Ontario

Firm overview

Singleton Urquhart Reynolds Vogel LLP is a Canadian law firm with offices in both Vancouver and Toronto. Since our beginnings, we have grown to a team of nearly 70 lawyers and over 100 employees. Last year, we expanded into the Toronto market, merging our well-known and respected Vancouver practice with the practices  of senior  commercial  litigation  and senior  construction and infrastructure lawyers in Toronto. This combination of geography  and experience  formed  a powerful  national  platform from which to better serve our clients across the country.

We offer an extensive range of legal services in the areas of construction and infrastructure, commercial litigation, commercial real estate, corporate commercial, insurance defense, professional liability,  product liability,  workplace law, and business immigration.

Our core area of practice is construction and infrastructure law, with  over half of the lawyers in the firm  focused on this area. Our construction lawyers are recognized practitioners, litigators, solicitors, and engineers who have a wealth of experience to draw on.

We  have a strong  history  of assisting  clients  with  a variety  of projects nationwide. We work  on all matters in our space including large-scale infrastructure, institutional, industrial, and commercial projects such as highways, railways, tunnels, pipelines, mines, industrial facilities, schools and other education facilities, hospitals, manufacturing plants, commercial buildings, and condominiums.

Bruce Reynolds and Sharon Vogel were also co-counsel to the Ontario Government preparing a report and guiding the legislative drafting of Ontario’s Construction Act. As such, they are uniquely positioned to advise clients on the effects of the new Act.

A Client Focused Approach

At Singleton Urquhart Reynolds Vogel LLP we have developed our firm with a fundamental understanding that our clients deserve exceptional legal service that is delivered in a manner that is honest, creative, clear, relatable, flexible, and cost effective.

We provide solutions customized to our clients’ needs in various sectors including education, healthcare, government, and industry. We help our clients seize emerging opportunities and find solutions to complex legal problems.

Our lawyers have an impeccable sense of the challenges that can arise within their areas of expertise and are committed to working together collaboratively across disciplines to find the best solutions for our clients.

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

Canada  is  leading  the  world  in terms  of diversity, inclusion and pluralism. It is a strength that unifies our country and its  people, and  strengthens business relationships  creating opportunities for success.

At Singleton Urquhart Reynolds Vogel LLP,  we are committed to fostering a culture of diversity, inclusion and pluralism in the workplace that embraces the unique backgrounds, perspectives, experiences,  and talents  of individuals  at all levels  of the  firm  to ensure that we represent the communities we serve in Canada.

As the firm continues to grow, we are committed to consistently improving our diversity and inclusion policies to ensure they continue to reflect the culture and values of our employees and clients.

Community Involvement and Pro Bono Work

Beyond our commitment to our staff and our clients, our firm is also committed to the communities in which we have been able to grow and thrive. In that regard, we as a firm, and our individual members, are involved in a variety of community-oriented organizations.

We also encourage our lawyers to get involved with pro bono work by offering each lawyer credits every year for time spent providing legal services on pro bono  files that reflect their individual interests and commitments.

Our lawyers have participated over the years as instructors of various courses taught at the University of Toronto, the University of British Columbia, and Stanford University. We are keenly interested in education as it relates to our practices and the development of future experts in law.

Firm overview

Thornton Grout Finnigan LLP (“TGF”) focuses its practice in two areas: (i) commercial litigation; and (ii) insolvency and restructuring. Representative mandates reflect the breadth and depth of the team, and the creativity involved in resolving some of the most complex legal issues in Canada.

TGF is a mix of senior restructuring and litigation lawyers with a full range of experience gained by years of practice, both inside and outside full-service law firms, combined with talented and energetic younger lawyers who thrive in the entrepreneurial environment of a highly focused firm.

