Here are Vancouver’s top mining law firms based on the results of Lexpert’s extensive yearly peer review. Check out the full list of British Columbia’s most recommended mining lawyers and law firms on our practice area rankings.
In our survey, mining law encompasses all legal issues relating to the mineral exploration, development, production and reclamation cycle, from raw grass roots exploration through to the fabrication and sale of finished metal products and mine closure and reclamation.
Most frequently recommended mining law firms
Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
Year established: 1856
Number of lawyers: 25
Number of ranked lawyers: 10
Partners: Sam Adkins, Michelle Audet, Michael Birch, Sean Boyle, Tony Crossman, Laura Cundari, Zaichi Hu, Jamie Kariya, Kathleen Keilty, Joe McArthur, Steven McKoen, Andrew J. McLeod, Roy Millen, Kyle Misewich, Peter J. O’Callaghan, Trisha Robertson, Samantha Rossman, Peter Rubin, James Sullivan, Susan Tomaine, Bob J. Wooder, Kevin Zimka
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 Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary and Montréal and international headquarters in New York in the US and London in the UK. 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’ mining lawyers have acted for clients on projects across Canada, the US, Europe, Africa, Australia, Asia and the Middle East on the exploration, development and operation of mining projects involving a wide array of resources and minerals. These clients range from junior explorers and mid-tier developers to global giants. Mining companies turn to the firm for strategic guidance and expert counsel on mergers and acquisitions, joint venture, project finance and corporate finance transactions and a range of operational and non-transactional matters, including corporate governance, taxation, title matters and environmental compliance.
Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP
Year established: 1888
Number of lawyers: 21
Number of ranked lawyers: 6
Partners: David Budd, Gordon R. Chambers, John T.C. Christian, Sam Cole, Jeff Durno, Deepak Gill, Jen Hansen, Thomas Isaac, Darrell W. Podowski, Jennifer L. Poirier, David Redford, Jennifer Traub
Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP is a full-service business law firm with offices in Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto. The firm’s clients range from start-ups to multinational corporations from various industries. Cassels boasts the largest and most experienced mining group in Canada. The team represents two of the five largest North American gold producers, the largest Canadian gold producer in Brazil and all active investment banks in the sector. Each year, the group acts on more than 100 significant mining-related corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions transactions around the world. Cassels’ mining lawyers are also recognized for their contributions to thought leadership in connection with exploration, development, operations and regulatory issues. These lawyers are also frequently tapped to write and speak on advancements in the industry and work with prominent business and political leaders on groundbreaking industry matters.
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Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP
Year established: 2000
Number of lawyers: 20
Number of ranked lawyers: 5
Partners: Dani Bryant, Michael Coburn, Geoffrey Cowper, Ron Ezekiel, Johanna Fipke, Andrew J. Gabrielson, Georald Ingborg, Edmond Luke, Iain Mant, Kevin O’Callaghan, Steve Saville, William Westeringh
With a manpower pool of more than 700 lawyers worldwide, Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP is one of Canada’s largest full-service business law firms. It has domestic offices in Vancouver, Surrey, Montréal, Québec City, Toronto, Ottawa 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. The firm’s mining group is ranked among the world’s best. The team is skilled and experienced in all the various legal services required by mining clients, from exploration through development to operation and closure and advises companies and other stakeholders on all matter of legal issues affecting the mining sector. Fasken’s mining lawyers have acted in projects in virtually every country, with a special emphasis on the Americas and Africa. The firm ranks among the top for financings and new listings on the TSX, the AIM Market and the JSE.
