Who We Are

At Aird & Berlis, we provide strategic legal and business advice in all principal areas of corporate commercial law, including corporate finance, banking, insolvency and restructuring, energy, environmental, infrastructure/P3, technology and intellectual property, litigation, labour and employment, municipal and land use planning, real estate and tax. 

We focus on your legal issues, so you can focus on your business.

Recent Developments

Events
Utilizing the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy to Benefit Your Business Francesco Gucciardo, David Malach, Barbara Worndl and Saam Nainifard Apr 16, 2020 Join members of the Aird & Berlis Tax Group as they review the new legislation and answer your questions.
Publications Article
Proxy Advisory Firms Provide Guidance on Governance Matters in Light of COVID-19 Melanie Cole and David Mba Apr 14, 2020 The 2020 proxy season is upon us, and as a result of COVID-19, many issuers likely require increased flexibility in order to deal with the uncertainty and economic challenges that they may be facing. This article provides a summary of the key takeaways for issuers to consider this proxy season.
Publications Article
The Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy Comes Into Force Francesco Gucciardo, Saam Nainifard, Barbara Worndl and David Malach Apr 12, 2020 On April 11, 2020, Parliament enacted the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy into law, and it is significantly broader than the framework released by the Department of Finance last week. Most notably, the legislation relaxes the revenue test for the month of March and provides flexibility in determining revenue.
Publications Article
AGCO Updates and Ontario Government Emergency Order Permitting Pickup and Delivery of Recreational Cannabis by Licensed Retailers Jeremy D. Burke, Danny Kharazmi and David Mba Apr 09, 2020 On March 17, 2020, the government of Ontario declared the COVID-19 pandemic to be a provincial emergency, which allowed the Ontario government access to extensive statutory powers under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act. Among other things, the government of Ontario can now impose restrictions on travel, mandate business closures, establish emergency facilities, introduce price ...
Publications Article
Expanding Your Business to Canada Fiona Brown and Aaron Baer Apr 09, 2020 We regularly advise foreign clients on expanding their businesses to Canada. In this document, we outline the most common questions that we hear from clients and discuss some of the most common considerations for companies looking to expand to Canada.
Publications Article
COVID-19 Update: Securities Regulators Grant Temporary Filing Relief Melanie Cole, Adria Leung Lim and David Mba Apr 08, 2020 This article focuses on the blanket orders issued by the Ontario Securities Commission under Ontario Instrument 51-502 Temporary Exemption from Certain Corporate Finance Requirements on March 23, 2020.
Publications Article
COVID-19 Update: Ontario Provides Temporary Relief Relating to Meeting Requirements Under the Corporations Act (Ontario) and Business Corporations Act (Ontario) Melanie Cole, Adria Leung Lim and David Mba Apr 08, 2020 In one of our recent posts, we discussed the current COVID-19 pandemic and ways to navigate social distancing requirements during proxy season through virtual meetings. Since then, the Government of Ontario has issued an order on March 30 in response to the provincial declaration of an emergency, with regards to annual corporate meetings.
Insights TheSpotlight
Cyberattacks and Cybersecurity Measures Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic Paige Backman and David Mba Mar 27, 2020 As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, cyber criminals are finding ways to capitalize on the growing levels of concern and fear accompanying the pandemic.
Insights TheSpotlight
Geolocation and the Fight Against COVID-19 Could the Emergencies Act Overrule Privacy Law Protections for Cellphone Location Data? Paige Backman and Stephanie D’Amico Mar 27, 2020 While COVID-19 is a “novel” coronavirus, the tension it stokes between public welfare and personal freedom is anything but new. Today, the battle is between public health and personal privacy.
