Pilot Law LLP
5 lawyers · City of Toronto
One of 2,345 law firms listed in Toronto, and one of 764 handling Business & Corporate Law.
About Pilot Law LLP
Pilot Law LLP is a Toronto firm that opened for business in September 2017 with a narrow focus: legal work for resource companies in the mining, energy and forestry sectors. Its office sits in First Canadian Place at 100 King Street West, in the city's Financial District. The firm's stated mission is to reduce client risk by taking on fixed price, success based and shared risk mandates rather than billing hourly for every step of a deal.
The team is five lawyers, doing work that ranges from private placements, joint ventures and mergers to IPOs and CSE or TSX-V listings for clients in Canada and abroad, alongside advisory work on First Nations issues that touch resource projects. The firm's aviation branding, including its newsletter, the Flight Log, comes from a licensed use of the identity of the Pilot Tavern on Cumberland Street, a Toronto venue long associated with the resource sector through PDAC's annual Latin Lawyers Lunch and a semi-annual gathering of participants in Ontario's energy sector. Managing Principal Charles L.K. Higgins previously worked as a Senior Economist at the federal Department of Energy, Mines and Resources, and Howard Hampton, at the firm since 2017 and a Principal since October 2025, is a former Attorney General and Minister of Natural Resources of Ontario.
Practice areas
Milestones & recognition
- The firm opened in September 2017 as a Toronto practice built around mining, energy and forestry clients, taking its name and its Flight Log newsletter from a licensed identity tied to the Pilot Tavern on Cumberland Street.
- Managing Principal Charles L.K. Higgins is the editor of and a contributor to The Canadian Law of Mining, published by the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation, and is a past chair of the Canadian Bar Association's Natural Resources and Energy Section, and was awarded the Canadian Bar Association's Distinguished Service Award, its highest honour.
- Howard Hampton joined the firm as a Colleague in 2017 and became a Principal in October 2025. Before practising with Pilot Law, Hampton served as Ontario's Attorney General, a period in which the province passed the Class Proceedings Act, 1992, and later as Minister of Natural Resources, a period in which the province passed the Crown Forest Sustainability Act and created the Forest Renewal Trust Fund and the Forest Futures Trust Fund.
- Hampton is the author of Public Power: The Fight for Publicly Owned Electricity, a history of Ontario Hydro.
In the community
- A lawyer at the firm has served as President of the Rotary Club of Toronto and has assisted other organizations with board governance and audits.
- A lawyer at the firm has published on forest resource policy, including a piece in the Dalhousie Law Journal, and has contributed opinion writing to national newspapers.
Good to know
Wheelchair accessibleLawyers 5
This firm’s lawyers at a glance
- Law schools
- University of Ottawa (3), Dalhousie University, Osgoode Hall Law School 5 of 5 lawyers
- Languages on the roster
- English, French
Who handles what
The neighbourhood
Pilot Law's office is in First Canadian Place at 100 King Street West, on the northwest corner of King and Bay in Toronto's Financial District. The tower opened in 1975 and houses the Bank of Montreal's executive offices. A short walk away on the same stretch of King Street is the Exchange Tower, long known as the home of the Toronto Stock Exchange, the exchange where a number of the firm's mining clients have listed once they've gone public.
Frequently asked questions
- What kind of law does Pilot Law LLP practice?
- Pilot Law focuses on resource sector businesses in mining, energy and forestry. Its work covers financing, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, capital markets and securities matters, along with advisory work on Aboriginal and government issues that affect resource projects.
- Does Pilot Law LLP work with First Nations as well as resource companies?
- Yes. Alongside advising mining, forestry and transportation companies on projects located in traditional First Nations lands, the firm also advises First Nations directly on land claims matters.
- Can Pilot Law LLP help take a private mining company public?
- The firm's practice includes taking private mining clients public through reverse takeovers and obtaining listings on the TSX-V, along with IPOs and other public offerings for resource companies.
- How does Pilot Law LLP charge for its work?
- The firm says it aims to reduce client risk by taking on fixed price, success based and shared risk mandates rather than billing hourly for every stage of a matter.
- How big is Pilot Law LLP?
- The firm is five lawyers: two Principals, an Associate and two Colleagues, working out of a single Toronto office.
- Where is Pilot Law LLP located?
- The firm's office is at 100 King Street West, Suite 5700, in Toronto's Financial District.
Where to find them
100 King Street W. Suite 5700, Toronto, ON M5X 1C7
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Legal AidListing compiled from the firm’s public website in August 2026. Verify licence status in the Law Society of Ontario directory ↗