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Public Companies

Duty of care has become the watchword for public companies in today’s increasingly wary corporate environment. To survive and thrive, you must successfully navigate a shifting landscape of constantly changing rules, requirements, regulations and standards. 

Whether you lead a Canadian, US-based or overseas company doing business in Canada, you need to be vigilant about compliance, about keeping your governance practices up to date and about protecting yourself and your directors and officers against allegations of insufficient diligence, negligence or professional error.

McCarthy Tétrault has one of Canada’s leading public company practices. We help clients in every sector and industry interpret, understand and meet their obligations required under securities laws. We advise on new class action civil procedure rules that widen the exposure to liability risk. We also provide in-depth expertise on executive compensation, such as option plans and special termination agreements.

We provide comprehensive services in three key areas:

  • Timely and periodic disclosure – We guide you through filings such as annual information forms and to assist you in meeting transparency requirements in your Management's Discussion and Analysis disclosure.
  • Governance – We counsel you on areas of potential liability, assess the independence of your directors or trustees, and advise you on your processes and procedures. Our expertise in risk management helps you examine your systems and controls and evaluate the work of your board in managing risk.
  • Securities law compliance – We ensure you stay in compliance with securities rules and regulations.

Rely on McCarthy Tétrault for sound judgment and practical counsel for our:

  • National reach. We can provide you with consistent advice on the different provincial and territorial securities laws. Our francophone practitioners in Québec also provide you with in-depth knowledge of civil law and Québec securities laws.
  • Pre-eminent litigation practice in Canada. As the nation's strongest litigation firm with over 150 years of experience, we have top-ranked practitioners in the major business centres across the country. Should you become involved in litigation, their expertise can be your competitive advantage.
  • Leadership in this field. Our lawyers are consistently recognized by national and international legal directories.
  • Our reputation. We are renowned for our extensive experience with securities regulations issues and our deep knowledge of best corporate governance practices.