Insights TheSpotlight
Beware of Preying Cyber Criminals During the COVID-19 Pandemic Paige Backman Mar 26, 2020 Cyber criminals are parasitic, so the fact that they are using COVID-19 as a backdrop to increase their attacks should not be a surprise.
News Firm News
Our Response to COVID-19 Steven Zakem Mar 18, 2020 Consistent with the advice of local and national health experts, the majority of lawyers and staff at Aird & Berlis are currently working remotely.
News Firm News
Aird & Berlis Welcomes Partner Paul Jachymek Mar 13, 2020 We are pleased to announce that Paul Jachymek has joined the firm as a partner in the Infrastructure, Procurement, Construction and Corporate/Commercial Law Groups.
News Firm News
Lexpert Highlights Aird & Berlis Lawyers in Mining Special Edition Martin Kovnats and Steve J. Tenai Mar 02, 2020 Aird & Berlis is pleased to announce that partners Martin Kovnats and Steve Tenai have been named to the Lexpert Special Edition: Mining 2020.
Insights EnergyInsider
OEB Issues Decision on Proposal by Municipalities to Form New Natural Gas Distributor Fred D. Cass Mar 02, 2020 On February 27, the Ontario Energy Board issued a decision in respect of a proposal for a new natural gas distribution company to distribute gas in municipalities located on the north shore of Lake Superior between Nipigon and Sault Ste. Marie.
Insights TheSpotlight
The Supreme Court of Canada’s Clarifies Standard of Review for Trademark Appeals Lawrence Veregin and Ken Clark Feb 28, 2020 The Supreme Court of Canada’s recent decision in Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration) v. Vavilov, 2019 SCC 65 revised the test for determining the standard of review for courts reviewing decisions from administrative bodies.
Insights EnergyInsider
Climate Change Litigation - Dutch Supreme Court Delivers Historic Climate Change Decision in the Urgenda Case David Stevens and David Mba Feb 27, 2020 The Supreme Court of Netherlands recently delivered a landmark decision in the Urgenda climate change case against the Dutch government, confirming lower court decisions holding that the government has obligations to urgently and significantly reduce emissions in line with its human rights obliga...
Representative Matters
Allied Properties REIT Completes $400 Million Debt Offering Margaret T. Nelligan, Sherri M. Altshuler, Anne E. Miatello, Melanie Cole, Liam Tracey-Raymont, Amy Marcen-Gaudaur, Russell J. Sanders, Meredith McCann, Michael D. Smith, Neill Kalvin, Zale Skolnik and Barbara Worndl Feb 26, 2020 On February 21, Allied completed an offering of $400 million aggregate principal amount of Series F Debentures pursuant to a prospectus supplement dated February 6, 2020 to a short form base shelf prospectus dated November 19, 2019.
News Firm News
Aird & Berlis Lawyers Named in Lexpert Finance and M&A; Special Edition Neil Bass and Jill P. Fraser Feb 19, 2020 Aird & Berlis partners Neil Bass and Jill Fraser are among the leading lawyers named in the Lexpert Special Edition: Finance and M&A; 2020.
News Firm News
Aird & Berlis Trademark Practice and Practitioners Recognized in WTR 1000 Timothy M. Lowman, L.E. Trent Horne, R. Grant Cansfield and Ken Clark Feb 14, 2020 Aird & Berlis is proud to be recognized in the 2020 edition of World Trademark Review 1000: The World’s Leading Trademark Professionals at both the firm and individual levels.
News Firm News
Aird & Berlis Partners Recognized in Chambers Global 2020 Jack Bernstein, Barbara Worndl, Stephen Zolf and L.E. Trent Horne Feb 13, 2020 Aird & Berlis is pleased to announce that partners Jack Bernstein, Barbara Worndl, Stephen Zolf and Trent Horne were recognized in the 2020 edition of Chambers Global: The World’s Leading Lawyers for Business.
Representative Matters
Mishmeret Trust Company Ltd. Acts As Trustee in NIS 500 Million Bond Offering Nili Goldman, Aaron T. Collins and Eveleen Lal Jan 27, 2020 Mishmeret Trust Company Ltd. acted as the trustee for the Israeli bondholders in connection with the bond offering by The Elad Group, which completed an initial debt issue on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange and raised NIS 500 million in a private bond placement to investment institutions.