Finding the Right Corporate Lawyer in Toronto

The need to finding the right corporate lawyer for your business lies in the fact that the expertise of such lawyers in the volatile markets of society remains quintessential in bringing about correct incorporation and running of businesses. A corporate lawyer’s services are required right from the very start of an idea and down to when the business is running and successful. To understand the need for a corporate lawyer in your business, we must first explain to you what it is that a corporate lawyer does and, more importantly, how this benefits a new and upcoming business.

What is Corporate Law?

Corporate law is the field of law which is normally associated with functioning of companies and the rights, duties and responsibilities of various stakeholders in such companies. Corporate law influences aspects of business operations from small businesses to multinational corporations. The goal of this law becomes to aggregate welfare of all who are affected by the activities of such companies and plays a role of utmost importance in the shaping of the global economic landscape by providing a sustainable platform for all businesses and corporations to thrive.

Types of Corporate Law Services in Toronto:

1. Mergers and Acquisitions:

The two terms refer to joining of two companies. A merger is when two separate entities join together and combine forces to create an entirely new company. An acquisition is when a larger company takeover the business of another relatively smaller company. Corporate lawyers help facilitate transactions to make mergers or acquisitions possible.

2. Corporate Securities Law:

This law is related to the security requirements that need to be followed by a public company whose shares are traded at the stock exchange.

3. Contract Law:

Contract law is related to the rights and duties associated with legal agreements. It deals with the formation of legally binding documents as well as its enforcement by Courts.

4. Corporate Governance:

It is the system by which companies are directed and controlled by the board of directors and shareholders.

5. Venture Capital :

Venture Capital refers to funding that is provided to entrepreneurs and companies to start up businesses, which is usually in the form of private equity financing.

 

Under Canadian Law, the corporations can be established under either the federal or provincial authority. Federal incorporation of corporations is governed by the Canada Business Corporations Act where as each province has separate laws for incorporation within their area of jurisdiction. The choice of whether to go for a federal or provincial incorporation depends upon the scope and scale of the business. Engaging a corporate lawyer throughout the process of incorporation is advisable given their expertise in the understanding of corporate laws in Toronto.  Corporate lawyers in Toronto can help budding entrepreneur’s set-up their businesses and furnish all legal requirements for incorporation.

 

The team at Pacific Legal boasts a deep understanding of the key aspects of corporate law in Toronto and is dedicated to work with clients help them achieve their business goals and overcome legal challenges anywhere in the world. We are proficient in addressing a wide spectrum of business requirements, ranging from substantial transactions to day-to-day operations. As reliable partners, we possess an in-depth understanding of our clients’ business and believe in preserving long-lasting relationships.

 

What is a Corporate Lawyer?

A corporate lawyer is one who specializes in the field of corporate law. These lawyers carry out everything needed to complete transactions related to the formation, operation, mergers and acquisition of companies. A corporate lawyer is responsible for advising companies about their legal rights and responsibilities. When hired by a company, these lawyers represent the corporate entity and not its shareholders or employees. Companies work with these lawyers to make decisions and ensure those decisions adheres to relevant laws and regulations. The duty of a corporate lawyer is to assist and advice their clients on their rights, responsibilities and duties under the law and to make sure that corporations remain in compliance with the requisite rules that are provided in the statutes. Corporate lawyers work in various fields including retail, technology, healthcare, energy, banking and insurance.

 

To choose the right lawyer, one must evaluate and identify their business needs and, based on these, research potential lawyers. Selecting the right lawyers who have the right balance of qualifications and experience is essential to start businesses in today’s versatile markets. Corporate lawyers may work in-house in multinational corporations or in law firms specially created to serve the needs of a large number of clients. Corporation lawyers may be general corporate lawyers or lawyers specializing in one particular form of law, such as mergers and acquisitions, contract law, banking laws, etc.

