About A&O Shearman

A&O Shearman is a global law firm formed in 2024 through the merger of Allen & Overy, based in London, and Shearman & Sterling, whose headquarters remains at 599 Lexington Avenue in New York. The combined firm has nearly 4,000 lawyers across 49 offices in 28 countries, practising across advisory and regulatory work, capital markets, corporate and M&A, disputes, and finance. Its clients span industries from energy and financial institutions to life sciences, mining and metals, and technology.

The firm's roots in Toronto go back to 1989, when Shearman & Sterling opened an office here, one of the first international law firms to set up a permanent presence in Canada. That office, now A&O Shearman's Toronto practice, sits at 199 Bay Street in Commerce Court West. It isn't a stand alone Canadian firm; it's the Toronto arm of a global practice that acts as international counsel to major Canadian pension funds, banks, and corporations as they expand abroad, and helps multinational companies doing business in Canada, drawing on the wider firm's capital markets, finance, and M&A teams.

Practice areas

Business & Corporate Law Civil Litigation & Dispute Resolution Intellectual Property Administrative & Regulatory Law

Milestones & recognition

  • A&O Shearman formed in 2024 when Allen & Overy and Shearman & Sterling completed a merger first announced in 2023, bringing together two firms with about 250 years of combined legal practice.
  • The Toronto office traces back to 1989, when Shearman & Sterling became one of the first international law firms to open a permanent office in Canada.

Good to know

A person using a wheelchairWheelchair accessible

Lawyers 16

Bilal Ahmad Partner Business & Corporate Law Börries Ahrens Partner Administrative & Regulatory Law Fatima Al-Shawaf Partner Business & Corporate Law Ferhat Afkar Partner, Ginting & Reksodiputro in association with A&O Shearman Administrative & Regulatory LawBusiness & Corporate Law Frederiek Adams Partner Business & Corporate Law Jackson Allen Partner Business & Corporate Law John Adams Partner Business & Corporate Law Kfir Abutbul Partner Business & Corporate Law Mosaed AlAjeel Partner Administrative & Regulatory Law Omar Alkaffas Partner Business & Corporate LawAdministrative & Regulatory Law Paul Allan Partner Rafi Allos Partner Intellectual Property Rauni Ahammer Partner Business & Corporate Law Richard Alsop Partner Business & Corporate Law Sheila Ahuja KC Partner Civil Litigation & Dispute Resolution Shruti Ajitsaria Partner Technology & Startups

This firm’s lawyers at a glance

Called to the bar
1987–2017 · median 18 years in practice 15 of 16 lawyers
Law schools
Columbia Law School (2), University College London (2), University of Cambridge (2), Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Kuwait University, Murdoch University and 6 more 15 of 16 lawyers
Languages on the roster
Arabic, Bahasa Indonesian, Cantonese, Dutch, English, French, German, Hindi, Mandarin, Sindi, Spanish

Who handles what

The neighbourhood

A&O Shearman's Toronto lawyers work out of Commerce Court West at 199 Bay Street, a 57 storey tower designed by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners that was the tallest building in Canada when it opened in 1972. It anchors the Commerce Court complex at Bay and King Streets, built as the head office of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce and linked into the city's underground PATH network, standing next to the Art Deco Commerce Court North, completed in 1931.

Bay and King is the traditional centre of Toronto's Financial District, home to towers for four of Canada's five biggest banks, and 'Bay Street' is used well beyond Toronto as shorthand for the country's financial industry and, within the legal profession, for its large business law firms. A capital markets and finance practice fits naturally into that setting, a short walk from the institutions its Toronto lawyers advise.

Frequently asked questions

Is A&O Shearman a Canadian law firm?
No. A&O Shearman is a global law firm formed in 2024 through the merger of Allen & Overy and Shearman & Sterling, with nearly 4,000 lawyers across offices worldwide. Its Toronto office is one part of that global practice, not a stand alone Canadian firm.
How long has A&O Shearman had a Toronto office?
Since 1989, when legacy firm Shearman & Sterling opened here as one of the first international law firms to set up a permanent office in Canada.
What kind of clients does the Toronto office work with?
It acts as international counsel to major Canadian pension funds, banks, and corporations as they expand abroad, and it helps multinational companies doing business in Canada.
What areas of law does A&O Shearman practice?
The firm organizes its work around advisory and regulatory matters, capital markets, corporate and M&A, disputes, and finance.
What industries does A&O Shearman serve?
Its industry groups cover sectors including energy, financial institutions, life sciences and healthcare, mining and metals, and technology, among others.
Where is the Toronto office located?
At 199 Bay Street, in Commerce Court West, in the heart of Toronto's Financial District.

Where to find them

199 Bay Street, Commerce Court West, Suite 4405, Box 247, Toronto, Ontario M5L 1E8 · 416-360-8484

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Listing compiled from the firm’s public website in July 2026. Verify licence status in the Law Society of Ontario directory ↗