John Ciardullo

John Ciardullo is the Managing Partner of the Toronto office where he is responsible for overseeing management, strategic direction and client service. He is also a member of the Partnership Board, Executive Committee, Management Committee and the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee. He is the former Head of the Corporate Department and the Capital Markets and Public Mergers & Acquisitions Groups.

John has expertise in a broad range of corporate transactions and has led some of Canada’s most noteworthy domestic and cross-border M&A and restructuring transactions. He has significant experience advising Canadian boards, special committees, banks, regulatory authorities and governments on a wide variety of matters, including compliance with legal, regulatory and fiduciary issues, crisis management and transactional matters such as acquisition and defence strategy.

John’s stand-out M&A expertise is recognized by the legal industry’s most reliable and trusted sources. In 2021, John was the only Canadian named among the Top 50 Global M&A Lawyers by Global M&A Network, which identifies highly respected, successful and innovative lawyers from worldwide deal making communities. Legal directories such as Chambers Global has described John as “unbelievably driven and super hard-working,” and noted that “he provides not just pure legal advice but strategic and commercial advice as well,” is “practical and solutions-oriented“ and recognized by clients as a “brilliant, creative, likeable and a true businessman's lawyer,“ “a true deal maker” and “a trusted adviser.” The Legal 500 quotes John as a “strategic counsel steeped in business sense.” More recently, John has been named as the #1 M&A Lawyer in Canada by MergerLinks for 2024.