About Jennifer A. Bishop

Jennifer A. Bishop is a Toronto business lawyer and the partner who heads Gowling WLG's sports practice. Clients turn to Jennifer for mergers and acquisitions, governance, reorganizations and complex commercial work, as well as steady general corporate advice, in industries that include sport, hospitality, manufacturing and technology. Files run from purely domestic deals to cross-border and international matters.

Jennifer was called to the Ontario bar in 2001 and spent close to 18 years as a partner at Miller Thomson LLP. Next came almost five years at Aird & Berlis LLP, where Jennifer co-chaired the M&A group and also founded and co-led a sports, media and entertainment group. In May 2026 Jennifer moved to Gowling WLG, joining the Corporate Commercial, Funds & Private M&A Group as a partner and taking the lead of a sports division the firm is expanding.

Born in Newfoundland and Labrador, Jennifer played on the province's tennis team at the 1985 Canada Games in Saint John and the 1989 Games in Saskatoon. Titles followed: a Canadian junior championship, nine Atlantic junior crowns and four NCAA Division 1 conference championships, and in 2014 Jennifer sat seventh in the ITF World Seniors rankings for women over 40. Today Jennifer is the immediate past chair of Tennis Canada's board, still sits on its executive board and chairs its nominating committee, belongs to the International Tennis Federation's Davis Cup committee, and since 2022 has served on the Canadian Olympic Committee's Ethics and Governance committee.

Jennifer has kept up a steady push for women's equality in sport. In 2024 Jennifer was global chair of the International Bar Association's Women Lawyers' Committee, a group where Jennifer now holds a Global Advisory role, and that October co-chaired the 10th World Women Lawyers' Conference. Jennifer is also an ambassador for Tennis Canada's Game. Set. Equity initiative and in 2023 co-chaired a session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. Audiences around the world regularly invite Jennifer to talk about corporate law, governance, leadership and gender equity.

Practice areas

Business & Corporate Law

Deals, governance and corporate advice

Jennifer acts on mergers and acquisitions, reorganizations and governance questions, and gives ongoing corporate counsel to businesses in fields such as real estate and financial services as well as hospitality and technology. Matters can be domestic, cross-border or international.

Sports industry

As head of sports at Gowling WLG, Jennifer is building a group meant to cover the whole sports landscape, drawing on charities and foundation work, intellectual property, transactions, policy, litigation and infrastructure.

Education & credentials

  • LLB, University of Windsor (1999)
  • BA, University of South Florida (1993)
  • Called to the Bar of Ontario (2001)

Awards & recognition

  • Top 25 Women of Influence, Women of Influence+ (2024)
  • Canada Games Hall of Honour, Distinguished Alumni, Canada Games Council (2025)
  • Newfoundland & Labrador Tennis Hall of Fame, athlete and builder, Newfoundland & Labrador Tennis Hall of Fame (2022)
  • National Achievement Award for Amateur Sport in Canada (1989)
  • Award for outstanding volunteer commitment to under-served legal communities, University of Windsor Faculty of Law

Publications & speaking

  • Contracts and Compliance in a New Age of Dealmaking in Sports, Windsor Sports & Entertainment Law Society Conference (2026)
  • Growth and Monetization of Women's Professional Sports, ABA 45th Annual Conference of the Forum on the Entertainment & Sports Industries (2023)
  • Monetization of Sport, Georgetown University MBA class (2023)
  • Embracing Equity in the Leadership of Sport, Said Business School/Oxford University International Women's Day Panel (2023)
  • Women in Sports Law, Osgoode Sports and Entertainment Law Association (2022)
  • Keynote address, University of Toronto Rotman School of Management, Sports Business Association Annual Conference (2021)

Memberships & affiliations

In the community

  • Jennifer Bishop sits on the advisory board of Holt Xchange's Media, Sports & Entertainment FinTech Fund.
  • Jennifer Bishop served as president of the Toronto Lawn Tennis Club's board, a club founded in 1876, from 2016 to 2017.
  • Jennifer Bishop was a director of the Toronto Swim Club from 2017 to 2019.
  • From 2009 to 2010, Jennifer Bishop was on the board of the Live to Give Relief Organization (Dress for Success).
  • Jennifer Bishop spent 2008 to 2014 on the Smiling Land Foundation's advisory board.

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This listing was generated by AI from public sources in October 2026. It may contain errors, and we can’t guarantee it’s accurate or complete. Before you rely on anything here, verify it on their firm’s website. Confirm Jennifer A. Bishop’s licence and standing in the Law Society of Ontario directory ↗

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