 

At Pacific Legal, we provide our clients with the requisite legal expertise to navigate through various corporate laws.  We are committed to helping clients mitigate their risks by providing for regular regulatory compliance. The benefit of hiring Pacific Legal as your corporate lawyer lies in the fact that we are proficient in addressing a wide spectrum of business requirements, ranging from substantial transactions to day-to-day operations. As reliable partners, we possess an in-depth understanding of our client’s business and believe in preserving long-lasting relationships.

 

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Legal Services Provided by Corporate Lawyers in Toronto

Corporate Law in Toronto covers a vast array of laws under its ambit, each related in some way to the operations, establishment and day-to-day running of companies.  A corporation, being a separate legal entity, is put under scrutiny by the laws of a country and provided with certain rights as well as duties that need to be fulfilled by it. Corporate lawyers in Toronto, therefore, specialize in a variety of services that help set up and grow businesses. Pacific Legal offers various expertly curated services to all types of corporations in Toronto and the Ontario Region. Corporate legal services provided by our experienced lawyers are:

1. Contract Drafting and Review:

A legal contract is a legally binding agreement between two or more parties that puts upon the signing parties certain rights and obligations. These rights provided by the contracts become enforceable in law and can also be misused in case the drafting lacks proficiency. The teams at Pacific Legal help clients prepare and enforce contracts with the utmost professionalism and proficiency.  Our experienced corporate lawyers help our clients succeed in their business goals by preparing airtight contracts.

2. Mergers and Acquisition:

A merger is when two separate entities join together and combine forces to create an entirely new company. An acquisition is when a larger company takeover the business of another relatively smaller company. Corporate lawyers help facilitate transactions to make mergers or acquisitions possible. The team at Pacific Legal are experts at facilitating transaction related to seamless mergers and acquisitions. Across all phases of the transaction our lawyers guide our clients through uncertain and turbulent circumstances. Our team provides a full set of services from the planning stage of the process down to integration of the two entities, with our goal being to make everything run smoothly. Across all phases of the transaction our lawyers guide our clients through uncertain and turbulent circumstances.

3. Intellectual Property Protection:

Intellectual Property as in any country can be divided into four parts being Patents, Trademarks, Copyrights and Industrial Design. Protection of Intellectual Property in Toronto is subject to four principal statutes: Patent Act, Trademarks Act, Copyright Act, and Industrial Design Act.

• Patents: The Patents Act establishes the “first to file” system in Canada i.e. the first person to file the patent will be entitled to protection. A patent in Canada grants its owner the exclusive rights to make, use, and sell an invention in Canada, as defined in the claims of the patent, for a period of 20 years from the date of the application. We, at Pacific Legal help our clients do the requisite due diligence in preparing their patents. We are adept at providing all services required to file an application for a patent in the Ontario Region, particularly in Toronto.
• Trademarks: A trademark is a symbol (such as a word, logo, slogan, name, sound, hologram, moving image, three-dimensional shape of goods, etc., or any combination thereof) adopted and used by a manufacturer or retailer to distinguish its goods and services from those of The main benefit to registration is the protection afforded to the owner of the trademark across every province and territory in Canada. Pacific Legal provides its clients with all services required to register their trademarks as well as for protection of these marks against any unauthorized use.
• Copyright: A copyright gives the author of a literary, an artistic, a dramatic, or a musical work a series of rights, including the exclusive rights to produce and reproduce the work. It protects the expression of ideas but not the ideas themselves. It can be used to protect many types of works, including books, music, movies, and software. Copyright registration in Canada is not mandatory. The Copyright Act establishes a rebuttable statutory presumption that a copyright subsists in the creator’s work and belongs to the registered owner. Pacific Legal helps facilitate the protection of copyrights for its clients. Our team is experienced at protecting the intellectual property rights of our clients via both litigation and methods of alternative dispute resolution.
• Industrial Designs: An industrial design is composed of the shape, configuration, pattern, or ornament of an object or any combination thereof. The nature of an industrial design lies in its visual appeal along with its originality. Just like the services provided for Patents and Trademarks, Pacific Legal is adept and proficient at helping our clients file applications for Industrial Design with the requisite authorities. We are also experts at protecting the right of usage of the Industrial Design through both litigation and alternative dispute resolution.

