The Toronto office of Baker McKenzie stands out as being one of the few entities in the city whose work is not specifically focused on servicing Bay Street-centric clients, which is not surprising given the firm’s stature as one of the largest and most globally entrenched legal shops in the world. “They specialize in cross-border disputes, class actions, and fraud/white-collar matters,” a peer testifies.
David Gadsden attends to a largely class-action-focused practice, often dealing with competition-related issues. Gadsden represents Aeroplan (an Air Canada company) in a class action filed in November 2024 against Aeroplan and two of Canada's largest banks alleging fraud, conspiracy, deceptive marketing and breaches of competition and consumer-protection legislation after the defendants allegedly illegally retracted Aeroplan loyalty points upon members of the class having been issued a second Aeroplan credit card. Exemplifying both the firm’s internationally driven work and the individual and collective prowess of Gadsden and John Pirie, a firm team involving this pair represents NHK, a Japanese manufacturer of suspension assemblies for hard disk drives in defending three class actions in Canada in connection with an alleged conspiracy to fix prices in Canada and throughout the world. A professional reference testifies, “I consult with Baker McKenzie on a number of large commercial and white-collar crime cases. John Pirie and David Gadsden have particular expertise in these areas. They provide exceptional advice. John is generally the lead counsel and provides overall strategy and expertise. He is very good at discussing the issues and determining the legal solutions. David is generally working with John (if the matter is larger) or working as the lead counsel. David has very good insight into legal issues. We worked closely concerning a multi-billion-dollar fraud case. David's review of the issues and argument helped advance the client's position. He is a clever, capable lawyer.” Pirie is considered one of Toronto’s foremost authorities in the white-collar crime area. “John is an excellent trial lawyer and all-around advocate,” asserts one peer and source of referral work. “He is especially gifted in handling complex fraud cases, both on the plaintiff and defense side. When our firm is conflicted, John is my go-to choice to represent clients dealing with a complex fraud. I trust him with our most important client relationships, and I have never been disappointed. He is excellent.” Pirie acted for hospital network CHU in an $18 million PPE fraud action that went to trial in Commercial Court (Toronto) and was decided in CHU’s favor in late 2024. The trial decision was appealed by the defendant in September 2025, and in a March 2026 decision, Pirie prevailed for the client on all counts. Matthew Latella is addressed by peers as “a very experienced litigation lawyer, with excellent judgment.” In a novel matter exemplifying the firm's capacilities with a cross section of international law issues, Latella acts for the Republic of Argentina concerning an order recognizing and enforcing a $16 billion New York judgment arising out of the 2012 expropriation by Argentina of energy entity YPF S.A. The Toronto office of Baker McKenzie is also noted for its labor and employment practice, where George Avraam and
Jennifer Bernardo are identified as key players. “George is very responsive to our emails and our requests for legal advice,” testifies a client. “George has in-depth knowledge of our operations and the overall post-secondary sector, which enables him to provide sound advice on organizational decisions. George and his team were successful in a recent decision involving a medical resident with a FHS Postgraduate Appeals Panel. The decision has now been judicially reviewed, and George is leading that process.” Another client confirms, “Jennifer has led complex and challenging negotiations in a matter involving an asset-transfer agreement. She has been detail oriented and has provided excellent insight for this matter, especially given the complex legal issues. Jennifer is also consistently involved in the arbitration process for one of our unionized employee groups with complex matters.”
