While Toronto boutique Thornton Grout Finnigan hosts practitioners attending to a variety of commercial and project litigation, it is best recognized and most celebrated for its stature as Canada’s premier insolvency shop. The firm has been at the forefront of some of the largest insolvency filings affecting the Canadian market across a broad spectrum of industry sectors. Clients voice their enthusiasm for the firm’s litigators’ individual and collective bankruptcy acumen as well as their overall approach to litigation. Clients turn out in full throat to voice their appreciation for the firm’s services, as well as that of virtually all of its respective individual practitioners. “We retain TGF for our more complicated, complex and/or high-profile commercial litigation matters due to their expertise and reputation,” confirms one. Another declares, “Thornton Grout distinguishes itself from the other top-tier, national law firms by its leaders; they are practical, timely, versatile and easy to work with. They are extremely well respected by Canadian Courts, debt and capital providers, and restructuring professionals.” Still another offers this elaborate accolade: “Their advice is strategic, leading-edge and practical, and we are able to have thoughtful, intelligent professional discussions on resolving complex corporate challenges in the restructuring/insolvency and litigation arenas. I am always comfortable having TGF as my counsel as I know ‘they have my back’. I also note that TGF acts effectively on both complex, international, multi-stakeholder restructuring mandates, and more direct commercial lender enforcement proceedings; this is extraordinary.” Thornton Grout is not short on peer support either; one sums up the firm’s personnel with, “Each of them are trusted legal advisors, not simply “order takers.” They help create successful outcomes without over-lawyering files. The cultural fabric and business approach of the firm is very strong, and its values permeate with all of the lawyers across the firm.”
John Finnigan, along with a more general commercial litigator
Deborah Palter, acts as Court-appointed litigation counsel to the litigation trustee for now-bankrupt payday lender The Cash Store in the advancement of complex commercial claims against The Cash Store’s former advisors for professional negligence and breach of contract. Finnigan and Palter and the litigation trustee recently successfully negotiated and obtained court approval for a litigation funding agreement that will fund disbursements for the three actions through trial and provide $8.5 million in security for costs protection. Finnigan is also counsel to PwC as receiver and manager of Bridging Financial, an alternate lender with $2 billion in assets under management that was the target of an Ontario Securities Commission investigation, which revealed concerns over improper lending, lack of collateral for loans, conflict of interest and the possible misappropriation of over $20 million by Bridging’s founders.
DJ Miller is insolvency counsel to debtor Laurentian University of Sudbury and led its successful CCAA restructuring as the only publicly funded university to ever obtain insolvency protection in Canada. A client of Miller’s raves, “Over 35 years I have worked with many insolvency lawyers and she is the best – logical, tactical, straight to the point.” Leanne Williams and
Rebecca Kennedy represent FTI Consulting Canada in its capacity as the court-appointed monitor of an independent cannabis retail chain with 91 retail stores open across Canada prior to commencement of the CCAA insolvency proceedings.
“I’m a huge fan of Leanne Williams,” crows one peer. This opinion is shared by several other peers as well as clients, one of whom testifies, “Leanne has significant experience in CCAA’s and is a practical, results-oriented lawyer. She is also very personable and has strong relationships with most other counsel practicing in this field which makes her an invaluable resource.”
Daniel Schwartz, a commercial litigator with a varied practice, is “doubling down on construction and infrastructure” as of late. Schwartz also has a niche focus on the automotive industry.
