About William

William Northcote chairs Shibley Righton's business law practice group, focusing on mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and financing. He was called to the Ontario bar in 1982, after earning his LL.B. from the University of Ottawa in 1980 and an LL.M. in international business law from Osgoode Hall in 1992. Over more than four decades of practice, he has taught business law at York University and at Nankai University in China, and spent a decade as an instructor in the Law Society of Ontario's Bar Admission Course. He has served on the boards of several public, private and charitable organizations, including businesses in reinsurance consulting and software licensing. Bill chairs the board of the Toronto Foundation for Student Success and serves as a director of the Churchill Society for the Advancement of Parliamentary Democracy.

Practice areas

Business & Corporate Law Construction Law Intellectual Property

Education & credentials

Law school
University of Ottawa
Undergraduate
B.A. (Economics and History), University of Toronto, 1977
Other degrees
LL.M. (International Business Law), Osgoode Hall Law School, 1992

Listing compiled from public sources in August 2026. Confirm William Northcote’s licence and standing in the Law Society of Ontario directory ↗