Canadian Lawyer - sample

w w w . c a n a d i a n l a w y e r m a g . c o m M A R C H 2 0 1 9 35 TOP 10 ONTARIO REGIONAL FIRMS TORKIN MANES LLP TORKINMANES.COM PALLETT VALO LLP PALLETTVALO.COM 1 2 Total lawyers: 96 Office: Toronto Core practice areas: corporate, including tax, technology, banking and insolvency; litigation, including construction, health, estate and insurance defence; commercial real estate; employment and labour relations; family law Key clients: Canada Goose Inc.; Fulcrum Capital Partners; Harbour Mortgage Corp.; SmartREIT; Spin Master Corp.; Stewart Title Guaranty Company Notable mandates: Advised Apotex Holdings Inc. in its sale of all of the shares of Accucaps Industries Limited to Catalent Pharma Solutions; acted for Canada Goose in negotiating the terms of the company's lease for its first standalone retail store in York- dale Shopping Centre and for certain of its shareholders in con- nection with its IPO; represented Spin Master in connection with its $510-million credit facility and various acquisitions; advised the management of LABORIE in the company's sale to Patricia Indus- tries (a division of Investor AB) by Audax Private Equity; acted for NAFTA Foods and Create-a-Treat and their management in the sale of NAFTA CAT to Give and Go Prepared Foods Corp. Star alumni: David Butt, first Canadian prosecutor to special- ize in internet child abuse cases, counsel to KINSA; Anne Giardini, chancellor of Simon Fraser University; Kimberley McVittie, vice president, Risk Shared Services, CIBC; Deborah Rogers, senior vice president, legal counsel, Brookfield Office Properties; Daina Sel- vig, assistant general counsel, Sunovion Pharmaceuticals; Michael Silver, mediator and arbitrator; Ian Tod, former chairman, Deloitte Legal; Kathleen Waters, president and CEO, LawPRO Affiliations: Ally Law (International Alliance of Law Firms) Firm history: Torkin Manes was founded in 1974 by corporate and tax lawyer Larry Torkin and litigator Ron Manes, who declined offers from large Toronto law firms to form their own partnership. The firm grew to six lawyers in 1979 and gradually developed practices in real estate, employment and labour and family law. Over the years, litigation expanded to include insurance defence, health, construction and per- sonal injury, while the corporate department grew and became known for providing comprehensive services to mid-market owner-operated companies. The firm's broad client base and its reluctance to become overly dependent on a small number of large clients helped it withstand economic recessions, as many other medium-size firms struggled. Tor- kin Manes' clients now include some of Canada's largest financial insti- tutions, insurance companies, major corporations, private businesses, entrepreneurs and land development companies. "Professional lawyers and wide range of services." Total lawyers: 35 lawyers Office: Mississauga Core practice areas: litigation including commercial, con- struction and estates; commercial real estate and leasing; business law; insolvency and corporate restructuring; wills, estates and trusts; employment and labour Key clients: HOOPP Realty Inc.; Peel District School Board; Stewart Title Guaranty Co.; Parmalat Canada; Canam Group Inc.; Bayshore HealthCare Ltd.; Yamaha Motor Finance Canada Ltd.; Cineplex Inc.; Pivot Financial Inc.; Digital Specialty Chemicals Limited Notable mandates: lead Ontario counsel for a global engineering firm; counsel to global automotive manufacturer on product liability matters; lead counsel in an $80-million inter- jurisdictional M&A transaction; lead counsel in a $65-million sale of several auto dealerships; acted on the sale of several hotel properties; frequently called upon to act as counsel under s. 3 of the Substitute Decisions Act. Star alumni: John Pallett, MP from 1954-62; Sidney Valo, founding director and first CEO of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority; Thomas Santram, vice president and deputy general counsel at Cineplex Inc.; Suzanne Michaud, adjunct professor, Osgoode Hall Law School; Maria Tassou, associate chairperson, Criminal Injuries Compensation Board; Liana Turrin, general counsel and secretary of Altus Group Inc. Affiliations: Geneva Group International Firm history: It began with the establishment of Pallett & Pal- lett in 1948. Around 1980, Pallett & Pallett merged with Milman Valo Barsky and became Pallett Valo Barsky & Hutcheson. The firm changed its name a few more times and became Pallett Valo in 1987. The firm celebrated its 70th anniversary by encouraging all firm members to take a day and participate in United Way's days of giving. After 1997, Pallett Valo changed its historical focus as a real estate firm to become a business law firm with specialized groups focusing on its core practice areas. In 2013, the firm moved to 77 City Centre Drive, and in 2018, Pallett Valo created two by-appointment-only workspaces in downtown Toronto and Vaughan, Ont. Pallett Valo is one of the largest law firms in Peel Region and has expanded its reach outside of the GTA to become a truly regional firm. "They are business focused and practical."

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