Keith Geurts

Brendan Ruddick is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Municipal Law. Brendan, who practices law in Toronto, Ontario, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Brendan is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Biography Chuck Magerman is a member of Baker & McKenzie's North American Transactions Group focusing on complex cross-border and multijurisdictional M&A, finance transactions and other corporate commercial matters. He focuses on corporate law as well as M&A and finance transactions. Chuck has been recognized as one of the Best Lawyers in Canada in 2024 and as a Thomson Reuters Stand-out Lawyer - Independently rated lawyers. He has lectured on international business transactions a...

Melissa MacKewn has been widely and repeatedly recognized within the profession as one of Canada’s leading securities and corporate commercial litigation lawyers. Among other recognitions, Melissa has been twice voted by her peers as Best Lawyers Securities Lawyer of the Year and is part of a small and prestigious group of litigation lawyers in Canada selected by Best Lawyers, based on peer review, as “bet the company” litigation counsel. Melissa has one of the deepest and m...

John is a partner at Sotos LLP. He is dean of the franchising, licensing and distributing bar – a recognition that caps a 40-year career acting for franchisors regionally, nationally and globally. Today, he continues to provide counsel to franchisors in all aspects of their businesses, including in franchise system or distribution chain design and implementation, system restructuring, international and domestic transactions, and franchise disclosure. He offers strategic support to franc...

Gesta Abols’ practice is focused on mergers & acquisitions (including private equity), strategic investments, corporate governance and shareholder activism. Gesta provides expert legal advice, superior service and structure to bring clarity to complex challenges. Gesta is the Co-Leader of the firm’s US Practice and on the executive of the firm’s Capital Markets and Mergers & Acquisitions (CM and M&A) Committee. Gesta is consistently recognized as a leader in the ...

John is a partner at Margie Strub Construction Law LLP with more than twenty years of experience providing legal services, exclusively in construction and infrastructure law, to help clients manage and mitigate risks and resolve disputes. John has represented every party in the construction pyramid including public and private owners, contractors, trades, and suppliers and he represents clients from across the construction industry including small and national to international companies. His ...

Denise Baker is Chair of WeirFoulds LLP. Her practice focuses on municipal and land use planning issues and related litigation. She has acted on behalf of municipalities, private landowners and resident groups. She predominantly advises landowners and municipalities with respect to land use planning and development matters including municipal finance matters, Planning Act applications and appeals and Heritage Act matters. Denise appears regularly before municipal councils, Committees of Adjus...

Peter Pliszka, a senior partner in Fasken’s Litigation Group, is regarded as one of Canada’s leading litigation lawyers. Peter’s practice is focused primarily on product liability, class action, commercial and insurance litigation matters, and it is national in scope. Peter conducts litigation proceedings across Canada and has appeared at all levels of court in Ontario and other Canadian provinces as well as the Supreme Court of Canada. Peter is Fasken’s Chair-Life Sci...

Balraj practices in the areas of Labour, Constitutional, Pension and Benefits, and Aboriginal Law and Indigenous Rights. In her Labour practice, Balraj represents trade unions, with a focus in the education and health care sectors. In her pension and benefits practice, Balraj has provided advice to Boards of Trustees, plan administrators, trade unions and to individuals on a broad range of pension and benefits issues, including for example: advice around legislative compliance, trustee liabil...

Chris joined the firm as a summer student in 1992, and worked as an Articling Student before returning as an Associate after his call to the Bar in 1995. He has been a Partner in the firm since 2001. Chris practices in all areas of labour relations and employment law, including arbitrations, Labour Board proceedings, collective bargaining negotiations and civil actions for wrongful dismissal. In addition, he represents clients in workplace safety and insurance matters, human rights litigation...