Dorsey & Whitney LLP
6 lawyers · Established 1912 · City of Toronto
One of 2,345 law firms listed in Toronto, and one of 764 handling Business & Corporate Law.
About Dorsey & Whitney LLP
Dorsey & Whitney LLP is a full service international law firm founded in 1912 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, at the request of a client the firm says it still represents today. It started as a two lawyer office and changed names repeatedly over the decades as partners joined and left, arriving at Dorsey & Whitney by the 1990s. One of its early lawyers, James Dorsey, admitted to the bar in 1914, gave the firm half its current name. Its alumni include former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar and former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack.
Its Toronto location is a satellite office in Suite 3400 of the TD Bank Tower at 66 Wellington Street West, in the city's financial district, where it moved in September 2024 to a larger space one block from its previous address. Toronto lawyers concentrate on U.S. capital markets and cross border corporate work, advising Canadian and other non U.S. companies on NASDAQ and NYSE listings, SEC compliance, securities offerings and cross border mergers and acquisitions. Dorsey's broader industry groups cover banking and financial institutions, energy and natural resources, food, beverage and agribusiness, healthcare and life sciences, and technology.
Practice areas
Milestones & recognition
- Founded in 1912 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, at the request of a client the firm says it still represents today.
- Went through several partner driven names over the 20th century before settling on Dorsey & Whitney by the 1990s.
- Its alumni include former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar and former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack.
- The firm's Toronto and Vancouver offices were both ranked Metropolitan Tier 1 for mergers and acquisitions law and securities law in the Best Law Firms, Canada 2025 Edition, with the firm as a whole earning National Tier 1 rankings in the same two categories.
- Dorsey received an Am Law 100 designation in 2024.
Good to know
Wheelchair accessibleLawyers 6
This firm’s lawyers at a glance
- Called to the bar
- 2023 · median 3 years in practice 1 of 6 lawyers
- Law schools
- American University Washington College of Law, Michigan State University College of Law, New York University School of Law, Osgoode Hall Law School, University of Arizona, James E. Rogers College of Law 5 of 6 lawyers
- Languages on the roster
- English, Hebrew, Hindi, Punjabi
Who handles what
The neighbourhood
Dorsey's Toronto office sits in the TD Bank Tower at 66 Wellington Street West, one of the three original buildings of the Toronto Dominion Centre. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe designed the complex together with the Toronto firms John B. Parkin Associates and Bregman and Hamann Architects, and the 56 storey tower opened in 1967 as the first building on the site. The city designated the original TD Centre buildings a heritage landmark in 2003 as an example of the International Style that reshaped Toronto's skyline, a fitting address for a firm whose Toronto lawyers spend their time on cross border securities offerings and M&A deals for companies raising capital in U.S. markets.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Dorsey & Whitney a Canadian law firm?
- No. Dorsey & Whitney is a U.S. based firm founded in 1912 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Its Toronto office is a satellite location that provides U.S. legal advice to Canadian and other foreign clients.
- What does Dorsey & Whitney's Toronto office do?
- The office focuses on U.S. capital markets and cross border corporate work, advising Canadian and other non U.S. companies on NASDAQ and NYSE listings, SEC compliance and securities offerings tied to U.S. capital markets.
- Can Dorsey & Whitney help a Canadian company list on a U.S. stock exchange?
- Yes. The Toronto office advises Canadian and other non U.S. issuers on NASDAQ and NYSE listings, SEC compliance and related securities offerings, and the firm also acts as sponsor for Canadian companies quoted on the OTCQX and OTCQB markets.
- Does Dorsey & Whitney handle mergers and acquisitions?
- Yes. Cross border M&A is a core part of the Toronto office's work, and Dorsey's Toronto and Vancouver offices were both ranked Metropolitan Tier 1 for mergers and acquisitions law in the Best Law Firms, Canada 2025 Edition.
- Where is Dorsey & Whitney's Toronto office located?
- It's in Suite 3400 of the TD Bank Tower at 66 Wellington Street West in Toronto's financial district. The firm moved to that larger space in September 2024, one block from its previous office.
- Does Dorsey & Whitney only work with large public companies?
- No. Its Canada cross border practice serves a range of clients, from emerging Canadian businesses to major public corporations, as well as underwriters, investment banks, venture capital funds, private equity funds and private investors.
Where to find them
TD Bank Tower, 66 Wellington Street West, Suite 3400, Toronto, ON M5K 1G8
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