Real Estate: Zoning/Land Use

Abraham Costin is a distinguished lawyer with an impressive track record of handling large-scale commercial real estate transactions in Ontario. Over the course of his long career he has advised a range of big-name developers as well as major corporates and financial institutions on high-profile projects. His experience also includes advising on insolvency matters relating to real property.

"Abraham Costin is a well-seasoned and highly experienced senior partner."

The market-leading Danny Grandilli is valued for his ability to assist clients with the acquisition and divestment of real estate portfolios and single assets.

"Danny Grandilli is a very strong and competent lawyer."

"Danny Grandilli is one of the best real estate lawyers in the country."

"He is a true leader in the industry. He is very well respected, great to work with and a smart guy."

"I like the responsiveness and practicality he has. He comes to understand his clients very quickly and gives advice to your situation, as opposed to more general advice."

John Currie is the national practice group leader at McCarthy Tétrault. He is sought after for his market-leading expertise in commercial real estate, and his skill set covers the entire development process, including financing.

"John Currie is the best in class."

"He is one of the top one or two real estate lawyers in Canada."

"He is smart and concise."

"John Currie is a leader on the street and incredibly well respected."

Tzen-Yi Goh is an esteemed lawyer who is often consulted on commercial real estate matters concerning project finance and secured lending deals.

"Tzen-Yi Goh is pragmatic, approachable and a true team player."

"Tzen-Yi Goh is very diligent and pleasant to work with."

"Tzen-Yi Goh was very proactive in our file and came through for us on several occasions when deadlines were tight."

"Tzen-Yi Goh is a very good and experienced lawyer. He is always flexible and courteous, and provides very good legal advice to us."

Cynthia Macdougall heads the firm's municipal group in Toronto. She routinely represents clients before the relevant land use and planning tribunals and committees, in addition to advising public bodies on development projects.

"Cynthia Macdougall is very experienced,fair, practical and always provides thoughtful advice."

"Cynthia Macdougall is who I count on for all my most difficult legal matters. I trust nobody's skill better than hers."

"Cynthia Macdougall provides an excellent service and is a pleasure to work with. She has deep and sophisticated understanding of land use planning and related development matters."

"Cynthia Macdougall is a highly experienced and long-serving practitioner in land use planning."

Jamie Orzech is involved in high-profile commercial mandates, frequently advising on the sale of real estate assets.

"Jamie Orzech is a great adviser to our business. His advice is business-focused and he is very efficient. I enjoy working with him a lot."

Paul Galbraith has a strong reputation in the market for acting for syndicate lenders. Based in Toronto, his practice focuses on handling real estate financing mandates.

"Paul Galbraith has a deep understanding of real estate and financial law, and consistently works with us to find appropriate solutions."

"His experience level is truly shown by his ability to explain any matter to clients in the most simple yet comprehensive way and makes it relatable at different levels."

Jeffrey Knowles has a wide-ranging commercial real estate practice which sees him act for pension funds and other investors on joint venture agreements and real estate investments.

"Jeffrey Knowles is extremely well versed in various real estate matters."

Dana Shen enters the up-and-coming rankings this year due to her broad real estate practice, which covers leasing, transactions and joint ventures.

"I can always count on her for smart and meaningful legal advice. Dana Shen is an excellent choice for legal counsel for any company."

"She has a constantly cool disposition, even when issues would otherwise frustrate other counsel."

Isabel Henkelman enters the up-and-coming rankings this year due to strong market support for her work on real estate transactions.

"Isabel Henkelman is smart, effective and very detail-oriented."

"She is always a pleasure to work with as she has an undefeatable optimism even in the most challenging moments of a deal. She always finds solutions to impasses."

"Isabel Henkelman has a very practical approach to resolving real estate issues and a deep knowledge of real estate transactions."

Sarit Pandya enters the up-and-coming rankings this year due to strong market support for his work on real estate financing matters.

"Sarit Pandya has built the trust of upper management through his detail and understanding of transactions and the law, but more importantly he is very solution-based."

"Sarit is an extremely competent lawyer who I rely heavily on for day-to-day business - he has a strong work ethic with a very good response time."

"I appreciate his strong work ethic and consistently positive attitude."