Representative Mandates:

• Counsel to Ernst & Young Inc., the Monitor in the ongoing restructuring of the Carillion Group in Canada
• Counsel to Ernst & Young Inc. the Monitor of JTI Macdonald Corp. in its CCAA proceeding
• Court appointed litigation counsel to the Litigation Trustee of Cash Store Financial in pursuing nine figure damage claims against Cash Store’s professional advisors
• Counsel to debtor company AgMedica and its subsidiaries, the first licensed cannabis producer to file for CCAA protection in Ontario
• Counsel to Grant Thornton Limited as court appointed Receiver of the Comsale Group of Companies in a Canadian receivership with foreign recognition proceedings in the U.S. and Malaysia
• Counsel to the Province of British Columbia in CCAA proceedings of Purdue Pharma L.P.
• Counsel to BDO Canada Limited as court appointed Receiver of Unique Broadband Systems Ltd. in Canadian receivership and Chapter 11 foreign recognition proceedings
• Represented the court-appointed Monitor in a CCAA and Chapter 11 proceeding of Pacific Exploration and Production Corporation, the largest privately-owned oil and gas producer in Latin America through the first Canada / US / Columbia cross-border insolvency proceeding, restructuring $5 billion in creditors’ claims
• Counsel to the court-appointed Monitor in the dual plenary proceedings under Chapter 11 and the CCAA of Performance Sports Group Ltd. and its affiliates, including a US$575 million sale transaction
• Canadian counsel to Square Two Financial Corporation and 17 affiliates in a CCAA and Chapter 11 restructuring of US$400 million of debt involving a stock sale in Canada and an asset sale in the US
• Canadian insolvency counsel to the Trustees of Nortel Networks UK Pension Plan and the UK Pension Protection Fund (the UK Pension Claimants) – the largest single creditor in the global insolvency proceedings of the Nortel Networks group of companies. TGF successfully obtained (i) a ground-breaking pro rata allocation of US$7.3 billion in sale proceeds among 40 insolvency estates in 19 countries, (ii) a CDN$600 million judgment following the disallowance of a claim by the Monitor
• Retained to resolve what had been described by the judiciary as “the longest running legal saga in Canadian history” and successfully ended the litigation through a creative application of the restructuring provisions of the CCAA
• Retained by the Ontario Securities Commission in the CCAA proceedings commenced by Sino Forest and coordinated those proceedings with the enforcement proceedings brought by the Ontario Securities Commission staff against Sino Forest, certain of its directors and officers and its former auditors
• Counsel to the court-appointed Receiver of Blockbuster Canada, in effecting an orderly liquidation of approximately 440 retail stores with significant cross border issues
• Counsel to the court-appointed Monitor in the restructuring of the Canadian Abitibi-Bowater entities, one of the world’s largest publicly traded pulp and paper manufacturers
• Counsel to Fraser Papers Inc. and its Canadian and US affiliates in a restructuring pursuant to the CCAA and Chapter 11, successfully obtaining amendments to pension legislation to address the company’s pension liabilities 
• Restructuring counsel to Hollinger Inc. in the windup of Hollinger and its subsidiaries
• Litigation counsel to the court-appointed Chief Restructuring Officer and Litigation Trustee of Hollinger Inc., in successfully harvesting litigation assets in the estate
• Counsel to the court-appointed Monitor in the restructuring of Stelco, one of the largest integrated steel companies in Canada
• Represented GE Capital Aviation Services, Inc., a principal stakeholder and the largest creditor in the CCAA restructuring proceedings of Air Canada, Canada’s largest airline
• Counsel for the court-appointed Receiver of the Portus group of companies, recovering over 95% of the more than $800 million of investors’ money
• Counsel to the Agent and lead lender in a syndicate of lenders to Allen-Vanguard Corporation, a publicly traded international military defence corporation, during its restructuring pursuant to the CCAA and its recapitalisation as a private entity
• Counsel to the Insolvency Institute of Canada as intervener on an appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada in Re Indalex, following a Court of Appeal decision that significantly changed the pension and restructuring landscape in Canada
• Counsel to a syndicate of European lenders in connection with a $75M breach of contract claim against a major North American air carrier
• Counsel to a committee of contesting bondholders in the proposed privatisation of BCE Inc., involving the world’s largest leveraged buyout with an enterprise value of $52 billion. This case drew international attention as it sped through three levels of court in less than 9 months, including arguing the appeal at the Supreme Court of Canada
• Represented the former principal of Lakeport Brewing Corp. in the successful defence of a $50 million officer and director liability case
• Represented the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (OMERS) before a major municipal judicial inquiry
• Counsel to the court-appointed Receiver in the Norshield hedge fund scandal involving the tracing and attempted recovery of over $400 million in investor funds in several jurisdictions
• Counsel to United States Steel Corporation as the DIP lender and largest creditor in the CCAA proceedings of US Steel Canada Inc.
• Counsel to a landlord of various properties in the Target Canada restructuring, in completing a pre-emptive transaction for its properties outside of the court ordered sales process and in various other retail insolvencies. Also represent the landlord in other retail proceedings including Sears Canada Inc. and BCBG
• Represented the court-appointed Monitor of Mobilicity, a Canadian mobile virtual telecommunications network operator
• Counsel to Endurance Energy Ltd., an exploration and production company focused on the acquisition and development of natural gas assets in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin, in its restructuring pursuant to the CCAA commenced in Calgary, Alberta.

