These are Toronto’s top technology transactions law firms based on the results of our comprehensive annual peer survey. Check out the complete list of Ontario’s most recommended tech lawyers and law firms on our latest 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 law firms
Year established: 1856
Number of lawyers: 8
Number of ranked lawyers: 2
Partners: David Feldman, Kiran Patel, Robert Percival
Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP (Blakes) is one of Canada’s largest full-service law firms, providing legal advice to leading domestic and international businesses. It has offices in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver, Calgary and Montréal, and international headquarters in New York, London and Beijing. The firm handles transactions of all sizes and levels of complexity, whether an issue is local or multi-jurisdictional, or practice-area specific or interdisciplinary. Blakes boasts a national technology practice team with specialized industry knowledge and deep understanding of transactional complexities and provides legal guidance at all stages of technology strategy. The team includes experts across the major industries in Canada, including oil and gas, power, financial services, telecommunications and retail. Many of the group’s lawyers are cross-trained in several legal areas such as corporate, commercial, intellectual property and communications law and are considered to be among Canada’s top thought leaders in their respective fields. They advise companies of all sizes, from domestic and international players in the technology sector to Canadian start-ups pushing new boundaries in emerging technologies.
Year established: 1855
Number of lawyers: 43
Number of ranked lawyers: 3
Partners: Benjamin T. Aberant, Robert Anton, John W. Boscariol, Shane C. D’Souza, Stephen Furlan, Daniel G.C. Glover, Heidi Gordon, Robert O. Hansen, Martha Harrison, Christine Ing, Matthew S. Kelleher, D.J. Lynde, Alfred Macchione, Ian Mak, Steven Mason, Patrick McCay, Shevaun McGrath, Lisa Melanson, Matthew D. Peters, Randy Schwartz, David Tait, George S. Takach, David E. Woollcombe
McCarthy Tétrault LLP is one of Canada’s largest full-service law firms, offering expert legal services to clients in Canada and around the world. The firm delivers integrated business, litigation, tax, real property and labour and employment offerings through its offices in Toronto, Montréal, Québec City, Calgary, Vancouver, New York in the US and in London, UK. The firm’s technology practice covers a wide range of tech transactions that spans several industries, including software, hardware, e-commerce, fintech, aeronautics, biotechnology, life sciences, IT services, data management and security. The team’s lawyers act for an array of clients, from large and small technology developers, manufacturers and vendors to the major corporations, financial institutions and private-public partnerships that use and distribute technology or purchase enterprise-wide licensing agreements and mission-critical systems.
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Year established: 1862
Number of lawyers: 77
Number of ranked lawyers: 5
Partners: Michael Fekete, Wendy Gross, Simon Hodgett, Ted Liu
Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP is one of Canada’s largest full-service firms with offices in Toronto, Ottawa, Montréal, Calgary, Vancouver and New York in the US. It boasts a roster of more than 400 lawyers that provide expert legal services to both domestic and international clients. The firm is recognized for its extensive expertise in business. It specializes in a wide range of industries, including agribusiness, clean tech, energy, fintech, food products, gaming, health, hospitality and leisure, infrastructure, life sciences, mining, real estate investment trusts, retail and venture capital. Osler’s technology practice team serves counsel to many of the leading vendors and largest purchasers and mid-sized and emerging enterprises offering technology-related products and services. The group’s areas of specialization include IT contracting, outsourcing and complex services arrangements, privacy and corporate and commercial matters.
Year established: 1941
Number of lawyers: 14
Number of ranked lawyers: 4
Partners: Adam S. Armstrong, John Emanoilidis, Edward T. Fan, Konata T. Lake, Ebad Rahman, Joel Ramsey
Torys LLP is one of Canada’s largest full-service business law firms with offices in Toronto, Montréal, Halifax, Calgary and New York. It advises clients on a wide range of transactions, including banking and debt finance, board advisory and governance, capital markets, competition and foreign investment, consumer protection, corporate restructuring, intellectual property, litigation and dispute resolution, mergers and acquisitions, private equity and tax. Torys’ technology practice team works with start-ups, later-stage and growth companies, public companies, private equity firms, venture capital investors, lenders and technology-oriented investment dealers. It supports tech clients in all aspects of the creation, acquisition, use and commercial exploitation of their diverse work, including mergers and acquisitions, private and public financings, shareholder arrangements, partnerships, joint ventures and strategic alliances, venture capital and private equity fund formation, stock exchange and Nasdaq listings, litigation and dispute resolution, corporate governance, employment and consulting arrangements. The team also assists clients with licensing, distribution, contracting and outsourcing arrangements, intellectual property management, protection and enforcement, privacy matters, marketing and packaging of products, systems infrastructure, Internet and e-commerce matters and tax.
