Among the broadest international trade offerings in Canada, Bennett Jones LLP is a popular choice for trade litigation, including trade remedies and WTO dispute settlement, while also excelling in compliance, trade policy and government procurement. From Toronto, Sabrina Bandali heads the group and brings expertise in trade disputes, customs law, economic sanctions, export controls and supply chain-related issues. Bandali recently acted alongside the arbitration practice to represent two Australian claimants (Hancock Prospecting and Riversdale Resources) in a C$2bn investor-state claim under the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Other key contacts include Toronto-based Jessica Horwitz, who advises on international trade, customs, import and export regulation and economic sanctions; Toronto-based George Reid, whose work spans international trade, procurement and national security; and Ottawa-based Alison FitzGerald, who focuses on international arbitration, trade and investment matters. Former department head Darrel Pearson recently retired.

A destination practice for international trade law, Cassidy Levy Kent LLP is synonymous with trade litigation, where it routinely acts in high-stakes cases before the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the Canadian International Trade Tribunal (CITT). The thriving Ottawa-based boutique also advises on trade policy, customs law and economic sanctions. The firm benefits from a long-established Washington DC arm — a particular asset in US-Canada trade matters — and recently expanded into Europe with the November 2024 launch of a Brussels office. The Canadian group is co-led by experienced specialists Christopher Kent, Christopher Cochlin and Andrew Lanouette, who recently teamed up with Michael Milne to successfully represent Ivaco Rolling Mills 2004 in the first-ever Canadian trade remedy investigation concerning imports of wire rod. A strong band of emerging talent includes up-and-coming trade specialist Hugh Seong Seok Lee and Ece Melisa Celebican, who was promoted to partner in July 2025. In April 2025, Marc McLaren-Caux departed for McMillan LLP.

Ottawa-based international trade boutique Conlin Bedard LLP earns praise from clients for its ‘phenomenal institutional memory of the laws, regulations and policies that regulate our industry’. A go-to team for trade remedies work, the firm has notably represented lead parties in approximately 50% of all new trade proceedings since its establishment in 2012. The full-service group also advises on customs compliance and remission requests, economic sanctions, export controls, WTO dispute settlement proceedings and trade policy matters. Firm co-founders Benjamin Bedard and Paul Conlin co-head the practice and are widely recognized as market leaders; they recently teamed up with international trade and procurement specialist Anne-Marie Oatway to successfully represent ArcelorMittal Long Products Canada and AltaSteel in an antidumping case concerning concrete reinforcing bar from Bulgaria, Thailand and the UAE. The department also includes Drew Tyler, who is recommended for trade remedies and sanctions; next-generation partner Linden Dales; and counsel Jean Bédard, who is a former chair of the CITT.

McCarthy Tétrault’s full-spectrum international trade and investment law practice intersects traditional trade matters, such as trade remedies and trade policy, as well as national security issues, including economic sanctions, export controls and controlled goods. Particularly recognized for its expertise in highly sensitive sectors such as defence, nuclear and high-tech manufacturing, the group handles a wide range of compliance, transactional support and contentious work. The Toronto-based team is jointly led by John Boscariol, who brings deep experience in economic sanctions, export controls, customs and tariffs and trade litigation, and regulatory expert Martha Harrison, who additionally co-ordinates the advertising and marketing law group. Together, they advise NGOs and charities on a pro bono basis regarding sanctions and trade controls applicable to activities in high-risk jurisdictions, including North Korea, Ukraine, Afghanistan and Syria. Also recommended are trade litigators Robert Glasgow and newly promoted partner (January 2025) Ljiljana Stanic. A strong second line of associates includes Oksana Migitko and Gajan Sathananthan.

The international trade team at Dentons finds favour for its ability to provide harmonized multi-jurisdictional support, with one multinational client noting that its ‘global scope allows for easy integration of solutions and advice across the world’. The group’s recent work spans trade remedies, tariffs and counter-tariffs, customs compliance and enforcement, export controls and sanctions and supply chain matters; it also collaborates with the firm’s government affairs offering to provide policy advice. The Toronto-based practice is led by regulatory head Paul Lalonde with support from dedicated counsel Sean Stephenson.

Fasken’s international trade practice is ‘deeply versed in the complexities and nuances of this area of law’, according to some. Particularly recognized for its strength in economic sanctions, where it maintains close relationships with aviation, energy and natural resources clients, the group also advises on export controls, customs law and anti-bribery matters. Team head Clifford Sosnow divides his time between Toronto and Ottawa and specializes in trade, investment and anti-bribery law. Associate Christopher Little, who also operates from Toronto and Ottawa, supports the procurement, trade and national security teams.

Leveraging its contentious expertise, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP’s international trade and investment team has recently represented clients in administrative investigations and litigation before the CBSA, the CITT and the Federal Court. The group is led from Toronto by experienced trial and appellate practitioner Graeme Hamilton, who is well versed in white-collar crime law, economic sanctions, export controls, customs litigation and trade remedies. Ottawa-based senior counsel Rambod Behboodi is also recommended for trade disputes.

Cassels’s international trade offering continues to broaden its sector coverage beyond its traditional focus on mining, with recent work also encompassing the life sciences, forestry, energy and technology industries. Brenda Swick heads the Toronto-based team and handles the full range of international trade and investment matters, with particular expertise in economic sanctions, customs law, export and import controls and forced labour. In December 2024, the group was strengthened by the arrival of Orlando Silva, formerly Legal and Trade Compliance Officer at Blackberry.

Baker McKenzie’s international trade practice forms a key part of the wider firm’s global trade group and brings extensive experience in guiding Canadian and multinational clients through the full range of compliance, enforcement and contentious work. Key areas of focus include customs law, export and import controls, economic sanctions, trade litigation and regulatory matters, while the team also handles trade agreements and WTO issues. Up-and-coming partner Julia Webster heads a Toronto-based group that additionally includes regulatory associates Jacqueline Rotondi and Jing Xu.

The multidisciplinary group at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP draws on lawyers across the country with experience in customs law, import and export controls, economic sanctions and trade litigation. Toronto-based tax specialist Zvi Halpern-Shavim anchors the practice and advises on customs duties, tariffs and other trade remedies. The team also benefits from the support of Vancouver-based associate Brady Gordon, who is an increasingly prominent name for trade compliance and litigation.

Lawyers in Torys’ international trade team ‘leave no stone unturned’. Equipped to advise on a mix of economic sanctions, export controls and anti-corruption issues, the group is primarily recognized for its strength in NAFTA and WTO matters, with a focus on investment-treaty arbitrations. Key contact John Terry also leads the arbitration practice; he specializes in representing claimants and respondents in investment arbitrations, as well as in set-aside and enforcement proceedings, under bilateral and multilateral treaties. Counsel Ryan Lax also advises on investment arbitration cases.