Woolgar VanWiechen Cosgriffe Ducoffe LLP
10 lawyers · Established 1992 · City of Toronto
One of 2,345 law firms listed in Toronto, and one of 794 handling Civil Litigation & Dispute Resolution.
About Woolgar VanWiechen Cosgriffe Ducoffe LLP
Woolgar VanWiechen Cosgriffe Ducoffe LLP is a business law firm founded in 1992 and based in downtown Toronto. Its office sits at 70 The Esplanade, a building put up in the early 1880s by the Wm. and J. G. Greey Company to house a flour mill manufacturing operation. The building is part of the former Greey's Toronto Mill Furnishing Works Factory complex and was designated by the City of Toronto in 2006 for its architectural and contextual significance, sitting within the St. Lawrence Neighbourhood Heritage Conservation District.
The firm practices commercial litigation, corporate and M&A work, employment and labour law, real estate, wills and estate planning, and insolvency and restructuring. Its client base runs from small, early-stage companies to large public and private corporations, including family-run businesses and non-profit organizations. Rather than growing into a large-firm model, the partners describe choosing to keep the practice selective, aiming to understand each client's business well enough to give strategic rather than purely transactional advice. The firm also built e2r, a separate service that gives employers ongoing human resources and employment law support on a monthly retainer instead of billing case by case.
Practice areas
Milestones & recognition
- The firm has practiced from 70 The Esplanade since 1992, the same year it was founded.
- 70 The Esplanade was designated by the City of Toronto in 2006 as a building of cultural value for its architectural and contextual significance.
- A partner at the firm holds the Certified Specialist (Civil Litigation) designation.
In the community
- Partners and staff serve as directors, volunteers, or donors with Heart House Hospice, JVS Toronto, and Pro Bono Ontario.
- The firm supports youth-focused organizations including the Ontario Major Hockey Association, Ice Hockey in Harlem, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Toronto, Bay Street Hoops, and Reboot Canada.
- The firm describes encouraging associates, staff, and students to take part in charitable and public service causes alongside the partners.
Good to know
Wheelchair accessible
By appointmentLawyers 10
Chris West
Employment & Labour Counsel
Employment & Labour Law
Christina Iannozzi
Employment & Labour Counsel
Employment & Labour Law
Christopher J. Cosgriffe
Partner, Certified Specialist (Civil Litigation)
Civil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionBankruptcy & Insolvency
Elena Kaminsky
Employment & Labour Counsel
Employment & Labour Law
Jamie VanWiechen
Partner
Civil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionEmployment & Labour Law
Mark C. Woolgar
Partner
Business & Corporate Law
Patrick Sweeney
Partner
Real Estate LawBusiness & Corporate Law
Stuart Ducoffe
Partner, Employment & Labour
Employment & Labour Law
Thomas Marko
Associate
Business & Corporate LawReal Estate Law
Tiana Terrigno
Associate
Civil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionEmployment & Labour Law
This firm’s lawyers at a glance
- Called to the bar
- 1986–2024 · median 12 years in practice 10 of 10 lawyers
- Law schools
- Dalhousie University (2), University of British Columbia (2), University of Western Ontario (2), University of Windsor (2), McGill University, Osgoode Hall Law School 10 of 10 lawyers
Who handles what
Offices 2
The neighbourhood
The firm's office at 70 The Esplanade is a converted 19th century factory building, one of the last well-preserved examples of that kind of industrial architecture left in Toronto. It was originally raised to house the Wm. and J. G. Greey Company's flour mill manufacturing works, and it now sits inside the St. Lawrence Neighbourhood Heritage Conservation District, a stretch of downtown that has kept much of its 19th and early 20th century streetscape even as the city built up around it.
That location puts a commercial and litigation practice within easy reach of Toronto's downtown court and financial district, on a street that has watched the city grow from a 19th century industrial waterfront into the core it is today, including the construction of Union Station and the Royal York Hotel nearby.
Frequently asked questions
- Does Woolgar VanWiechen handle shareholder and business disputes?
- Yes. The firm's litigation practice covers contractual and commercial disputes, shareholder disputes, business acquisition disputes, and related matters, with experience at all levels of the Ontario court system as well as in mediation and arbitration.
- Can Woolgar VanWiechen help with a private company sale or merger?
- Yes. The corporate group advises on private company mergers and acquisitions, shareholder agreements, secured transactions, private financing, and commercial leasing, for clients ranging from owner-operated businesses to Canadian subsidiaries of multinational companies.
- What is e2r and who is it for?
- e2r is a service the firm built for employers that provides ongoing human resources and employment law advice and documentation on a monthly retainer, rather than billing separately for each issue. It is aimed at Canadian organizations that want to replace or supplement an in-house HR function.
- Does the firm work with franchise businesses?
- Yes. The corporate practice advises both franchisors and franchisees, including on franchise agreements and disclosure documentation.
- Does Woolgar VanWiechen prepare wills and handle estates?
- Yes, wills and estate planning is one of the firm's practice areas, alongside related estate litigation when disputes arise.
- Where is the firm located and how do I reach it?
- The firm is at 70 The Esplanade, in downtown Toronto, in the St. Lawrence Neighbourhood Heritage Conservation District.
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Construction LawBusiness & Corporate LawListing compiled from the firm’s public website in September 2026. Verify licence status in the Law Society of Ontario directory ↗