Borden Ladner Gervais

Borden Ladner Gervais
Name	Borden Ladner Gervais
Headquarters	Toronto, Ottawa
Founded	1823 (roots) / 2000 (merger)
Founders	Robert Baldwin, William Hume Blake, Alexander Mackenzie (ancestral firms)
Num attorneys	~750
Practice areas	Litigation, Corporate, Intellectual Property, Real Estate, Tax, Employment, Environmental, Energy, Insolvency
Key people	David Matas (former partner), Jean-Guy Tremblay (former partner), Paul Schabas (current leadership)
Company type	Partnership

Borden Ladner Gervais is a Canadian law firm formed by the 2000 merger of firms with roots dating to the 19th century. The firm provides advisory, transactional, and litigation services across multiple sectors and maintains a network of offices serving clients in Canada and internationally. Borden Ladner Gervais is active in matters touching corporate finance, intellectual property, energy, and regulatory disputes involving major Canadian and multinational institutions.

History

The firm traces antecedents to 19th-century practices connected to figures such as Robert Baldwin and William Hume Blake, evolving through 20th-century firms that served clients in landmark matters alongside entities like Canadian Pacific Railway, Hudson's Bay Company, Royal Bank of Canada, and Bank of Montreal. In 2000, the merger that created the modern firm combined legacy practices from cities including Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and Vancouver and repositioned the combined partnership to compete with national firms such as Blake, Cassels & Graydon, McCarthy Tétrault, Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt, and Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg. Over subsequent decades the firm expanded practice groups and integrated talent from sources including former partners from Heenan Blaikie and later lateral hires from international firms like Clifford Chance, Norton Rose Fulbright, and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom to build capacity in areas including cross-border transactions and dispute resolution involving tribunals such as the Supreme Court of Canada and provincial superior courts.

Practice areas and services

Borden Ladner Gervais operates multidisciplinary groups offering services in corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions, representing issuers and underwriters in matters involving securities regulators such as Ontario Securities Commission and Autorité des marchés financiers. Its litigation practice handles commercial disputes, class actions, administrative law, and constitutional challenges before bodies including the Federal Court of Canada and provincial courts. The firm maintains an intellectual property group engaged in patent prosecution, trademark litigation, and licensing often interacting with institutions such as the Canadian Intellectual Property Office and foreign patent offices in the United States, European Union, and China. Additional services include employment and labour advice in matters involving unions like the Canadian Labour Congress and employers, environmental and regulatory counsel tied to projects with agencies such as Environment and Climate Change Canada, energy and natural resources work supporting clients in sectors represented by companies like Enbridge, Suncor Energy, and TransCanada Corporation, and insolvency and restructuring practice representing creditors and debtors in restructurings under statutes like the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act and the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act.

Notable cases and clients

The firm has acted for major financial institutions including Royal Bank of Canada, Toronto-Dominion Bank, and Scotiabank in securities offerings and litigation. It has represented corporate clients in high-profile mergers involving companies such as Bell Canada, Rogers Communications, and Bombardier. Litigation mandates have included class actions and product liability matters alongside matters before appellate courts including appearances in the Supreme Court of Canada. Regulatory and administrative representations have involved agencies such as the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission and competition matters before the Competition Bureau involving multi-jurisdictional transactions with foreign counterparts like the United States Department of Justice and the European Commission. The firm’s intellectual property work includes representation of technology and life sciences companies in disputes with multinational firms such as Apple Inc., Google, Microsoft, and pharmaceutical entities like Pfizer and Novartis.

Offices and global presence

Borden Ladner Gervais operates offices in major Canadian cities including Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver, Calgary, Halifax, Moncton, and Québec City, enabling regional coverage for clients in sectors such as finance, natural resources, and media. The firm sustains international relationships through networks and referral arrangements with transnational firms in jurisdictions including the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, China, and Brazil to support cross-border mandates, foreign direct investment, and international arbitration before forums such as the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes and ad hoc tribunals under the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law rules.

Corporate structure and leadership

Structured as a partnership, the firm is governed by an executive committee and a managing partner or chief executive drawn from senior partners with practices in corporate finance, litigation, or tax. Leadership transitions have featured partners who previously served in capacities within public institutions and private corporations linked to entities such as Canada Revenue Agency and provincial ministries. Governance includes practice group chairs who coordinate service delivery across teams focused on areas like mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property, and tax, liaising with clients including pension funds like the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and sovereign investors.

Awards and recognition

The firm has received recognition in legal directories and awards programs such as Chambers and Partners, The Legal 500, and Lexpert listings for practice groups in areas including banking and finance, energy, and litigation. Individual partners have been recognized by honors from organizations such as the Order of Canada and industry awards in finance and public policy circles, and the firm is frequently shortlisted in national awards for diversity and pro bono work from institutions like the Canadian Bar Association and corporate governance organizations.

Category:Law firms of Canada