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Banking & Financial Services

To operate in today's highly competitive and regulated financial services industry, you need timely legal advice specialized to your institution's – and your sector's – unique requirements.

Canada’s banks, insurance companies, foreign banks, near banks, finance companies, smaller financial services companies and institutional investors choose McCarthy Tétrault because:

  • We’re the experts. We offer more knowledge and experience in this area than any other law firm. We do more things for more financial institutions in Canada than anyone else, hands down. Our Financial Services Group is ranked as a top Canadian practice by leading national and international legal directories.
  • We deliver the most value. Our managed law firm structure enables us to match the right skill set at the right level of experience to each client need.
  • We provide full service. Whether it is regulatory advice, capital transactions, structured transactions, cross-border credit or derivative products, mergers & acquisitions, financial asset sales and acquisitions, or policy, we deliver. 
  • We provide seamless multijurisdictional coverage. Through our offices in Canada's major financial centres and London, UK, you access our specialists in every type of law, from tax and technology, to real estate and litigation.
  • We’re steeped in this industry. We’ve been there: from incorporating some of the early insurance companies, like Canada Life, to acting as counsel to the issuer or the underwriters in virtually all innovative tier-one offerings by life insurance companies and banks.
" The firm brings fresh ideas, is business-minded and turns work around effectively and efficiently. "
Client - Chambers Canada

Clients value our leadership and in-depth expertise in key service areas:

  • Capital management and corporate finance – We understand the nuances of managing regulated capital.
  • Secured lending – We excel in all aspects of secured lending and asset-based lending in domestic, cross-border and international markets. 
  • Regulatory matters – We are at the forefront of financial services policy development and implementation.
  • Financing and derivatives – We cover the gamut: leading-edge mezzanine financing and credit enhancement models, as well as sophisticated collateralized debt obligations and derivatives.
  • Project finance – We’ve acted in most of the major project finance transactions in Canada in the power, oil & gas, real estate, technology and infrastructure sectors; 
  • Outsourcing – In this increasingly technology-sensitive sector, we grasp the business models, technology and people issues to expedite large, interjurisdictional technology transactions.
  • Insurance and reinsurance – We have unique and invaluable experience working directly in this industry and with insurance regulators.

Our full-spectrum counsel also includes:

Tax planning