4. Employment and Labor Law:

In Canada, the employment relationship is governed by employment-related legislation, the common law and employment contracts. Labor and Employment laws in Canada can be a maze of nuances and regulations. Compliance work gets especially when a particular corporation has to a manage employees across provinces since all 13 of them set different employee rights and labor standards. This is exactly where our team at Pacific Legal comes in. Our team of corporate lawyers is poised with a deep understanding of the Canadian Labor and Employment Standards and provides our client with a variety of services to remain compliant with the law.

5. Corporate and Securities Law :

Securities laws include regulations for publicly traded companies related to preventing insider trading, market manipulation and fraud. Corporate Lawyers ensure that their clients comply with these laws, often by helping them register with the federal government and prepare reports regarding actions and disclosures. Our team at Pacific Legal consists of a number of experts in the field of Securities Law and has an impressive track record at ensuring legal compliance for their clients along with skillfully providing all ancillary services required to function under these laws.

6. Corporate Governance:

It is the system by which companies are directed and controlled by the board of directors and shareholders. Corporate lawyers at Pacific Legal help clients develop frameworks for managing their company and its operations. These responsibilities may include creating bylaws and management policies and providing legal guidance to directors, board members and chief executives.

7. Venture Capital:

Venture Capital refers to funding that is provided to entrepreneurs and companies to start up a business which is usually in the form of private equity financing. Corporate lawyers at Pacific Legal use their extensive networks to help our clients businesses find money through public or private financing. When working in venture capital, we look to provide daily counseling, create articles of incorporation and assist with licensing in various areas such as technology.

How Does a Corporate Lawyer Help a Business in Toronto?

Running a business and its day to day operations is an already challenging task. So, when you add to that mix a list of legal compliances and issues, the work becomes almost impossible to navigate without expert help. Turning to a highly experienced corporate lawyer at this instance becomes not just a choice rather a necessity. With businesses of every shape and size being restricted by a seemingly infinite number of rules and regulations, obtaining legal advice from a Toronto based corporate law firm is the ideal way to figure out what you can and cannot do as an upcoming business in Canada.

 

Though the roles of a corporate lawyer can be very vast, they tend to help businesses understand their rights and obligations, function efficiently and avoid foreseeable legal issues. From advice on nature of general corporate law and employment laws to facilitating legal transactions a corporate lawyer is nothing short of a boon to today’s businesses. A few ways in which a corporate lawyer helps businesses are:

1. Supporting Business Operations:

With the help of an experienced corporate lawyer, they can take care of the endless administrative paperwork and compliance work that most businesses encounter. This way, business owners can focus on setting up their company and spend vital time working on other areas, such as product development or marketing.

 

In addition to this, corporate lawyers play a very essential role in the incorporation of a business. Starting from the preparation of complicated documents, establishing a legal structure and elaborate trade marking practices, corporate lawyers can also help source investors and help prepare expansion strategies for new businesses. Our team at Pacific Legal has a group of corporate lawyers that help business from their initiation to the point of their success. We have a track record of original and ground-breaking solutions and innovations that have had a dramatic impact on business and law.

2. Risk Management:

Corporate lawyers have the quintessential role of helping their clients manage risks of business. Lawyers are required to keep track of an array of legal compliances and navigating through regulatory challenges that keep changing given the volatile nature of the economy. Another important task for the lawyers is to protect their clients from any foreseeable as well as unforeseeable legal issues whether by preparing strategies to evade such issues or even through litigation in other situations. At Pacific Legal, our Clients depend on the firm to find innovative solutions to complex business issues, and Pacific Legal lawyers leverage the firm’s global platform to help clients handle these challenges.

