White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations
Canada Guide 2025 : Nationwide - Canada
Band 1
Email address
[email protected]Contact number
+1 416 863 2400About
Provided by Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
Blakes has a robust Business Crimes, Investigations & Compliance practice. With experience in criminal defence and trial litigation, our lawyers have specialized knowledge in advising on and successfully defending clients in criminal, quasi-criminal, anti-corruption, regulatory and compliance matters. We are highly experienced in developing, assessing and improving anti-corruption and compliance policies and procedures, and regularly advise clients regarding laws and regulations relating to anti-money laundering, terrorist financing and sanctions, reporting obligations, responding to regulators and exemptions to sanctions laws.
Multinational and domestic corporations and individuals subject to Canadian law retain us to advise and defend them against a wide range of white-collar criminal charges, including under the Criminal Code, Income Tax Act, Competition Act, Customs Act and provincial securities legislation.
Renowned for handling complex domestic and multi-jurisdictional investigations, we have successfully defended clients charged with corruption and bribery of public officials and are routinely engaged to conduct internal investigations, review contract terms with foreign agents and joint venture partners, conduct detailed anti-corruption due diligence during transactions and review the legality of proposed business practices. Blakes mobilizes teams on short notice to respond to urgent matters, including search warrants, production orders and compelled interviews.
Chambers Review
Blake, Cassels & Graydon is recognised for its skilled fraud law group and its handling of significant government investigations. The business crimes, investigations and compliance team also actively assists clients with the development of anti-bribery compliance programmes, as well as handling sensitive internal investigations. With a track record of working on both domestic and multi-jurisdictional white-collar cases, the group is noted particularly for its expertise in relation to the corruption of foreign public officials. The firm also provides crisis response advice to firms under regulatory or criminal investigation, and advises clients on defending against class action litigation resulting from white-collar prosecutions. It has a notably strong presence in both Calgary and Vancouver, with considerable activity for clients in the finance, mining and energy sectors.
Work Highlights
- Blake, Cassels & Graydon continued to serve as compliance monitor for SNC-Lavalin Group, as part of its conviction concerning fraud and bribery in Libya.
Strengths
Provided by Chambers
"Blakes is nimble and has significant expertise across the country, which can be leveraged quickly and efficiently. Their approach to mandates and delivery of legal advice is at all times practical."
"Blakes has a deep roster of talent at all levels and exceptional customer service."
"Blakes are very responsive to our timing requirements, as these corporate investigations tend to put pressure on in-house legal departments to provide almost real-time updates to the business."
"Blakes demonstrates great strategic vision in advancing the position of its clients. They are thoughtful in their approach and have a quality team that brings great depth and breadth."
"Blakes has arguably the best practitioners in its white-collar crime group. Great breadth and good national team size, Calgary being the strongest jurisdiction."
"Blakes is nimble and has significant expertise across the country, which can be leveraged quickly and efficiently. Their approach to mandates and delivery of legal advice is at all times practical."
"Blakes has a deep roster of talent at all levels and exceptional customer service."
"Blakes are very responsive to our timing requirements, as these corporate investigations tend to put pressure on in-house legal departments to provide almost real-time updates to the business."
"Blakes demonstrates great strategic vision in advancing the position of its clients. They are thoughtful in their approach and have a quality team that brings great depth and breadth."
"Blakes has arguably the best practitioners in its white-collar crime group. Great breadth and good national team size, Calgary being the strongest jurisdiction."
Notable Practitioners
Calgary-based Mark Morrison KC is a highly experienced investigations lawyer who has acted for various high-profile clients in areas such as construction and financial services. He is often involved in major corruption mandates involving parallel investigations in the USA.
"Mark is the strongest global investigations partner in Canada. He is top tier. He is extremely personable and very affable. He has had so many incredible experiences across the globe."
Vancouver-based Sean Boyle stands out for his impressive portfolio of clients in financial services and the breadth of his nationwide regulatory expertise. He is highly rated for his handling of both criminal and regulatory investigations, as well as his experience of securities litigation proceedings.
"Sean is an incredible lawyer."
"I am so thankful to have Sean as my lawyer and will be referring him to anyone I know!"
Alexandra Luchenko is well respected for her expertise in securities litigation and also assists with related white-collar crime matters, including compliance and contentious matters. She is based in Blake, Cassels & Graydon's Vancouver office.
"Alex is excellent and a trusted adviser to our organisation. She is extremely responsive, very knowledgeable in her field and always delivers sound and practical advice."
"Alexandra is a phenomenal lawyer."
"Alex is articulate, thoughtful and provides strategic advice to her clients. She is also personable and a trusted adviser."
"Alex is great to work with. She has good experience, and is commercial and very responsive."
Iris Fischer is a skilled practitioner in internal and government investigations and wider white-collar matters, with clients benefiting from her strong pedigree in defending regulatory matters. She is based in Blake, Cassels & Graydon's Toronto office.
"Iris is excellent at handling complex matters and very good at distilling complex matters into easily understandable terms for stakeholders."
"Iris always goes the extra mile to respond and help us through rush, time-sensitive requests. A pleasure to work with."
"Iris brings great insights and discussions on the potential outcome of the litigation. She sees the big picture and foresees how to tackle the potential roadblocks."
John Fast is an associate in Blake, Cassels & Graydon's Toronto office. He enjoys a reputation for his white-collar criminal defence practice, which sees him advising clients on anti-corruption compliance and enforcement actions, as well as internal investigations.
"John is smart, quick and capable. He inspires confidence, and our employees enjoy working with him. He's a solid asset to the team and we wouldn't want to work with anyone else."
"John is a super hard worker who has only our best interests in mind when doing the work."
"John is great. He is smart, personable and hard-working."
"John is extremely knowledgeable, practical and provides excellent service. Strong attention to detail, detailed reviews, works to deadlines and easy to work with in stressful situations."
Ranked Lawyers at
Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
Nationwide - Canada
Members
Provided by Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP