Allen McDonald Swartz LLP
5 lawyers · Established 2015 · City of Toronto
One of 2,345 law firms listed in Toronto, and one of 764 handling Business & Corporate Law.
About Allen McDonald Swartz LLP
Allen McDonald Swartz LLP is a small Toronto law firm focused on corporate law, capital markets, and securities. Jennifer Allen and Jillian Swartz co-founded the firm in 2015, and it now practices alongside partners W. Fraser McDonald, Henry Bertossi, and Brad Elberg. Jennifer Allen, Jillian Swartz, W. Fraser McDonald, and Henry Bertossi each built more than 15 years of experience at major Bay Street firms before joining. The firm serves entrepreneurs, high-net-worth individuals, family-owned businesses, private and public companies, and charities and not-for-profit organizations, advising across roughly a dozen business law areas including mergers and acquisitions, private equity and venture capital, banking and debt finance, and corporate governance.
The partners bring varied backgrounds to that work. W. Fraser McDonald completed a twelve-month secondment as general counsel of a Toronto Stock Exchange listed investment corporation and a similar term with the Ontario Securities Commission's staff. Henry Bertossi practices in English and Italian. The firm's office sits in First Canadian Place, at King and Bay Streets in Toronto's Financial District.
Practice areas
Milestones & recognition
- Jennifer Allen and Jillian Swartz co-founded Allen McDonald Swartz LLP in 2015, after both had spent years at national Bay Street firms.
- In April 2022, Canadian Lawyer magazine included the firm among Canada's Top Corporate Boutiques for the fourth time.
- The Globe and Mail included Allen McDonald Swartz LLP on its Canada's Best Law Firms list for 2023.
- In 2022, the firm's partners acted for TCI Fund Management in its shareholder campaign involving Canadian National Railway Company.
- One of the firm's partners has been listed in The Best Lawyers in Canada for Corporate Law and Mergers and Acquisitions Law every year from 2015 through 2022.
- Jillian Swartz was named one of Toronto's Top Lawyers by Post City Magazine in November 2023.
In the community
- The firm supports charitable and community organizations including Covenant House Toronto, the Terry Fox Foundation, United Way, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Diabetes Canada, and the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
- Jillian Swartz served on Wilfrid Laurier University's Board of Governors from 2012 to 2021, including two years as Chair of the Board.
- W. Fraser McDonald has coached minor and Junior A hockey with the Greater Toronto Hockey League for about 30 years, winning three GTHL championships, along with lacrosse, basketball, soccer, baseball and rugby at the club level.
- Jillian Swartz received a Lexpert Zenith Award in 2011 for contributing to the Legal Action Within Schools (LAWS) mentoring program.
Good to know
Wheelchair accessibleLawyers 5
This firm’s lawyers at a glance
- Called to the bar
- 1984–2002 · median 30 years in practice 5 of 5 lawyers
- Law schools
- Osgoode Hall Law School, Queen's University Faculty of Law, University of Ottawa, University of Toronto, Western University 5 of 5 lawyers
- Languages on the roster
- English, Italian
Who handles what
The neighbourhood
Allen McDonald Swartz LLP's office is in First Canadian Place, the tower at the northwest corner of King and Bay Streets in Toronto's Financial District, connected to the underground PATH system. The address puts the firm among the banks, brokerages, and exchange-related businesses of Bay Street.
Frequently asked questions
- What kinds of business law matters does Allen McDonald Swartz LLP handle?
- The firm works across corporate and commercial law, mergers and acquisitions, capital markets and securities, private equity and venture capital, banking and debt finance, corporate governance, technology, and several other business-focused areas.
- Does Allen McDonald Swartz LLP advise charities and not-for-profit organizations?
- Yes. Charities and Not-for-Profit Law is one of the firm's listed practice areas, alongside its corporate and securities work.
- Can the firm act as outside general counsel for a growing company?
- Allen McDonald Swartz LLP offers General Counsel Services as a practice area, providing ongoing legal support to businesses that don't have in-house counsel of their own.
- Is Allen McDonald Swartz LLP a large, full-service law firm?
- No, it's a small firm with five partners. Four of them, Jennifer Allen, Jillian Swartz, W. Fraser McDonald, and Henry Bertossi, each built more than 15 years of experience at major Bay Street firms before joining.
- Has the firm worked on public company or shareholder matters?
- Yes. In 2022, the firm's partners acted for TCI Fund Management in a shareholder campaign involving Canadian National Railway Company, and Shareholder Activism is one of its listed practice areas.
- Where is Allen McDonald Swartz LLP located?
- The firm's office is in First Canadian Place, 100 King Street West, Suite 5600, in Toronto's Financial District.
Where to find them
First Canadian Place, 100 King Street West, Suite 5600, Toronto, Ontario M5X 1C9 · 416-642-2524
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