Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt

Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt
Name	Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
Headquarters	Toronto, Ontario
Founded	1862
Founders	William Osler; Britton Bath Osler; Sir William Granville Hurlbert
Practice areas	Corporate law; Litigation; Mergers and acquisitions; Banking; Securities; Tax
Key people	(not linked)

Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt

Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt is a Canadian business law firm known for litigation, corporate finance, and mergers and acquisitions, with headquarters in Toronto and offices across Canada and internationally. The firm has advised corporations, financial institutions, and government-related entities on transactions and disputes involving major actors across North America and Europe. Clients and matters have intersected with figures and institutions linked to Royal Bank of Canada, Bank of Nova Scotia, Toronto-Dominion Bank, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, European Central Bank, Bank of England, Government of Canada, Province of Ontario, Ontario Securities Commission, and Securities and Exchange Commission.

History

Founded in the 19th century amid Canadian Confederation-era institutions, the firm traces origins to lawyers practicing in Toronto during the period of Confederation and the administration of figures associated with John A. Macdonald and Alexander Mackenzie. Early partners engaged with corporate charters and railway financing tied to entities like the Grand Trunk Railway and legal work comparable to counsel to companies linked with Hudson's Bay Company and the nascent Bank of Montreal. Over decades the firm expanded through mergers and lateral hires to serve clients connected to Imperial Oil, Canadian Pacific Railway, Canadian National Railway, and major utilities such as Ontario Hydro. In the 20th century its practice developed alongside regulatory developments influenced by decisions from the Supreme Court of Canada, statutes debated in the House of Commons of Canada and the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, and commercial shifts involving firms like Imperial Chemical Industries and Canadian Pacific Limited. In recent decades Osler has participated in cross-border matters engaging counsel networks tied to Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, Clifford Chance, Allen & Overy, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Linklaters, and Canadian competitors such as Blake, Cassels & Graydon, McCarthy Tétrault, Torys, Bennett Jones, and Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg.

Practice areas and services

The firm provides transactional and contentious services spanning mergers and acquisitions, private equity, capital markets, structured finance, and insolvency, often engaging counterparties from New York Stock Exchange, NASDAQ, Toronto Stock Exchange, and regulators including the Financial Conduct Authority and International Monetary Fund. Its tax and pensions practice interacts with frameworks shaped by rulings from the Tax Court of Canada and doctrines referenced in cases involving parties like Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan. Litigation work includes securities litigation, class actions, energy disputes, and regulatory defense interfacing with institutions such as the Competition Bureau, Public Prosecution Service of Canada, Ontario Energy Board, and cross-border enforcement by the United States Department of Justice and Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The firm also advises on intellectual property and life sciences transactions involving stakeholders like Pfizer, Roche, Novartis, GlaxoSmithKline, and universities such as the University of Toronto and McGill University.

Notable cases and transactions

Osler has acted on high-profile M&A deals, public offerings, and insolvency proceedings involving major corporations and financial sponsors. Representative matters include roles in stock offerings and buyouts with participants like Brookfield Asset Management, CPP Investments, BlackRock, Apollo Global Management, The Kraft Heinz Company, Nutrien, Suncor Energy, Enbridge, and TransCanada Corporation. Litigation and regulatory engagements have intersected with class actions and enforcement matters touching companies such as Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Bombardier, Air Canada, Sun Life Financial, Manulife Financial, and Canadian Natural Resources Limited. Insolvency and restructuring matters involve creditors and debtors represented alongside firms and institutions like Deloitte, PwC, Ernst & Young, and KPMG as well as cross-border counterparties in jurisdictions including Delaware and the United Kingdom.

Offices and organization

The firm maintains offices in major Canadian commercial centers and maintains international relationships with global law firms and networks. Its Canadian offices serve financial districts and connect with business hubs such as Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal, Ottawa, and Montréal–linking counsel to industries centered around resource extraction, technology hubs, and financial services. The organizational model includes corporate, litigation, tax, competition, and regulatory groups that collaborate with in-house counsel at multinational corporations including Tesla, Inc., Apple Inc., Microsoft, Amazon (company), Google, and energy multinationals such as BP, ExxonMobil, and Shell plc in cross-border mandates.

Corporate culture, diversity, and pro bono work

Osler emphasizes professional development, associate training, and pro bono service aligning with initiatives promoted by institutions like the Law Society of Ontario, Bar Association of Montreal, and national advocacy groups including Pro Bono Ontario and Canadian Bar Association committees. Diversity and inclusion programs reference benchmarks and partnerships with organizations such as Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion, Women in Capital Markets, Black Legal Action Centre, and affinity groups reflecting representation goals comparable to those advanced by Employment and Social Development Canada and provincial human rights tribunals. Pro bono matters include work for non-profit clients, public interest litigation, and refugee and immigration matters intersecting with agencies like Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and community organizations.

Recognition and rankings

The firm has been recognized in legal directories and rankings including The Legal 500, Chambers and Partners, Lexpert, and Canadian Lawyer lists, and its lawyers have received individual awards from entities like the Canadian Bar Association, Ontario Bar Association, and global rankings such as IFLR1000 and Benchmark Litigation. Its practice areas regularly appear in league tables alongside major firms listed in publications like The Globe and Mail and Financial Post covering mandates with clients featured in lists such as the Fortune 500 and Forbes Global 2000.

Category:Law firms of Canada