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Lawson Lundell LLP
Year established: 1886
Number of lawyers: 18
Number of ranked lawyers: 2
Partners: Khaled Abdel-Barr, Angela D. Austman, Keith B. Bergner, Stuart D. Breen, Deborah Cushing, Mandeep R. Dhaliwal, Craig A.B. Ferris, Leonard Glass, Christine J. Kowbel, Michael Li, Karen L. MacMillan, Gillian Muirhead, Jennifer S. Nyland, Peter J. Roberts, Lana Shipley
Lawson Lundell LLP is one of Canada’s leading commercial law firms, with offices in Vancouver, Kelowna, Calgary and Yellowknife. The firm advises public and private sector clients on a wide range of areas, including mergers and acquisitions, private equity and venture capital, corporate finance, mining, energy, banking, real estate, pensions and employee benefits, technology transactions and taxation. Lawson Lundell’s Vancouver-based mining group serves clients ranging from junior companies carrying on early-stage exploration to international companies with investments and projects spread across the globe. The team’s expertise spans the full range of legal services required by mining companies in Canada and around the world. The firm’s mining and project development teams are actively involved from early-stage exploration and tenure acquisition through development, permitting, construction, operations and closure of projects. These groups work in collaboration with the firm’s capital markets team, which boasts expertise in corporate and project finance, regulatory compliance, and mergers and acquisitions.
Consistently recommended mining law firms
Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG)
Year established: 1823
Number of lawyers: 12
Number of ranked lawyers: 3
Partners: Eric Doherty, Warren B. Learmonth, Kim Maguire, Graeme Martindale, Randy Morphy, Fred Pletcher, Michael T. Waters
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. The firm is Canada’s oldest law firm and one of the first in North America to implement client service standards.
BLG has one of the most active mining M&A practices in Canada. Its team has acted for and advised domestic and international mining companies of all sizes, specialties and stages of development. The group provides the technical expertise to achieve clients’ operational and strategic goals throughout the mining life cycle, from grassroots exploration to mining development, operation and closure. BLG’s team offers expertise in solicited and unsolicited M&A transactions, joint ventures and strategic alliances, finance and capital markets, high-stakes litigation, shareholder disputes, domestic and international arbitration and mediation, regulatory compliance and investigations, infrastructure, regulatory and environmental compliance, project finance, labour and employment disputes and Indigenous relationship negotiations.
Dentons Canada LLP
Year established: 2013
Number of lawyers: 16
Number of ranked lawyers: 1
Partners: Brian E. Abraham, Mike R. Axford, Kimberly Burns, Jennifer D.S. Dezell, David M. Hunter, Tevia Jeffries, Robin Longe, Eric Lung, Karen Martin, Colin J. McIver, Sarah J. Nelligan, John R. Sandrelli, Joe Sebestyen, Wei Shao, Gary R. Sollis
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 Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary, Edmonton and Montréal. Internationally, Dentons offers a strong presence having experienced lawyers in more than 170 locations in 75 countries. The firm has more than 500 lawyers across Canada, providing clients with on-the-ground legal experience across many key industries.
Dentons’ mining group boasts extensive experience in advising clients on both early-stage and developed mining projects. The team guides businesses through the complex provincial and federal legal and regulatory frameworks and provides sophisticated advice in the project cycle relating to permitting, licensing, environmental impact assessments, First Nations consultations, reclamation and financial security or bonding, water usage and disturbance, fish and wildlife, land use and development policies. Dentons’ mining lawyers have worked for regulators and in related practice groups, namely securities and capital markets, tax and competition and foreign investment review. The team can structure mining project finance and identify and implement creative financing structures and sources of finance needed to advance mining projects. Its lawyers can also complete the due diligence process, negotiate and prepare transaction documentation efficiently and effectively in an event a client is acquiring mineral properties or responding to a takeover bid. Dentons offers unique technical disclosure expertise on NI 43-101 requirements to enable clients to highlight the economic potential of mining projects and help build investors’ confidence while ensuring compliance with regulatory disclosure obligations.
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DuMoulin Black LLP
Year established: 1966
Number of lawyers: 20+ (Firm)
Number of ranked lawyers: 3
Partners: Danielle Bensler, David Gunasekera, Justin Kates, Garrett Lee, Brian Lindsey, Gavin Mah, Jason Sutherland
DuMoulin Black LLP is a Vancouver-based firm focused exclusively on corporate and securities law matters in a variety of different industries. Since its establishment, clients have relied on the firm to structure and coordinate their corporate finance and M&A deals, from start-ups to complex international company-maker transactions. DuMoulin Black acts for growth-focused companies, both private and public, in a variety of industries, including energy, food and beverage, industrial, life sciences, mining and technology. The firm boasts special expertise in corporate finance and securities, mergers and acquisitions, proxy contests, corporate governance, public company representation and venture and private company representation. Its lawyers combine deep transactional experience and big firm expertise to provide the personal, timely and efficient services of a specialized boutique firm.
