Here are Ontario’s best oil and gas law firms based on the results of Lexpert’s extensive peer survey. For the complete list of the province’s most recommended energy lawyers and law firms, check out our latest practice area rankings.
Oil and gas law is the branch of the legal profession that governs oil and gas production. In the survey, the practice encompasses all areas of upstream and downstream work, including exploration, construction, financing, taxation, environmental approvals, joint ventures and syndication and federal and provincial regulatory applications.
Most frequently recommended oil and gas law firms
Year established: 1856
Number of lawyers: 7
Partners: Melanie Baird, Brock W. Gibson, David C. Kruse, Andrew Skodyn, Graham Smith, Andrew Thompson
Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP 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 and London. 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. The firm’s oil and gas team consists of expert lawyers with in-depth experience and knowledge of the industry. These lawyers act for a client base starting at the initial search for hydrocarbon resources to the final sale to consumers, including exploration and production companies, refining, supply and trading companies, transportation and marketing companies, industry financiers and other stakeholders. The team manages mergers and acquisitions, competition and environmental hearings, regulatory applications, and ownership and operational issues for a wide range of national and international players in the energy industry.
Year established: 1941
Number of lawyers: 8
Number of ranked lawyers: 2
Partners: Rose Bailey, Amanda C. Balasubramanian, Don Bell, Yael Bienenstock, David A. Dell, Huw Evans
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’ oil and gas practice helps clients maximize opportunities in their most important matters, with targeted insight in global markets. Its lawyers serve clients in the energy resource sector working other offices domestically and overseas. The team advises clients at every stage in the sector pipeline, from exploration and production to processing and transportation. It also serves clients in the upstream, midstream and downstream markets, including explorers, producers, service providers, marketers and investors.
Consistently recommended oil and gas law firms
Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG)
Year established: 1823
Number of lawyers: 7
Number of ranked lawyers: 1
Partners: Shane Freitag, Richard A. Manias, Andrew Sojonky, Mark F. Vickers
Full-service firm Borden Ladner Gervais LLP advises businesses and other institutions on all aspects of business law, including mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, major disputes, financing and trademark and patent registration. The firm has over 700 lawyers in its offices in Montréal, Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary and Vancouver. It excels under both the common and civil law systems. BLG is Canada’s oldest law firm and one of the first in North America to implement client service standards. The firm’s oil and gas lawyers have achieved success on an array of complex oil and gas disputes and corporate transactions across the sector. They boast the depth of knowledge to navigate the complexities of businesses involving upstream or downstream oil and gas, heavy oil, LNG, oil sands, oilfield services, pipelines and midstream facilities. The team assists clients in a range of transactions, including acquisitions and divestitures, asset purchases and sales, financing, insolvency and restructurings, joint ventures and other commercial arrangements, project development, regulatory approvals and dispute resolution.
Number of lawyers: 27 (Energy)
Number of ranked lawyers: 3
Partners: Michael Agosti, Vivek Bakshi, Heidi E. Clark, Arthur L. Hamilton, Michael Henriques, Sonja K. Homenuck, Alim Khamis, Radha Khosla, David R.J. Lefebvre, Rubén Eduardo Luján, Don Macintosh, Mark A. Mahoney, Helen T. Newland, Kelli N. Patel, Thomas Redekopp, Philip M. Rimer, Rob R. Roth, Michael Sabusco, Mike D. Schafler, Richard Scott, Lampros Stougiannos, Sandy Walker
Dentons Canada LLP is one of the country’s largest business law firms. It has an established history in six of Canada’s key economic centres, namely Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary, Edmonton, Montréal and Vancouver. Internationally, Dentons offers a strong presence having experienced lawyers in more than 170 locations in over 75 countries. The firm has more than 500 lawyers across Canada, providing clients with on-the-ground legal experience across many key industries. Dentons energy practice group boasts enormous experience across the energy sector and provides strategic assistance to clients encompassing the entire energy value chain from oil majors, independents, transportation companies, power generators and utilities, financial institutions and large customers. Its lawyers work for more than 40 governments on energy-market reform and major project procurement, which adds a depth of perspective rare amongst law firms.
Read more about Dentons Canada LLP in Canada’s gasoline alternatives
Year established: 1855
Number of lawyers: 11
Number of ranked lawyers: 1
Partners: Benjamin T. Aberant, Scott Bergen, Jonathan Bitran, Scott Chalmers, Daye Kaba, Christopher Langdon, David A.N. Lever, Shea T. Small, Steven Tanner
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 estate and labour and employment offerings through its offices in Toronto, Montréal, Québec City, Calgary, Vancouver, New York in the US and in London, UK. McCarthy Tétrault’s oil and gas practice spans the entire industry, from upstream to downstream. Its clients come from various sectors, including oil sands, pipelines, upgraders and refineries, shale gas, LNG, energy services and equipment providers. The team conceives and executes strategic responses to large and complex projects and transactions while coordinating a suite of associated considerations, including environmental, litigation, regulatory and Aboriginal matters. The group also boasts significant experience in complex mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and other commercial contracts and agreements involving upstream, midstream and downstream oil and gas assets.
Read more about McCarthy Tétrault LLP in changes in Canada’s sales and income taxes
Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP
Year established: 2012 (Canada)
Number of lawyers: 36 (Energy)
Partners: Kevin Ackhurst, David M.A. Amato, Andrea Brewer, Richard J. Charney, Mark A. Convery, Terence S. Dobbin, Kate Findlay, Anne K. Gallop, John Grant, Andrew Grossman, Elana M. Hahn, Michael H. Lieberman, Andrew McCoomb, David Ng, Adrienne Oliver, Eric Reither, Barry N. Segal, C. Nicole Sigouin, Cathy Singer, Jennifer Teskey, Ruth I. Wahl, Allyson Whyte Nowak, Anna Wilkinson, Tommy Wong, Ava G. Yaskiel
Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP is an international full-service business law firm with more than 3,700 lawyers and legal staff based in North and Latin America, Europe, Asia, Australia, Middle East and Africa. It has offices in more than 50 cities worldwide, including Toronto, London, Houston, New York, Mexico City, Hong Kong, Sydney and Johannesburg. The firm serves the world’s largest corporations and financial institutions. Its energy practice boasts lawyers spread across every major energy market, supporting clients across the entire energy value chain. The firm takes pride in being at the heart of the transition to a low-carbon economy, helping clients in all industries assess and respond to the opportunities and challenges this presents. The firm’s energy practice covers oil and gas, power and utilities, renewables and water.