3. Reviewing Legal Documents:

All businesses whether large or small are regularly required to sign new contracts with clients, suppliers, employees and investors among others, making sure that these documents are up to the mark is the duty of a corporate lawyer. Backed by a corporate law firm such as Pacific Legal, who understand the law in Toronto can help businesses ensure that they are not encumbered by needless contractual disputes. With so many different types of contracts to consider, lawyers at Pacific Legal make it a point can pore over these deals to ensure your business is protecting itself.

4. Settling Disputes:

When a business operates in a commercial setting for long enough it is bound to face some or the other kind of dispute. A corporate law firm can offer comprehensive advice no matter what kind of dispute the business faces. Whether you take the problem to court or decide to settle out of court, a corporate lawyer handles all these problematic events for their clients. The team at Pacific Legal has the expertise to find a suitable solution to any kind of legal issue. As an up and coming law firm in Toronto we strive to help our clients conduct their businesses without facing any unnecessary legal problems.

5. Legal Advice:

For business owners looking to ensure that their company runs without a hitch, having a legal expert on your side is always advantageous. Professional corporate lawyers are proficient at anticipating potential legal issues that may arise in the future, while they will provide vital advice when you have to weigh up the potential risks and benefits of a deal. Our team at Pacific Legal boasts an exceptional track record at advising our clients on a multitude of legal matters. We are dedicated to working with our clients to help them achieve their business goals and overcome legal challenges.

Managing your Legal Relationship With your Corporate Lawyer?

Once you have hired the services of a corporate law firm an essential part of ensuring that your business remains in good hands is to properly manage your relations with your counsel. Strong counsel-client relationships are the key to building a successful business for both the parties involved. When managing your relationship with your corporate lawyer it is important to keep an open and transparent channel for communication so the lawyer can clearly understand the challenges that might be faced by the business and advice accordingly.

 

It is important to set up expectations on what is required from your counsel upfront. Letting your corporate lawyer know what is expected of them will help them better serve your needs as well as your business needs. A corporate lawyer should also be conducting regular legal checks of the business and its compliances. Diligence on the part of both the lawyer and the client is paramount in building a good relationship that lasts for years.

 

At Pacific Legal, we understand the importance of gold communication with our clients and schedule regular check-ins. We strongly believe that lasting relationships with our clients is the way forward for both our and the clients success.

1. Handling your Disputes:

Disputes in business are a very common occurrence and it is the duty of your corporate lawyer to help you understand the best possible recourse out of the tricky legal situations. A corporate lawyer in Toronto has multiple ways of helping their client solve disputes and mitigate losses.

2. Litigation Process:

Litigation Process refers to the general and most common course of dispute resolution through the use of the court system of a country. Litigation means the process of taking legal action by brining suits before the court. Corporate Litigation doesn’t only mean one business looking to sue another, it can include proceedings related to any other work of a business and will also include ways in which your lawyer can help you evade litigation altogether. At Pacific Legal, we have a highly experienced team of litigators ready at your back and call to provide the right advice and recourse for your business needs.

3. Alternative Dispute Resolution:

Alternative Dispute Resolution or ADR for short means any means of resolution process taken by parties other than the litigation process. ADR is what in common parlance is called an out of court settlement. ADR is more suitable for most business as it requires fewer resources to be wasted and is also less time consuming than going through the entire litigation process. Under the umbrella of ADR a corporate layer can help businesses resolve disputes by a number of different means:

• Arbitration: Arbitration is a procedure in wherein a dispute is submitted, by agreement of the parties, to one or more arbitrators who make a decision on the dispute. The decision of these arbitrators is binding upon both the parties and has the force of law.
• Conciliation and Mediation: Conciliation and Mediation is a voluntary, interest based and confidential alternative dispute resolution process. The parties in a dispute look to reach an amicable dispute settlement with the assistance of the conciliator or a mediator, who acts as a neutral third party. The difference between the two lies in the fact that in the process of conciliation, the conciliator has to provide the parties with a binding settlement agreement. These powers are not available to the mediator who is only a neutral third party that assist the parties in dispute to come to an agreement on their own.
• Settlement Negotiations: Negotiation is the most straightforward way of alternative dispute resolution. It is a process wherein the parties and their corporate lawyers sit together and try to reach an amicable settlement without any third party intervention.

