Presenting the top corporate tax lawyers in Alberta based on the results of Lexpert’s extensive yearly peer survey. The complete list of the most recommended corporate tax lawyers and law firm’s in the province can be viewed on our practice area rankings list.
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 lawyers
Donald N. Cherniawsky
Law firm: Felesky Flynn LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1988
City: Edmonton
Donald N. Cherniawsky is a partner at Felesky Flynn LLP, a firm specializing in taxation law. He devotes his practice to income tax planning for private corporate groups, estate matters for owner-managed businesses and tax dispute matters at the audit, objection and court levels. Cherniawsky has extensive experience in tax planning for family farms and succession planning for family farms and private corporate groups. He is considered one of the best corporate tax lawyers in Canada. Cherniawsky is a frequent contributor to publications and courses issued by the Canadian Tax Foundation and Chartered Professional Accountants Alberta. He qualified as a chartered accountant in 1981 and was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2008.
Al Meghji
Law firm: Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1990 (ON); 1995 (AB)
City: Calgary
Al Meghji is a partner at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, one of Canada’s largest full-service business law firms. He also heads the firm’s tax controversy practice. Mehgji appears frequently in the courts for leading Canadian and multinational corporations. He has argued several landmark tax cases, including the first general anti-avoidance rule case and the first transfer pricing case in the Supreme Court of Canada. Meghji is a chartered accountant and former counsel at the Department of Justice. He is considered among the top corporate tax lawyers in the country.
Darcy D. Moch
Law firm: Bennett Jones LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1988
City: Calgary
Darcy D. Moch is a partner at full-service business law firm Bennett Jones LLP. He also co-chairs the firm’s tax department. Moch’s practice is focused on income tax aspects of corporate reorganizations, mergers and acquisitions, takeovers, debt financing transactions, transactions involving partnerships and other flow-through vehicles, asset-based financings, and cross-border financing and leasing transactions. His practice also includes personal tax planning and residency matters, foreign tax planning for Canadian residents and structuring investments for non-residents into Canada. Moch has presented a number of papers on a variety of tax-related topics at national, international and local tax conferences. He is recognized as among the leading corporate tax lawyers in the country.
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F. Brent Perry
Law firm: Felesky Flynn LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1982
City: Calgary
F. Brent Perry is partner at Felesky Flynn LLP. He focuses on domestic and international taxation matters, with expertise in mergers and acquisitions, disposition, financing and restructuring strategies. Perry represents clients in resolving issues and disputes with the Canada Revenue Agency. He is considered one of the best corporate tax lawyers in the country. He was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2000.
Kenneth S. Skingle
Law firm: Felesky Flynn LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1988
City: Calgary
Kenneth S. Skingle is a partner at Felesky Flynn LLP. He specializes in taxation matters, with an emphasis on tax dispute resolution and tax litigation, and corporate and high-net-worth individuals tax planning. Skingle has appeared as counsel before the Supreme Court of Canada, the Tax Court of Canada, the Federal Court of Appeal, the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench and the Alberta Court of Appeal representing taxpayers in appeals of tax reassessments. He is recognized as one of the country’s top corporate tax lawyers. Skingle is an author, speaker and instructor who has lectured on tax-related topics for various legal professional organizations and universities. He was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2007.
Consistently recommended lawyers
Carrie Aiken
Law firm: Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
Year called to the Bar: 2004
City: Calgary
Carrie Aiken is a partner at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP’s Calgary office. She specializes in corporate income tax law. Aiken advises on the tax aspects of domestic and international transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, corporate reorganizations, financings, restructurings, divestitures, investments by domestic and international private equity firms and pension funds and a variety of oil and gas, pipeline, and renewable energy projects. She also advises international companies and state-owned enterprises looking to invest, commence or acquire business operations in Canada. Aiken advises public corporations, trusts and investment funds in connection with a wide range of public share and debt offerings, including cross-border financings. Her practice also includes advising on tax disputes and tax litigation. Aiken is considered among the top corporate tax lawyers in the country. She is a sought-after presenter at numerous national and regional conferences and has authored several articles.
