Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP

The Canadian model of international sector expertise, premier intellectual property leadership, and multi-hub full-service capability is embodied by Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP. Tracing its domestic roots back to 1887 in Ottawa, the firm established a global footprint in 2016 through a historic combination between Canadian national stalwart Gowlings and UK-based international firm Wragge Lawrence Graham & Co. Today, the global entity deploys more than 1,500 legal professionals across 19 offices in Canada, the UK, continental Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, with over 700 lawyers and professionals across Canadian hubs in Toronto, Ottawa, Montréal, Calgary, Vancouver, Waterloo Region, and Hamilton. Led by Canada CEO Peter Carayiannis, the firm consistently commands Band 1 rankings in Chambers Canada and Chambers Global across Intellectual Property (Litigation, Patent Prosecution, and Trademark Prosecution), Life Sciences, Mining, and Indigenous Law.

Gowling WLG is recognized as Canada's foremost intellectual property and technology powerhouse, regularly defending the patent portfolios and proprietary rights of leading pharmaceutical, biotech, software, and industrial giants. The firm's corporate and disputes benches provide extensive transactional, regulatory, and hearing advocacy for major financial institutions, municipal authorities, and multinational enterprises—acting on high-stakes mandates for clients including AstraZeneca, Bayer, Sony, Canadian Tire, and Shopify. To modernize matter execution and enhance project delivery, the firm utilizes Practical IQ, its legal project management and workflow delivery platform designed to streamline large-scale commercial and litigation matters.

On the recruitment and development front, Gowling WLG runs a comprehensive student program in its Toronto office, welcoming cohorts of approximately 14 to 16 2L summer students alongside roughly 13 to 15 articling candidates each year. Directed by Director of Professional Resources Megan Hunter, the Toronto program provides structured rotations across Business Law (Corporate/M&A, Securities, Financial Services), Advocacy (Commercial Litigation), and Intellectual Property. Students are given direct file ownership—drafting transaction documents, attending discoveries and hearings, and preparing regulatory filings under the guidance of formal partner and associate mentors. Operating from the 16th floor of 1 First Canadian Place at 100 King Street West, Gowling WLG combines global cross-border resources with an approachable culture, flexible hybrid working policies, and strong articling retention rates.