Every year, Canada's legal community recognizes lawyers who have earned the confidence and respect of their peers. The 2027 editions of The Best Lawyers in Canada™ and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in Canada™ continue that tradition, highlighting accomplished lawyers across a wide range of practice areas and regions.
Together, the lawyers recognized in these editions join the global Best Lawyers® network, representing established leaders and emerging practitioners whose work reflects the strength and breadth of Canada's legal profession.
The Foundation of Recognition
Recognition begins with Best Lawyers' Purely Peer Review™ methodology, a research process built on the principle that lawyers are uniquely qualified to evaluate the professional abilities of their peers.
Candidates are nominated by others in the legal community and evaluated confidentially by currently recognized lawyers practicing in the same specialties and geographic regions. Each candidate is also independently verified to confirm they remain in good standing with the appropriate bar association before recognition is finalized.
The result is an evaluation shaped by informed opinions of legal professionals with firsthand knowledge of their peers' work.
This year, the Canadian research included more than 763,000 confidential peer evaluations, contributing to a database of more than 5.7 million historical evaluations that inform the Best Lawyers methodology.
Canada's Centers of Legal Excellence
Canada's largest legal markets continue to be home to a significant share of the lawyers recognized by The Best Lawyers in Canada. Toronto leads with 3,177 recipients, followed by Vancouver, Montréal, Calgary and Edmonton, reflecting the country's established centers of legal practice.
Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in Canada follows a similar geographic pattern, with Toronto leading the way, followed by Montréal, Vancouver, Calgary and Ottawa.
While four cities appear among the top five in both editions, the order shifts slightly, with Ottawa featured among the leading markets for emerging lawyers.
The Best Lawyers in Canada 2027: An Overview
The 21st edition of The Best Lawyers in Canada recognizes 8,622 lawyers, representing approximately 6% of Canada's legal market. This year’s honorees span 1,351 law firms, 77 practice areas and 25 metropolitan and geographic areas across the country.
Among those selected, 411 lawyers received the "Lawyer of the Year" title, awarded to one individual in each practice area and region based on the highest overall peer feedback. The 2027 edition also welcomes 601 first-time recognized lawyers, bringing new names into a community shaped by the confidence and respect of their peers.
The Next Generation of Canadian Lawyers
The sixth edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in Canada recognizes 2,394 lawyers, representing approximately 1.7% of Canada's legal market. This year's recipients span 484 law firms, 55 practice areas and 24 metropolitan and regional markets across the country.
The 2027 edition also welcomes 613 first-time honorees, reflecting the continued introduction of emerging talent to Best Lawyers. Notably, 125 firms are represented exclusively by lawyers in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in Canada, broadening the program's reach to firms whose presence in this year's edition comes entirely through the next generation of Canadian lawyers.
Five Years of Canada's Leading Practice Areas
Corporate and Commercial Litigation once again leads The Best Lawyers in Canada with 1,321 recognized lawyers, followed by Corporate Law (1,024), Labour and Employment Law (871), Mergers and Acquisitions Law (746) and Real Estate Law (746). Together, these five practice areas have remained Canada's top specialties for the past five editions, reflecting their enduring importance across industries and regions.
This longstanding trend builds on the pattern highlighted in the 2026 results from The Best Lawyers in Canada.
A similar pattern appears in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in Canada, where the same five specialties lead recognition, underscoring their importance to Canada's next generation of legal talent.
The sections below examine each of these five leading practice areas, highlighting the market conditions, regulatory changes and legal developments that help explain their continued prominence across Canada:
Corporate and Commercial Litigation
Since June 20, 2025, expanded private litigation rights under the Competition Act have allowed private parties to seek monetary compensation through the Competition Tribunal for certain civil conduct, including deceptive marketing, greenwashing and anti-competitive agreements. The amendments broadened the range of conduct open to private applications and created new opportunities for collective-style claims, with legal commentators anticipating increased competition litigation.