Consistently recommended technology transactions law firms
Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP
Year established: 1961
Number of lawyers: 10
Partners: Jim Dinning, Elisa K. Kearney, Vincent A. Mercier, Dale J. Osadchuk, Laila Paszti, Geoffrey L. Rawle, Zain Rizvi, Cameron M. Rusaw, Gillian R. Stacey
Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP (Davies) is among Canada’s leading full-service business law firms. It specializes in high-stakes and complex matters. The firm’s clients include businesses and financial institutions in North America and abroad. It has offices in Toronto, Montréal and New York. Davies’ technology group works with technology companies on all aspects of the creation, adoption, acquisition and use of technology products and services. Known for industry firsts, the team helps tech companies negotiate their journey through all phases of the business life cycle from capital raising and outsourcing arrangements to corporate transactions and dispute resolution. The group’s focus is on managing challenges and creating strategies to help clients realize their business goals. Its clients consist of emerging and established companies across a range of industry sectors, including life sciences, aeronautics, fintech and gaming. Whether carving out new law for innovative blockchain ventures, negotiating strategic alliances or mitigating cybersecurity risks, the group combines industry savvy and experience to find solutions that work.
Year established: 1994
Number of lawyers: 11 (Information Technology)
Number of ranked lawyers: 3
Partners: Richard Austin, Michael Erdle, Thomas E. Feather, Amy-Lynne Williams
Deeth Williams Wall LLP is a Toronto-based law firm dedicated to helping clients develop, protect and commercialize all types of intellectual property and technology. The firm’s partners specialize in all aspects of intellectual property and technology law, with expertise in information technology, privacy and health care. DWW’s clients include Canadian and international leaders in the information technology, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, health care, financial services, oil and gas, franchising, consumer products and food and beverage industries. Its lawyers combine legal expertise with an in-depth knowledge of the client’s business. DWW’s goal is to ensure that the legal rights of its clients are protected, while adding value to their businesses.
Year established: 2000
Number of lawyers: 8
Number of ranked lawyers: 4
Partners: Andrew C. Alleyne, John P. Beardwood, Daniel Fabiano, Peter N. Mantas, Andrew S. Nunes, Gabriel M.A. Stern, Berkley D. Sells
Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP is one of Canada’s largest full-service business law firms, with a manpower pool of more than 700 lawyers worldwide. It has domestic offices in Toronto, Ottawa, Montréal, Québec City, Vancouver, Surrey and Calgary. The firm also has international headquarters in London, Johannesburg and Beijing. Fasken specializes in complex business and litigation matters. It takes pride in having a diverse and inclusive workplace, and its community involvement, pro bono work and membership in respected legal organizations globally.
Fasken’s information technology team advises on a range of tech matters, from large systems implementations and outsourcing arrangements to Internet business models and new technologies. The team’s lawyers work with clients in a variety of transactions, including developing comprehensive RFPs and conducting a successful procurement, developing and implementing cloud and outsourcing strategies, addressing data security, privacy and CASL issues, creating governance, IT security, record retention and other critical policies. For technology providers, the team assists with developing commercialization strategies, implementing e-commerce strategies to comply with regulatory requirements, facilitating the use and exchange of virtual and crypto-currencies, managing IP portfolios, open source and the use of agile development, developing and implementing cybersecurity strategies, developing licensing and XaaS agreements, responding to RFPs and managing the Canadian side of cross-border investments to comply with regulations, expand assets or secure funding.
Year established: 1917
Number of lawyers: 25
Number of ranked lawyers: 2
Partners: John Alton, Amalia Berg, Daniel Cappe, Dino Clarizio, Daniel Cohen, Richard Corley, Jamie Firsten, Sheldon Freeman, Tom Friedland, Allan Goodman, Daniel Gormley, Tim Heeney, Michael Koch, Victor Liu, Monique McAlister, Richard Naiberg, Michael Partridge, Kirk Rauliuk, Peter Ruby, Carolyn Stamegna
Toronto-based Goodmans LLP is recognized as one of Canada’s most innovative law firms, providing expert legal service in all aspects of business law. The firm’s business-related specialties include capital markets, mergers and acquisitions, restructuring, technology, real estate investment trust, tax and litigation. The firm caters to a wide range of Canadian and international businesses, from startups to multinational corporations. Goodmans’ technology group works with all types of clients involved in the technology sector, including public and private companies from start-ups to late stage, angel, venture capital, private equity, family office and institutional investors, entrepreneurs and technology professionals, lenders and governmental agencies. The firm’s technology practice offers expert advice to clients, helping them capitalize on the benefits of blockchain technology while remaining abreast of the complex laws and evolving regulations that govern it. Its lawyers deliver innovative and sophisticated solutions to meet the challenges of this new and evolving industry in the areas of corporate and securities law, including advising on ICOs, venture financing, investment funds, tax law, brokers, consulting firms and exchangers. The members of the firm’s technology group also teach internet and communications law at Canada’s largest law school, are regular lecturers at technology industry events and legal conferences and have published articles in the technology law field.
