Does Baker McKenzie's Toronto office handle work for Canadian clients, or only international ones?

Yes. Unlike some U.S. firms that opened Canadian outposts mainly to serve American clients passing through, Baker McKenzie's Toronto office operates as a full service practice with Canadian lawyers practising Canadian law, alongside its cross-border and international work.

How long has Baker McKenzie been in Toronto?

Since 1962, when a Canadian tax lawyer opened the office alone. It's since grown into a practice of close to 200 people at 181 Bay Street.

Is Baker McKenzie's Toronto office part of a larger international firm?

Yes. Baker McKenzie has more than 70 offices in more than 40 countries, and the Toronto office draws on colleagues across those jurisdictions for clients with multinational business.

Does the firm do pro bono work out of its Toronto office?

Its summer associate and articling programs include pro bono projects on a rotating social justice focus, and lawyers at the firm have represented survivors of human trafficking, including through a relationship with Covenant House Toronto.

Where exactly is Baker McKenzie's Toronto office located?

It's in the Bay Wellington Tower at Brookfield Place, 181 Bay Street, Suite 2100, in the city's financial district, connected to the PATH system.

Baker McKenzie | LawOnline Directory

About Baker McKenzie

Baker McKenzie is a global law firm with more than 70 offices in more than 40 countries. It traces back to a Chicago practice Russell Baker opened in 1925, which relaunched in 1949 as Baker & McKenzie after Baker met John McKenzie. The Toronto office is much newer by comparison: a Canadian tax lawyer opened it alone in 1962, and it's since grown into a full service practice of close to 200 people at 181 Bay Street. Unlike firms that use a Canadian office mainly to serve American clients, Baker McKenzie's Toronto lawyers practise Canadian law directly.

The Toronto team's recognized strengths are corporate and M&A work, tax, employment and labour law, and litigation, with growing practices in intellectual property, competition law, foreign investment review, and technology matters such as AI and fintech. Its lawyers have advised on deals including TMX Group's acquisition of Cboe Australia and Cboe Canada. Because the firm operates across dozens of countries, the Toronto office regularly works alongside colleagues abroad on cross-border matters for clients doing business in and through Canada.

Practice areas

Business & Corporate Law

Civil Litigation & Dispute Resolution

Employment & Labour Law

Tax Law

Intellectual Property

Bankruptcy & Insolvency

Real Estate Law

Immigration Law

Technology & Startups

Milestones & recognition

The firm traces back to a Chicago practice Russell Baker opened in 1925 and relaunched in 1949 as Baker & McKenzie with John McKenzie.
Baker McKenzie's Toronto office opened in 1962, when a Canadian tax lawyer set it up alone; it's grown to nearly 200 people at 181 Bay Street.
The 2026 Chambers Canada guide recognized 15 Canada based Baker McKenzie lawyers across 13 practice areas, with eight practice area rankings.
The Legal 500 Canada 2025 gave the firm nine practice area rankings and eight individual lawyer rankings, including a new ranking in artificial intelligence.

In the community

Lawyers at the firm have provided pro bono representation to survivors of human trafficking, including through a relationship with Covenant House Toronto.
The firm's summer associate and articling programs in Toronto include a pro bono project that takes on a different social justice issue each year, with past work covering human trafficking survivors' rights, charitable status applications, and supply chain forced labour issues.

Good to know

Wheelchair accessible A calendar with a checkmark beside a clock

By appointment

Lawyers 21

This firm’s lawyers at a glance

Called to the bar: 1988–2024 · median 11 years in practice 17 of 21 lawyers
Law schools: Queen's University (5), University of Ottawa (4), University of Toronto (3), Bond University, Osgoode Hall Law School, Osgoode Hall Law School; University of Western Ontario and 5 more 20 of 21 lawyers
Languages on the roster: Arabic, English, French, Greek, Spanish

Who handles what

The neighbourhood

Baker McKenzie's Toronto office is in the Bay Wellington Tower at Brookfield Place, on Bay Street in the heart of the city's financial district. The tower opens onto the Allen Lambert Galleria, a six story glass atrium designed by Santiago Calatrava, which links straight into the PATH system. Brookfield Place's heritage precinct includes a former 1885 Bank of Montreal building that now houses the Hockey Hall of Fame. It's a fitting address for a firm whose Toronto practice centres on corporate, M&A, and tax work: the building sits among the banks and trading floors that make up Canada's financial core, a short walk from the courts and the rest of Bay Street's legal community.

Frequently asked questions

Does Baker McKenzie's Toronto office handle work for Canadian clients, or only international ones?: Yes. Unlike some U.S. firms that opened Canadian outposts mainly to serve American clients passing through, Baker McKenzie's Toronto office operates as a full service practice with Canadian lawyers practising Canadian law, alongside its cross-border and international work.
What kind of legal work does the Toronto office focus on?: The Toronto team's recognized strengths are corporate and M&A transactions, tax, employment and labour law, and litigation, with growing practices in intellectual property, competition law, foreign investment review, and technology matters such as AI and fintech.
How long has Baker McKenzie been in Toronto?: Since 1962, when a Canadian tax lawyer opened the office alone. It's since grown into a practice of close to 200 people at 181 Bay Street.
Is Baker McKenzie's Toronto office part of a larger international firm?: Yes. Baker McKenzie has more than 70 offices in more than 40 countries, and the Toronto office draws on colleagues across those jurisdictions for clients with multinational business.
Does the firm do pro bono work out of its Toronto office?: Its summer associate and articling programs include pro bono projects on a rotating social justice focus, and lawyers at the firm have represented survivors of human trafficking, including through a relationship with Covenant House Toronto.
Where exactly is Baker McKenzie's Toronto office located?: It's in the Bay Wellington Tower at Brookfield Place, 181 Bay Street, Suite 2100, in the city's financial district, connected to the PATH system.

Where to find them

181 Bay Street, Suite 2100, Toronto, Ontario M5J 2T3

Similar firms in City of Toronto

Miller Thomson LLP

28 lawyers

Miller Thomson LLP is a national, full-service business law firm with offices across Canada. Its lawyers work in corporate and commercial law, litigation, real estate, construction, insurance, tax, labour and employme…

Business & Corporate Law

Civil Litigation & Dispute Resolution

Construction Law

Insurance Law

Hodgson Russ LLP

39 lawyers

Hodgson Russ LLP is an Am Law 200 firm with roots going back nearly 200 years, serving clients across the United States, Canada, and Europe. The firm has more than 230 attorneys across offices including Buffalo, Alban…

Business & Corporate Law

Bankruptcy & Insolvency

Construction Law

Technology & Startups

Aird & Berlis LLP

46 lawyers

Aird & Berlis LLP is a full-service Canadian law firm headquartered in Toronto, with a second office in Vancouver. It advises domestic and international clients, including multinational corporations, startups, governm…

Business & Corporate Law

Real Estate Law

Bankruptcy & Insolvency

Intellectual Property

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