The team at Pacific Legal has a good understanding of the alternative dispute resolution processes in Toronto and has helped multiple clients find amicable and quick solutions to their disputes in wide-ranging subject matters. We have a track record of providing groundbreaking solutions for our clients, assisting them in conducting business better without facing unnecessary hindrances.

 

While handling disputes of clients it is important that the practices followed by the corporate lawyer also remain sound and ethical. At Pacific Legal, we strongly believe in ensuring ethical and professional conduct with all our clients and in all our transactions. As practitioners in Toronto, we make sure to strictly follow the Law Society of Ontario Guidelines and the Code of Ethics for Corporate Lawyers.

Evaluating Cost of Legal Services in Toronto:

Any entrepreneur looking to hire a corporate lawyer for their business shall make sure to evaluate how much the services of the lawyer will cost. Budgeting for legal expenses is a great way for a new and upcoming business to make use of the services of experienced corporate lawyers and help it thrive in a highly charged economy.

 

As corporate lawyers in Toronto, we provide different legal services at varying rates. Fees for a corporate lawyer can either be on an hour payment basis or a flat fee upfront. Hourly Fees refer to fees paid for every billable hour that the corporate lawyer is engaged. In contrast, a Flat Fee will be one wherein a straight-up amount is set and paid upfront to the corporate lawyer for availing a certain service. Understanding the difference between fee structures and the services that these apply to, can greatly help businesses evaluate their costs for legal services.

Conclusion:

For any new and on the rise business in Toronto the services of corporate lawyer are of paramount importance. Evaluating the need for legal services and budgeting for the same is a wise way in which corporations can focus on growth rather than wasting their time and resources on extraneous legal compliances.

 

Pacific Legal provides corporations with a team of experienced and highly competent professionals to serve all of their legal business needs. Pacific Legal is dedicated to working with clients to help them achieve their business goals and overcome legal challenges anywhere in the world. From a global platform spanning 2 countries, Pacific Legal lawyers help clients succeed.

 

Ready to Hire the Right Corporate Lawyer? Call Us at +1-416-688-5567 or Book a Consultation now!

Frequently asked questions:

1. How much do corporate lawyers make in Toronto?

The average salary for a corporate lawyer in Toronto is approximately $ 120,000.

 

2. What does a corporate lawyer do?

These lawyers carry out everything needed to complete transactions related to the formation, operation, mergers and acquisition of companies.

 

3. What are typical fees for corporate lawyers in Canada?

Compared to other professionals, hiring a corporate lawyer can be slightly high. Average Hourly Fees of a corporate lawyer in Toronto starts from $300-$700.

 

4. How do I know if my business needs a corporate lawyer?

Any and all businesses can make use of the services of a corporate lawyer. These lawyers help carry out legal transactions for employment, incorporation, dispute resolution and a range of other subject matters. It is suggested to contact experienced corporate lawyers for a more sound analysis on your legal requirements.

 

5. Can I change my corporate lawyer if I’m not satisfied with their services?

If you are unsatisfied with the services of your current counsel, you reserve the right to change your corporate lawyer.

 

6. What is the role of in-house corporate counsel in Toronto?

In-house counsel refers to lawyers that are hired by a corporation to solely work for that corporation.  In- house counsel functions as the legal consciousness of the corporation. Their role can vary from basic contract work to even advising on recourse for the corporations legal matters.