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D. Brett Anderson
Law firm: Felesky Flynn LLP
Year called to the Bar: 2004
City: Calgary
D. Brett Anderson is a co-managing partner at Felesky Flynn LLP’s Calgary office. He devotes his practice to Canadian taxation law, with a particular focus on mergers and acquisitions, corporate reorganizations and international tax planning. Anderson also assists clients in resolving disputes with the Canadian tax authorities. He is recognized as among the best corporate tax lawyers in the country. Anderson has spoken at numerous tax conferences, seminars and bar association meetings and has been a sessional professor of both tax and trust law at the University of Calgary, Faculty of Law.
Donald K. Biberdorf
Law firm: Felesky Flynn LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1986
City: Calgary
Donald K. Biberdorf is a partner at Felesky Flynn LLP, where he was co-managing partner from 2009 to 2016. He is considered as among Canada’s leading corporate tax lawyers. Biberdorf was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2014. His practice covers a broad range of business and personal taxation matters. He boasts extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions, corporate tax planning, resource taxation, reorganizations of public and private corporations and other entities, estate planning and dispute resolution with taxation authorities. Biberdorf has been a frequent speaker at conferences of the Canadian Tax Foundation and a lecturer for provincial law societies and bar associations on a wide variety of taxation topics.
Julie D’Avignon
Law firm: Stikeman Elliott LLP
Year called to the Bar: 2006
City: Calgary
Julie D’Avignon is a partner at Stikeman Elliott LLP’s tax group. She devotes her practice to providing tax advice in connection with mergers and acquisitions, corporate reorganizations, equity investments, flow-through share transactions and financings. D’Avignon has extensive experience working with Canadian and international clients, public and private entities, resource sector clients and private equity firms. She considered among the leading corporate tax lawyers in Canada. Her firm specializes in business law.
Nancy Diep
Law firm: Lawson Lundell LLP
Year called to the Bar: 2001
City: Calgary
Nancy Diep is a partner at full-service business law firm Lawson Lundell LLP. She specializes in corporate income tax law. Diep’s tax practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, corporate reorganizations and financings and restructurings, with an emphasis on the resource industry and resource taxation. Diep has spoken at conferences and client seminars, including the Canadian Tax Foundation, Canadian Petroleum Tax Society and Tax Executives Institute. She is recognized as among the top corporate tax lawyers in the country.
Cheryl A. Gibson
Law firm: Dentons Canada LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1991 (AB); 1991 (ON)
City: Edmonton
Cheryl A. Gibson is a partner at Dentons Canada LLP. She is a former head of the full-service business law firm’s tax group. Gibson boasts extensive experience in the resolution of income tax and GST disputes, including criminal tax evasion matters. She also plans and implements tax-driven corporate reorganizations and the establishment of trusts. Gibson advises on pension matters and has prepared opinions on numerous tax and GST topics. She is recognized as one of Canada’s top corporate tax lawyers.
Darren D. Hueppelsheuser
Law firm: Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1997
City: Calgary
Darren D. Hueppelsheuser is a partner at Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP’s Calgary office. He devotes his practice to Canadian income tax law, with an emphasis on the tax aspects of financing and transaction planning for corporations and partnerships in both private and public transactions. Hueppelsheuser advises extensively on the acquisition structuring and tax consequences of Canadian inbound and outbound investments. He has written and lectured in Canada and the US on numerous tax topics for several legal professional organizations. Hueppelsheuser is considered among the best corporate tax lawyers in the country. His firm specializes in business law.
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Gregory M. Johnson
Law firm: Bennett Jones LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1999
City: Calgary
Gregory M. Johnson is a partner at Bennett Jones LLP. He devotes his practice to corporate tax, corporate reorganizations, mergers and acquisitions and private equity. Johnson acts for clients primarily in the energy industry. He is also a chartered professional accountant, who practised with an international accounting firm before joining the law firm. Johnson is a member of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Alberta, the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada and the Canadian Tax Foundation. He is considered one of the country’s leading corporate tax lawyers.