Last updated July 2020

Firm overview

McMillan is a business law firm serving public, private and not-for-profit clients across key industries in Canada, the United States and internationally. With recognized expertise and acknowledged leadership in major business sectors, we provide solution-oriented legal advice through our offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa, Montréal and Hong Kong.

For more information, please visit our website at www.mcmillan.ca or contact info@mcmillan.ca.

McMillan’s Litigation Group is one of Canada’s leading domestic and cross-border corporate commercial litigation firms. Our lawyers are recognized for their creativity and effectiveness in bringing disputes to satisfactory conclusions, both inside and outside the courts. And with specialists in key areas such as competition, intellectual property, real estate, securities and other areas, McMillan’s Litigation Group always strives to deliver a complete solution – no matter the nature of your corporate or commercial disputes.

As experienced litigators, we always assess risk and opportunities before advising clients on the likelihood of success and helping them weigh their options. We also understand that litigation is not always the preferred option, and help clients pursue a full range of resolution avenues including early negotiated settlements and alternative dispute resolution methods. If we proceed to court, however, we are recognized for our ability to tenaciously advance our clients’ commercial interests.

Litigation Practices:

• Arbitration
• Class Actions
• Competition / Antitrust
• Corporate Commercial
• IP Ligation
• Product Liability
• Restructuring litigation
• Securities Litigation
• White Collar Crime & Investigations

Vancouver

Joan Young

Co-Chair, Litigation

t: 604.893.7639  |  e: joan.young@mcmillan.ca

Calgary

Andrew Stead

Partner, Litigation

t: 403.531.8748  |  e: andrew.stead@mcmillan.ca

Toronto

Robert Wisner

Co-Chair, International Arbitration

t: 416.865.7127  |  e: robert.wisner@mcmillan.ca

Montréal

Éric Vallières

Co-Chair, Quebec, Competition, Dispute Resolution

t: 514.987.5068  |  e: eric.vallieres@mcmillan.ca

Ottawa

Martin Thompson

Office Managing Partner

t: 613.691.6104  |  e: martin.thompson@mcmillan.ca

Hong Kong

Stephen Wortley

Executive Partner, Co-Chair, China Practice Group

t: 852.3101.0390  |  e: stephen.wortley@mcmillan.ca

Ofiices:

Vancouver | Calgary | Toronto| Ottawa | Montréal | Hong Kong


Last updated: March 2019

Firm overview

DMG Advocates offers clients top-tier litigation expertise with exceptional boutique service.DMG broke onto the Canadian litigation scene in 2018 and was quickly recognized as one of the top litigation boutiques in the country. 

Our partners, who bring decades of experience litigating at leading national firms, are recognized by their peers in multiple categories as among the best in the legal community. Our lawyers have extensive litigation expertise in complex commercial disputes across a broad range of sectors, including manufacturing, transportation, securities, media, technology, real estate, energy, and construction.

We offer in-depth knowledge and specialization in the laws relating to product liability, shareholder disputes, class action defence, commercial arbitration, eDiscovery, defamation, and privacy/cybersecurity.

Our team is dedicated to delivering client-focused service that draws on the depth of our litigation expertise.  We are large enough to take on the largest and most complex files, but small enough to ensure our clients receive boutique service delivered efficiently.

Last updated: March 2020