Best Law Firms in Canada for Asset-Based Lending Practice

CHAITONS LLP | www.chaitons.com | T: +1 416 222 8888 | F: +1 416 222 8402 

Number of partners: 11

Number of lawyers: 22

Languages: English 

Firm Overview: 

Based in Toronto, Canada, Chaitons LLP has a substantial lending and recovery practice that has been involved in a significant number of the largest restructuring and receivership proceedings in Canada including cross-border proceedings.  Chaitons is also well-known for its litigation, finance/M&A and commercial real estate practices.  Its clients range across a broad spectrum and include Canadian and foreign banks, capital corporations, private equity firms, asset-based lenders and distressed lenders.  The firm was formed in 1983, and has become a leader in providing quality service and effective solutions for its clients in workout, restructuring and enforcement proceedings, commercial litigation, and a broad range of financing transactions, including traditional corporate lending, asset-based financing, equity, structured finance, term lending, mezzanine financing and debtor-in-possession financing. 

Main Areas of Practice: 

Insolvency/ Restructuring: 

Recent engagements include representing:        

• Indenture trustee in the Lightstream CCAA proceedings
• Senior secured lender and DIP lender in the Comstock CCAP proceedings
• Receiver in the cross-border Syncapse receivership proceedings including sale of business to a public company
• Purchaser of cross-border business and assets of iMarketing Solutions Group
• Monitor of New Solutions Financial Corporation, a distressed lender with over $220 million of secured debt
• Purchaser of assets in the Talon Systems group of companies insolvency proceedings
• Indenture trustee in the Hollinger CCAA proceeding
• Indenture trustee in the Catalyst Paper CCAA proceeding
• Indenture trustee in the NewPage CCAA proceeding
• Indenture trustee in the Sino Forest CCAA proceeding
• US Chapter 7 trustee in pension priority dispute in the Indalex CCAA proceeding, which was argued before the Supreme Court of Canada
• Purchaser of the Gorham Paper Mill from Fraser Papers in its CCAA and Ch. 11 proceedings
• Purchaser of assets in the NewPage CCAA proceeding
• CCAA Monitor of Gandi Innovation and related entities in their CCAA and Ch 15 proceedings and the sale of the business to Agfa
• Nexient, a leading Canadian provider of corporate and public training services, in its CCAA proceeding and the sale of the business to Global Knowledge
• Clothing for Modern Times, a national clothing retailer, in its restructuring under the CCAA
• Several different stakeholders in the Nortel restructuring proceedings
• Court-appointed monitors, receivers and trustees in bankruptcy in numerous Canadian insolvency proceedings 

Contact:   Harvey Chaiton | 416 218 1129  | harvey@chaitons.com 

Litigation: 

Chaitons’ broad commercial litigation practice includes expertise in matters related to insolvency, creditor enforcement of security, shareholder and partnership disputes, commercial disputes, contractual issues, real estate litigation and construction litigation.

Contact:   Stephen Schwartz | 416 218 1132 | stephen@chaitons.com    

Finance/M&A: 

Chaitons’ Corporate Law Group provides a wide range of transaction-based corporate services to its clients, with an emphasis on financings, mergers and acquisitions and business arrangements.  We represent lenders and investors across a full spectrum of financings including in respect of senior, subordinated and mezzanine financings, as well as asset-based, distress and debtor-in-possession lending.

Recent engagements include representing clients in respect of:

• Acquisition of asset management group having assets under management in excess of $500 million
• Acquisition by a TSX-listed corporation of one of Canada’s pre-eminent mid-market lenders
• Acquisition and financing by a Canadian merchant bank of a leading Canadian manufacturer of machined products 

Contact:   Philip Taylor | 416 218 1125  |  philip@chaitons.com

Commercial Real Estate:  

Chaitons has a general commercial real estate practice with specialty in condominium development (including resort and fractional ownership), seniors housing development, leasing and acquisitions and divestures of income producing properties.

Contact:   Robert A Miller | 416 218 1134 | robert@chaitons.com

Integrity. Insight. Solutions.

Trusted Edmonton Lawyers Since 1894.

As one of Alberta’s oldest law firms, Duncan Craig LLP is a full-service Edmonton law firm that has proudly served clients since 1894. Our long-standing success is built on deep community roots, professional integrity, and practical legal solutions. We understand Alberta business. We understand Albertans.

