at McCarthy Tétrault LLP’s Toronto office. He focuses on mergers and acquisitions and has advised many Canadian and international businesses and private equity firms on acquisition, divestiture, and reorganization transactions. He has also represented boards of directors and dissidents on proxy fights, governance, and contested matters. Woollcombe has significant experience in capital markets matters and has acted for issuers and investment dealers in a wide variety of cross-border and domestic public offerings and private placements. He regularly advises on joint ventures and related shareholders agreements across a broad range of industries, including natural resources, financial services, technology, consumer products, media and telecom.