Rapidly Expanding Business Entities
Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP and Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP Lead the Way in Supporting Canada's Emerging and High Growth Companies
In the dynamic world of startups and venture capital, two law firms stand out as leading players in Canada - Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP (Osler) and Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP (Pillsbury). Both firms are renowned for their strong legal expertise and deep involvement in venture capital financing and support for startups and scaling companies.
Osler, ranked Band 1 in Chambers Canada, is widely regarded as Canada's leading law firm for emerging and high growth companies. With a national presence in Toronto, Vancouver, Montréal, Ottawa, and Calgary, Osler's Emerging and High Growth Companies Group provides comprehensive support throughout the lifecycle of startups and growth-stage companies. They advise on corporate, regulatory, intellectual property, financing, venture capital transactions, and IPOs. Osler has particularly strong relationships with leading venture capital funds, private equity firms, and other capital sources both nationally and internationally, and they also collaborate closely with Osler’s dedicated Venture Capital team.
Pillsbury, ranked among the top 6 most active law firms globally for venture capital financings, offers specialized counsel to emerging companies and venture capital investors. Their Emerging Companies & Venture Capital team supports startups from formation to financing, governance, technology transactions, acquisitions, and public offerings. Pillsbury structures its practice to evolve with clients, providing tailored legal resources at each stage of company growth. They serve high-growth enterprises and venture capital investors domestically and abroad, with hundreds of entrepreneurs and investors relying on their experience across rapidly developing industries.
Services Offered
Typical services these firms offer to startups and scaling companies include company formation and structuring, venture capital financing and investor representation, corporate governance and regulatory compliance, intellectual property and technology transactions, mergers, acquisitions, and public offerings, access to networks including venture capital funds, private equity, pension funds, and industry partners, and advice on securities law and fund formation for venture capital vehicles.
For life sciences startups and tech-driven companies, firms like Aird & Berlis also provide targeted legal services covering regulatory, intellectual property, financing, commercial agreements, and dispute resolution, specifically tailored to innovation-driven sectors.
Supporting Innovation Across Canada
In addition to legal services, both Osler and Pillsbury sponsor and support a wide range of accelerators, incubators, and organizations that foster innovation across Canada. Over the past five years, Osler has acted on more than 900 angel, venture, and private equity financings.
In summary, Osler stands out as the top Canadian firm with broad capability and venture capital focus, while Pillsbury is a major international player active in Canadian venture capital markets. Together, they provide startups and scaling companies with a full spectrum of legal services needed to secure funding, grow operations, protect innovation, and execute strategic transactions. Firms like Aird & Berlis add sector-specific expertise, especially in life sciences and technology industries.
- Osler's Emerging and High Growth Companies Group, renowned for their support to startups and growing businesses, offers legal advice on venture capital transactions, corporate governance, intellectual property, technology, and IPOs for high growth companies, thereby contributing to their client success.
- Pillsbury's Emerging Companies & Venture Capital team, known for their involvement in financing, governance, technology transactions, and public offerings for emerging companies, provides legal services that cater to the needs of high growth technology companies, fostering the success of these emerging entities.
