About Goodmans LLP

Goodmans LLP is a business law firm based in Toronto, working from a single office in the Bay Adelaide Centre's West Tower on Bay Street. The firm traces its roots to 1917, when it was established in Toronto by David Bertram Goodman, and it has grown into a firm of roughly 200 lawyers who all work out of that one downtown location rather than a network of branch offices.

The practice centers on mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, private equity and venture capital, restructuring and insolvency, real estate, tax, and intellectual property litigation, along with banking, environmental, and competition law work. Clients include public and private companies, financial institutions, and investors, both across Canada and internationally, and the firm has represented parties in deals covering technology, energy, healthcare, mining, and entertainment matters.

Goodmans also traces a community tradition back to founding partner Edwin 'Eddie' Goodman, whose civic and charitable involvement the firm says it still tries to live up to. Lawyers at the firm currently sit as directors or trustees on the boards of roughly eighty charitable and community organizations.

Milestones & recognition

  • Established in Toronto in 1917 by David Bertram Goodman.
  • Founding partner Edwin 'Eddie' Goodman went on to serve as a bencher of the Law Society of Upper Canada and chaired the Royal Ontario Museum's board for six years.
  • Ranked Band 1 for Corporate/Commercial in Ontario and Band 2 for Corporate/M&A nationwide by Chambers Canada 2026, and Band 2 for Corporate/M&A by Chambers Global 2026.
  • Won Mid-Market Deal of the Year at the Canadian Law Awards 2026 for the firm's work on Blue Ant Media's reverse takeover of Boat Rocker Media.
  • Ranked Tier 1 for Patent Disputes in Managing IP's IP STARS for a ninth consecutive year, and Gold tier in the IAM Patent 1000 for a fourth consecutive year.
  • The firm's United Way workplace campaign received a 2025 Local Leaders award.

In the community

  • Goodmans lawyers sit as directors or trustees on the boards of roughly eighty charitable and community organizations.
  • The firm has supported SickKids initiatives, including the Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning, for more than 30 years.
  • Lawyers, students, and staff take part in workplace fundraising for United Way, the Hospital for Sick Children, the Daily Bread Food Bank, and Canadian Blood Services.
  • The firm has served as a Professional-in-Residence at DMZ, Toronto Metropolitan University's startup incubator, since 2016, giving legal mentorship to portfolio companies.
  • Goodmans LABB partners with the BlackNorth Initiative on the B.E.G.I.N. platform supporting Black entrepreneurship.
  • Lawyers provide free legal help through Pro Bono Ontario's hotline, and the firm gave pro bono counsel toward the launch of the Canadian Centre for Human Trafficking's national hotline.

Good to know

A person using a wheelchairWheelchair accessibleA calendar with a checkmark beside a clockBy appointment

This firm’s lawyers at a glance

Called to the bar
1992–2021 · median 10 years in practice 6 of 201 lawyers
Law schools
University of Toronto New York University Northwestern University (188), Queen's University (2), Western University (2), Dalhousie University, McGill University, University of Toronto 195 of 201 lawyers

Who handles what

The neighbourhood

Goodmans works out of the Bay Adelaide Centre's West Tower on Bay Street, in Toronto's Financial District. The Bay Adelaide Centre is a multi-tower office complex whose West Tower began construction in 2007 and was completed in 2009, with a second tower, the East Tower, added by 2016.

The North Tower of the same complex serves as the global head office of Scotiabank. Goodmans occupies floors in the West Tower, a modern office building rather than an older heritage structure.

Frequently asked questions

Does Goodmans handle mergers and acquisitions for both public and private companies?
Yes. The firm's M&A practice covers negotiated and hostile takeovers, plans of arrangement, and share and asset acquisitions for public and private companies, including cross-border deals and private equity transactions.
Can Goodmans advise on corporate restructuring or insolvency?
Restructuring and insolvency is one of the firm's core practices, alongside related work in banking and finance.
Does Goodmans do intellectual property litigation?
Yes. The firm has an IP litigation practice that has been ranked Tier 1 for patent disputes in Managing IP's IP STARS for nine consecutive years and Gold tier in the IAM Patent 1000 for four consecutive years.
What industries does Goodmans focus on?
The firm's client base spans sectors including technology, energy, healthcare, cannabis, mining, entertainment, and artificial intelligence, in addition to its core M&A, capital markets, and real estate work.
Is Goodmans a Toronto-only firm?
Yes. All of the firm's roughly 200 lawyers work from a single office in the Bay Adelaide Centre's West Tower on Bay Street in Toronto, rather than a network of branch offices.
Does Goodmans take on pro bono work?
The firm's lawyers provide free legal assistance through Pro Bono Ontario's hotline and have supported causes including a national hotline for survivors of human trafficking and legal mentorship for startups through DMZ.

Where to find them

Bay Adelaide Centre - West Tower, 333 Bay Street, Suite 3400, Toronto, Ontario M5H 2S7 · 416-979-2211

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