Timothy P. Kirby
Law firm: Felesky Flynn LLP
Year called to the Bar: 2004
City: Edmonton
Timothy P. Kirby is a partner at Felesky Flynn LLP. He practises Canadian tax law, with an emphasis on tax planning for business purchase and sale transactions, corporate reorganizations, estate and succession planning, and corporate and personal tax planning. Kirby is a prolific author and speaker with numerous professional organizations, including the Canadian Tax Foundation, STEP Canada, the Legal Education Society of Alberta and the Canadian Bar Association. He is also actively involved with various local and national charitable organizations. Kirby is recognized as among the county’s top corporate tax lawyers.
Dion J. Legge
Law firm: Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP
Year called to the Bar: 2001
City: Calgary
Dion J. Legge is partner at Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP. He specializes in taxation law and is recognized as among the leading corporate tax lawyers in the country. Legge devotes his practice to the income tax aspects of corporate reorganizations, mergers and acquisitions, takeovers, debt and equity financings and the taxation of flow-through vehicles. He advises on tax-planning issues related to international structures for Canadian-based multinational corporations on investments by non-residents in Canada. Legge also boasts extensive experience in structuring cross-border M&A, divestitures and financings.
Carman R. McNary
Law firm: Dentons Canada LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1982
City: Edmonton
Carman R. McNary serves as counsel at Dentons Canada LLP’s Edmonton office, where he is a former managing partner. He also served as chair of the firm’s national tax group for 10 years. McNary specializes in taxation and corporate law. He boasts extensive experience in tax compliance and dispute resolution with government agencies and corporate tax strategies, structures and governance of tax risk. McNary also provides strategic counsel to a wide range of local, provincial and national boards and organizations. He advises Canadian and international companies on tax-efficient structures and effective tax management. McNary is considered one of the best corporate tax lawyers in the country.
L. Alan Rautenberg
Law firm: Bennett Jones LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1988
City: Calgary
L. Alan Rautenberg is a partner at Bennett Jones LLP’s Calgary office. He provides tax planning advice for domestic and cross-border investment, mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity financing, reorganizations and securities offerings. Rautenberg acts for public corporations, large, closely held companies and private equity funds. He boasts extensive experience in private equity, M&A and dispositions, and securities and financing transactions in the energy and natural resources sector. Rautenberg contributes regularly to tax publications and has spoken and presented papers at tax conferences sponsored by the Canadian Tax Foundation and the Canadian Petroleum Tax Society. He is recognized as among the country’s top corporate tax lawyers.
Edward C. Rowe
Law firm: Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1996 (AB); 2001 (ON)
City: Calgary
Edward C. Rowe is a partner at the national tax group at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP’s Calgary office. His practice focuses on corporate and international tax planning, regularly advising Canadian and foreign-based multi-national groups on a variety of matters. These include inbound and outbound investment and financing, mergers and acquisitions, divestitures and natural resource taxation. Rowe’s tax practice also involves the settlement of tax disputes, including general anti-avoidance rule assessments with the Canada Revenue Agency. He has acted as counsel in leading tax cases before all levels of courts. Rowe is considered one of the country’s leading corporate tax lawyers.
Mark Woltersdorf
Law firm: Dentons Canada LLP
Year called to the Bar: 2003
City: Edmonton
Mark Woltersdorf is a partner in Dentons Canada LLP’s Edmonton office. He also chairs the firm’s national tax group. Woltersdorf has nearly 35 years of combined accounting and legal experience in providing income tax advice to corporations and their shareholders. He focuses on taxation issues associated with mergers and acquisitions, corporate reorganizations and international taxation. He also teaches and authors many taxation courses and is actively involved in the community. Woltersdorf is recognized as one of Canada’s top corporate tax lawyers.