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Year established: 1887
Number of lawyers: 26
Number of ranked lawyers: 4
Partners: Brent J. Arnold, Nurhan Aycan, Peter W. Choe, Shahrzad Esmaili, Chris J. Eustace, Brian R. Fraser, Kelly Gill, Henry A. Harris, Robert G.S Hull, Alan James, Scott Jolliffe, James Longwell, Stephen D. McKersie, Stephen A. Pike, Susanah C. Rolston, Jason A. Saltzman, Parna Sabet-Stephenson, Grant W.C. Tisdall, Faran Umar-Khitab, David T. Woodfield
Gowling WLG is an international full-service business law firm that boasts a network of more than 1,400 legal professionals in 19 cities worldwide. The firm serves clients in key sectors, including energy, financial services, life sciences, natural resources, infrastructure, real estate and technology. It has logged more than 9,400 pro bono hours and has been repeatedly recognized as a top employer committed to diversity, inclusion and innovation. Gowling WLG’s 300-strong global tech team helps clients capitalize on new opportunities and overcome obstacles in the technology sector, from navigating the latest advances in blockchain to developing new AI or mitigating cyber risks. The group assists some of the biggest tech innovators in developing agile business strategies, enforcing and monetizing intellectual property, and investing, acquiring and divesting of corporate interests. The team also helps clients take full advantage of the emerging technologies that are changing the way the financial, energy, retail, manufacturing, insurance, mining, automotive and health industries operate around the world.
Read more about Gowling WLG in how Canada can seize its opportunity to become a global energy leader
Year established: 1952
Number of lawyers: 15
Partners: Kevin Ackhurst, Samantha Horn, Martin Langlois, Jonah Mann, Wesley R. Ng, D’Arcy Nordick, Simon A. Romano
Stikeman Elliott LLP specializes in business law and represents clients within Canada and across the globe. The firm provides counsel and advise through its offices in Toronto, Ottawa, Montréal, Calgary and Vancouver, and international headquarters in New York, London and Sydney. Its primary practice areas include mergers and acquisitions, securities, litigation and dispute resolution, banking and finance, competition and foreign investment, tax, restructuring, energy, real estate, project development, pensions, and labour and employment.
Stikeman Elliott’s technology group supports some of the largest companies and technology end-users in Canada and around the world, along with the sector’s emerging start-ups, in range of transactions. These include mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, outsourcing, commercial relationships, litigation, intellectual property and technology infrastructure development transactions. The team has negotiated with virtually all major global technology providers, software companies and hardware manufacturers. Its clients include national and multinational companies with technology issues in traditional sectors such as financial services, energy and retail and in emerging industries such as e-commerce and social media.
Year established: 1993
Number of lawyers: 50
Number of ranked lawyers: 1
Partners: Rory Cattanach, Geoffrey Cher, Perry N. Dellelce, Nick Gray, Charlie Malone, Sanjeev Patel, Katy M. Pitch, Troy Pocaluyko, Michael Rennie, Rob Wortzman
Wildeboer Dellelce LLP is a Toronto-based corporate, securities and business transactions law firm. The firm offers private and public clients services in asset management and investment funds, corporate and commercial, corporate finance and securities, corporate governance, debt products, entertainment, media, e-sports and gaming, executive compensation, mergers and acquisitions, private equity and venture capital, real estate, regulatory and compliance, start-ups and emerging companies and tax. The firm works across all industries including technology, fintech, software/SaaS and financial services.
Geoffrey Cher leads the firm’s digital economy and technology initiatives in the fintech and blockchain space. The firm has represented a variety of industry participants, including digital advisers, digital lenders and other alternative finance platforms as well as mobile payments and deposits, consumer finance companies and a variety of financial sponsors engaged in this sector. The firm’s clients and notable matters include:
• Acting for First Ledger Corp. in its acquisition by WonderFi Technologies Inc.
• Acted for Bitbuy Technologies Inc. on becoming the first crypto asset trading platform to be regulated as a marketplace in Canada
• Acted for Liquid Meta in its reverse take-over transaction and listing on the NEO Exchange
• Acted for Blockchain Foundry Inc. in the launch of a marketplace for non-fungible tokens
• Acted for the stakeholders in Affinio Inc. in its acquisition by NowVertical Group
Read more about Wildeboer Dellelce LLP in the sector thriving during the pandemic