About Robert G.S. Hull

Robert G.S. Hull is a Toronto partner at Gowling WLG whose work sits where corporate, commercial and securities law meet. A large share of it is building investment vehicles. Major Canadian pension and endowment funds, dealers, asset managers and global investors putting money into Canada turn to Hull to put together investment products in real estate, infrastructure and private equity. Fund formation, M&A and corporate governance are all regular parts of the practice, and Hull works in English or French.

Hull was called to the Ontario bar in 1981 and practised at Smith Lyons before that firm merged with Gowling WLG. The job there went beyond client files: Hull was partner-in-charge of both client relations and international operations, and sat on the Smith Lyons executive committee.

It isn't only fund work. Domestic and foreign businesses in energy, steel, healthcare and transportation, among other sectors, rely on Hull for their acquisitions, mergers and equity and debt financings. The Ontario utility file shows the range. Hull acted for the City of Vaughan and Hydro Vaughan Distribution in the mergers that formed PowerStream Inc., and later for PowerStream in the 2017 merger that created Alectra Inc.

Away from deals, Hull chairs the volunteer board of trustees of The George Hull Centre Foundation, which raises private funds for a children's mental health centre in Toronto's west end. Hull is also a past chair of Humber College's Board of Governors, has served on the Toronto Board of Trade's Municipal Performance Committee, and is a director of several Canadian corporations.

Practice areas

Fund formation and investment structuring

Hull has acted for LaSalle Investment Management on the structure and operation of its closed end institutional real estate pools and its open end LaSalle Canada Property Fund, L.P. A syndicate of Canadian pension fund investors has also relied on Hull to structure five Realstar Apartments Partnership vehicles between 2011 and 2021.

Utility and energy mergers

Work for Ontario electricity distributors runs from the mergers that created PowerStream Inc. to the 2017 combination forming Alectra Inc. and the acquisition of Hydro One Brampton. Hull also advised Alectra when its subsidiary, Alectra Utilities Corporation, merged with Guelph Hydro Electric Systems Inc. on January 1, 2019.

Acquisitions and growth transactions

Hull has guided Cooper Equipment Rentals Limited through a run of cross-Canada acquisitions, including SMS Rents and Herc Atlantic. Other mandates include acting for the Canadian Football League on the sale and transfer of the Ottawa Rough Riders franchise.

Securities matters

Hull was counsel to Browning-Ferris Industries in the Med-Tech Environmental Limited matter, a contested take-over bid heard by the Ontario Securities Commission in 1998.

Education & credentials

  • LLB, Osgoode Hall Law School (1979)
  • Year of Call, Ontario (1981)
  • Certificat de Langue Française, l'Université de Dijon, France (1977)
  • BA, Queen's University (1975)

Memberships & affiliations

  • The George Hull Centre Foundation: Hull chairs the foundation's board of trustees.
  • Humber College Board of Governors: Hull is a past chair of the board.
  • Toronto Board of Trade, Municipal Performance Committee: Hull most recently served on this committee.

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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 Robert G.S. Hull’s licence and standing in the Law Society of Ontario directory ↗

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