The following lawyers received the "Lawyer of the Year" honor in Corporate and Commercial Litigation in Canada's top metropolitan areas:
- Joseph McArthur FCIArb, Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP - Vancouver
- Jonathan C. Lisus, Lax O'Sullivan Lisus Gottlieb LLP - Toronto
- Sébastien C. Caron, Ad. E., ICD.D, LCM Avocats Inc - Montréal
- James J. Heelan, K.C., Bennett Jones - Edmonton
- Matthew R. Lindsay, K.C., Rose LLP - Calgary
Corporate Law
Canadian corporations subject to the Fighting Against Forced Labour and Child Labour in Supply Chains Act face an annual May 31 reporting deadline. Public Safety Canada updated its guidance in late 2025 to clarify review procedures, attestation expectations and other aspects of compliance. Certain businesses must also follow FINTRAC beneficial ownership requirements, including provisions related to verifying federal corporate shareholder information and identifying material discrepancies.
As Neill May, who received the Best Lawyers 2027 Corporate Law “Lawyer of the Year” award in Toronto, explains, “Canadian securities regulatory authorities have been increasingly active in ESG and governance related disclosure questions, particularly in relation to supply-chain issues and beneficial ownership. Climate-related reporting also clearly remains on the regulatory agenda, focused on discouraging canned boilerplate and greenwashing. For directors, the overall message is that oversight expectations are becoming more specific and more consequential. [...] At the same time, shareholder engagement remains challenging, due to regulatory changes, persistent issues with the intermediated shareholding system and increasingly complex and nuanced expectations from proxy advisors and other stakeholders.”
Among Canada's leading metropolitan areas in Corporate Law, the "Lawyer of the Year" recipients include:
- Rick Wong, Thorsteinssons - Vancouver
- Neill May, Goodmans - Toronto
- Franziska Ruf, Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP - Montréal
- Leanne C. Krawchuk, Bennett Jones - Edmonton
- Daniel McLeod, Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP - Calgary
Mergers and Acquisitions Law
Canada's pre-merger notification threshold under the Competition Act remains at $93 million, alongside a $400 million size-of-parties threshold. Review thresholds under the Investment Canada Act increased to $2.179 billion in enterprise value for private trade agreement investors, $1.452 billion for private World Trade Organization investors and $578 million in asset value for acquisitions involving state-owned or state-influenced enterprises.
As Steven McKoen, K.C., who received the Best Lawyers 2027 Mergers and Acquisitions Law “Lawyer of the Year” award in Vancouver, observes, “I expect the biggest influence on Canadian M&A activity over the next few years will be how businesses and governments respond to a changing trade environment. As tariffs and other trade measures reshape global markets, we may see Canadian companies pursue opportunities that diversify risk and reduce exposure to trade barriers as well as foreign investors seeking to deploy capital in Canada as it broadens its trade agreements.
At the same time, evolving requirements under the Competition Act and Investment Canada Act are making regulatory considerations a more important part of transaction planning. Dealmakers will need to factor in greater scrutiny, longer timelines and increased execution risk, particularly in transactions involving sensitive data or technologies, critical minerals, or national security.”
That regulatory uncertainty is also influencing how parties approach transactions and plan for potential risk.
John Emanoilidis, who received the Best Lawyers 2027 Mergers and Acquisitions Law “Lawyer of the Year” award in Toronto, similarly points to the growing importance of regulatory considerations: “One of the biggest shifts in Canadian M&A is that the Competition Act and Investment Canada Act reviews are increasingly being shaped by broader policy objectives. As economic resilience, strategic investment and ‘Canada Strong’ priorities take on greater prominence, regulatory outcomes are becoming less predictable and reviews more intensive. That added uncertainty is having a tangible effect on transaction planning, with parties paying closer attention to regulatory strategy, timing, covenants and risk-allocation provisions to preserve deal certainty.”