For over a century, Duncan Craig LLP has provided trusted legal solutions for individuals, businesses, and institutions. With a team of experienced lawyers and dedicated legal professionals, we offer strategic and innovative legal services tailored to meet your needs.

Our firm is built on relationships, community, expertise, and integrity, guiding our approach to delivering ethical and results-driven solutions. Whether you need legal support for business law, real estate transactions, estate planning, family law, employment law, personal injury, litigation, or mediation, we are here to help.

With offices in Edmonton and Drayton Valley we provide legal services throughout Edmonton, across Alberta, and where required, nationally and internationally ensuring our clients receive the best possible representation.

Gowling WLG is an international law firm built on the belief that the best way to serve you is to be in tune with your world, aligned with your opportunity and ambitious for your success. With more than 1,500 legal professionals around the world, we provide our clients with in-depth knowledge in key global sectors and a suite of legal services at home and abroad. We see the world through our clients' eyes, and collaborate across countries, offices, service areas and sectors to help them succeed, no matter how challenging the circumstances.

Brief History

With roots tracing back to 1887, Gowling WLG grew to become one of the largest and most respected law firms in Canada, with a reputation for innovation in client-focused service delivery.

Building on its early strength in intellectual property, Gowling WLG diversified to offer a full suite of business law, litigation and intellectual property services in all of Canada’s key industries, including energy, mining, financial services, government, infrastructure, manufacturing, life sciences and technology.

Koffman Kalef LLP is a Vancouver law firm practicing in selected areas of business law and litigation with significant strength and experience in tax, securities and corporate finance, senior banking, commercial real estate transactions and development, intellectual property, international trade and mergers and acquisitions.

The depth of knowledge and experience of our lawyers allows us to deliver high quality legal services in a timely and cost-effective manner. Our clients find our advice and assistance practical, meaningful and useful.

We understand the needs of our business clients and are committed to meeting those needs. Our clients can expect the highest quality of legal services from everyone at Koffman Kalef LLP.

For general information, please contact us at info@kkbl.com.

Torkin Manes LLP is a full-service law firm based in downtown Toronto. Founded in 1974, we have built our firm by focusing on the core principles that we believe make a great law firm: a deep and personal understanding of clients’ business needs; a results-oriented approach to practice that provides practical, smart, and cost-effective advice; and, above all, responsiveness to our clients.

Our professionals provide legal counsel to individuals, public and private companies, and buyers and sellers of independent businesses. Our clients range from owner-operators and founders to investment funds and high net worth individuals, who value and trust our deep knowledge, experience and expertise in the Canadian mid-market. We advise our clients on day-to-day legal matters, as well as during the most transformative transactions and critical disputes of their businesses and lives.

When clients require legal services in other jurisdictions, we leverage our affiliation with Meritas, an international network of select law firms of which Torkin Manes is a member, to facilitate the procurement of excellent legal service and counsel worldwide.

Our client-driven approach has brought professional accolades. Torkin Manes has been named the 2024 Regional Law Firm of the Year (Central Canada) at the Canadian Law Awards, in addition to our long-standing recognition as Top Regional Law Firm (Ontario) by Canadian Lawyer Magazine. This firm is also consistently shortlisted as one of Canada's Regional Law Firms of the Year by Chambers and Partners. Our Construction, Corporate & Commercial, Family Law and Real Estate Groups are all recognized on the Globe & Mail’s Best Law Firms in Canada list.

Many of our lawyers are well known throughout the profession and community at large as highly respected leaders in their practice areas, as well as teachers, authors and advocates for the Law Society of Ontario and the Ontario Bar Association.

Founded in 1990, Wilson Vukelich was formed by five Bay Street lawyers who concluded that clients are best served by smaller, more responsive, full service firms. Since its inception, WV has become known for working strategically with our clients, using our knowledge and experience to provide prompt, practical and cost-effective solutions. WV's commitment to providing the highest quality legal services has led us to be York Region's leading Business and Tax Law firm.

While we have grown from five lawyers, our growth is a controlled growth. We identify quality lawyers and staff and ensure that each new member of the team embodies the culture of prompt, practical and cost-effective representation that has made the firm's reputation. Our lawyers are respected counsel in their areas of practice. WV's lawyers are often speakers at seminars and conferences.

We understand the challenges businesses face in today's complex and competitive business environment. Our business clients range in size from start-ups to some of North America's largest public companies. We also represent international business clients seeking to protect and expand their interests in Canada.