FARRIS
Year established: 1903
Number of lawyers: 15
Number of ranked lawyers: 3
Partners: Michael S. Allen, Robert S. Anderson, B.R. Canfield, Nikki L. Charlton, Mark W. Chu, Stephanie J. Daniels, Marylee A. Davies, Scott Dawson, Sally Dennis
British Columbia-based Farris has offices in Vancouver, Kelowna and Victoria. It is one of Canada’s leading corporate and litigation law firms, representing some of the largest public and private institutions and corporations in the province. Farris’ litigation group has significant and extensive experience in all areas of litigation. Its lawyers appear regularly in all BC Courts, the Federal Court of Canada and the Supreme Court of Canada. The firm’s experience includes trial and appellate advocacy, commercial transactions, product liability, class actions, labour relations, administrative and regulatory matters, securities litigation, bankruptcy and creditors’ rights, aboriginal matters, internet and social media issues, defamation and other media related law.
FARRIS’ mining team works with local and multinational mining companies, infrastructure companies and financiers to achieve results in exploration and development, construction, operations and financing. Its lawyers advise on diligence and title issues to help clients understand the risks and solutions relating to their operations. The team boasts experience with respect to land title issues, advising on matters involving First Nations claims and environmental permitting procedure and risk review. It can also develop novel and straightforward strategies for asset acquisitions and dispositions, including through royalty agreements, joint ventures, options, purchase and sales, and mergers and acquisitions.
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McCarthy Tétrault LLP
Year established: 1855
Number of lawyers: 17 (Global Metals & Mining)
Number of ranked lawyers: 2
Partners: Cameron Belsher, Kim Brown, Aidan Cameron, Paul R. Cassidy, Sean Collins, Shawn Doyle, Michael Feder, Nicholas Hughes, Pavan Jawanda, Miranda Lam, Joyce Lee, Selina Lee-Andersen, Roger Taplin, Lance Williams
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 Vancouver, Toronto, Montréal, Québec City, Calgary, New York in the US and in London, UK. McCarthy Tétrault’s global metals and mining group has been at the forefront of multi-jurisdictional mergers and acquisitions, alternative financing structures, major project developments and high stakes litigation. The team’s lawyers have significant industry experience and are focused on achieving business objectives, managing risk and delivering value. Its client base includes mid-tier and junior mining companies, streamers, lenders, private equity, strategic investors, traders and SOEs. The firm’s mining lawyers routinely work across borders, in several languages, including French, Spanish and Mandarin and provide advice under both common law and civil law regimes, including the OHADA laws of West Africa.
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Stikeman Elliott LLP
Year established: 1952
Number of lawyers: 8
Number of ranked lawyers: 1
Partners: Jennifer Honeyman, Quentin Markin, Neville J. McClure, Michael G. Urbani
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 in the US, London in the UK and Sydney in Australia. Stikeman Elliott’s mining group assist clients in achieving their financing, acquisition, governance and strategic objectives in a practical and efficient manner. Mining sector clients rely on the team to deliver creative legal solutions throughout the ups and downs of a cycle, enabling them to capitalize on opportunities and navigate through hostile situations to outcomes that maximize shareholder value. The group is also active around the globe with lawyers providing integrated legal services and often working closely with international and local law firms to meet clients’ needs. It provides expert counsel to junior, intermediate and global mining companies in all important transactions, including early-stage financings, initial public offerings and capital transactions, both equity and debt and corporate or project-level mergers and acquisitions. The mining group has been at the forefront of stream finance and royalty transactions, project finance, joint ventures, and insolvency, bankruptcy and restructuring proceedings in the sector.