The following lawyers received the "Lawyer of the Year" award in Mergers and Acquisitions Law in Canada's top metropolitan areas:
- Steven McKoen, K.C., Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP - Vancouver
- John Emanoilidis, Torys LLP - Toronto
- Sophie Lamonde, Stikeman Elliott LLP - Montréal
- Sarat C. Maharaj, Dentons Canada LLP - Edmonton
- Jeff Bakker, Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP - Calgary
Real Estate Law
Canada's commercial real estate market recorded nearly $10.7 billion in investment volume in the first quarter of 2026, up 5% year over year. Office investment activity increased 158%, with capital concentrated heavily in premium Class AAA properties, while Montréal attracted nearly $1.6 billion in multifamily investment, accounting for 54% of the city's total transaction volume. Federal restrictions on certain purchases of residential property by non-Canadians also remain in effect through January 2027.
In Real Estate Law, "Lawyer of the Year" recipients from Canada's leading locations include:
- Edward L. Wilson, Lawson Lundell LLP - Vancouver
- Simon P. Crawford, Bennett Jones - Toronto
- D. James Papadimitriou, McCarthy Tétrault LLP - Montréal
- Sharon Ohayon, Witten LLP - Edmonton
- Laurie S. Kiedrowski, McLeod Law - Calgary
Labour and Employment Law
Canada's federal minimum wage rose to $18.15 per hour in April 2026, representing a cumulative 21% increase since the standalone federal minimum wage was introduced in 2021. Since January 2026, Ontario employers with 25 or more employees have been required to disclose expected compensation or a compensation range in publicly advertised job postings. Recent Ontario Superior Court decisions have further addressed incentive compensation and Restricted Stock Unit entitlements following termination, underscoring the importance of clear contractual language governing post-termination rights.
The following lawyers received the "Lawyer of the Year" distinction in Labour and Employment Law across Canada's leading locations:
- Dean A. Crawford, K.C., Crawford Munroe Thomson LLP - Vancouver
- Donald K. "Don" Eady, Paliare Roland Rosenberg Rothstein LLP - Toronto
- Stéphane Fillion, Fasken - Montréal
- Monica M. Bokenfohr, Neuman Thompson - Edmonton
- Joyce A. Mitchell, K.C., McLennan Ross LLP - Calgary
Notable Year-Over-Year Growth
In addition to Canada's leading practice areas, several specialties recorded notable year-over-year increases in the number of recognized lawyers. Municipal Law and Professional Malpractice Law saw the strongest gains among established practice areas, while Education Law, Sports Law and Family Law Arbitration also expanded in the 2027 edition.
In Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in Canada, Criminal Defence and Professional Malpractice Law recorded notable year-over-year increases in recognition. Growth was also seen in Family Law Mediation, Entertainment Law and Family Law Arbitration.
Gender Representation Across Practice Areas
Several practice areas within The Best Lawyers in Canada have a majority of women among their recognized lawyers, led by Family Law at 65%. Additional majority-women specialties include:
- Family Law Mediation
- Health Care Law
- Education Law
- Charities / Non-Profit Law
Several others have reached or are approaching gender parity, including Biotechnology and Life Sciences Practice, Immigration Law and Trusts and Estates, where women and men are equally represented.
A similar pattern appears in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in Canada, where women represent 79% of honorees in Family Law and 71% in Trusts and Estates. Women also comprise a majority in:
- Aboriginal Law / Indigenous Practice
- Labour and Employment Law
- Municipal Law
- Banking and Finance Law
- Health Care Law
Class Action Litigation has reached gender parity, while Corporate and Commercial Litigation, Insurance Law, Administrative and Public Law and Intellectual Property Law are approaching an even balance.
What Best Lawyers Stands For
Trust, professional distinction and the respect of one's peers remain central to the Best Lawyers research process. The 2027 editions of The Best Lawyers in Canada and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in Canada celebrate established leaders and emerging practitioners while connecting Canada's recognized lawyers to a global network built on peer review. As Canada's legal community continues to evolve, Best Lawyers remains committed to an evaluation grounded in the informed opinions of lawyers themselves.
Explore all 2027 honorees by visiting our Find a Lawyer in Canada page or search for lawyers in other countries and practice areas through our global Find a Lawyer directory.
Disclaimer: Best Lawyers recognitions are subject to ongoing review and verification. As a result, the number of recognized lawyers and related statistics may change following publication if updates are made to a lawyer's eligibility or professional status. This process helps maintain the accuracy and integrity of our research.
