›Direct answer & research summary
Sartori applies a weighted methodology combining the opinions of practising lawyers — more than 10,000 lawyers interviewed — with monthly market surveys. As of July 2026, the best law firms in Toronto are: Blake Cassels & Graydon, Borden Ladner Gervais, Stikeman Elliott, Gowling WLG, A&O Shearman, Beale & Company, Berger Montague, Hodgson Russ, Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart, Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison.
01 — The ranking
The Toronto board
Use this Toronto board as a structured view of the best law firms in Toronto. Tiers name relative standing in words; the REF codes locate rows for citation, and within-tier order is deliberately non-hierarchical.
The top editorial band for Toronto: firms that anchor major Canadian deal flow and advisory work at scale. Within-tier sequence rotates and is not a ranking.
Highly active on the Toronto board means consistent market presence and peer recognition short of the leader set. No numeric score is assigned.
This band covers practices with solid Toronto standing and mapped benches, without the intensity of the tiers above. Within-tier order is deliberately flat.
Notable in this field marks verified Toronto presence below full tier depth — specialist or thinner benches kept visible on purpose, not scored into the main bands.
All counts are shown as bands, never precise headcounts. Notable firms sit outside the tiers by design: verified minimal presence, not assessed at full tier depth.
Hiring in Toronto?
We map this market every day.
The evidence behind these tiers is the same intelligence we use to run retained searches for partners, groups and senior associates.
02 — Evidence, methodology & sources why each firm · how tiers are set · sources · change log · verified 23 Jul 2026 · next review 23 Aug 2026
Firm evidence
Blake Cassels & Graydon
Blake Cassels & Graydon is placed in market leaders for Toronto. Public mapping (banded): 350+ attorneys, major local depth, ≈150 partners · 30 counsel · 150+ associates. Evidence gates — office (G1) PENDING, local practice (G2) PENDING, recent signal (G3) PENDING. The placement carries no numeric score.
Strongest mapped work
Public hiring signal
Hiring signal: FLAT — no public hiring change detected in the mapping window.
Limits of this assessment
- —A tier is Sartori’s editorial opinion, not a fact about the firm or a client-satisfaction measure.
- —Facts are mapped from public sources and shown as bands; they lag reality by weeks or months.
- —No third-party legal-directory band is used as an input.
Sources for this entry
Per-firm public sources are listed once the annual research pass ingests this firm.
Methodology
How tiers are assigned
Deterministic public-footprint core (local depth, practice share, seniority mix, public hiring momentum), computed relative to this market's own distribution. Tier placement is derived from this public mapped data; a per-firm public-source ledger is compiled for firms in the annual research pass and applies to those firms' factual claims, not to tier membership. No third-party legal-directory bands are used as an input.
Market scope
10–24 firms earn a tier in Toronto within this scope (banded).
Disclosures
Firm names used nominatively (factual). All counts shown as bands, never precise headcounts. No firm logos. Report an error via the site contact form.
Sources & change log
- 1 Our Offices | About Borden Ladner Gervais | BLGfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
- 2 Our Offices | Toronto | BLGfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
- 3 Borden Ladner Gervais — Toronto news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
- 4 Stikeman Elliott — Toronto office pagesfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
- 5 Real Estate | Business Law firm | Stikeman Elliottfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
- 6 Stikeman Elliott — Toronto news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
- 7 Gowling WLG — Toronto office pagesfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
- 8 Gowling WLG — attorney bios & practice pagesfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
- 9 Gowling WLG — Toronto news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
- 10 Beale & Company — Toronto office pagesfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-22
- 11 Canada and The Americas | Beale & Cofirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-22
- 12 Beale & Co Expands Global Presence with New Office Launch in Toronto, Ontario, Canada | Beale & Cofirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-22
- 13 Contact Berger Montague | [email protected] | 800-424-6690firm_website · G1 · 2026-07-22
- 14 Berger Montague — attorney bios & practice pagesfirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-22
- 15 Berger Montague Highlights Landmark Results and Growth in 2025 Annual Report - Berger Montaguefirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-22
- 16 Locationsfirm_website · G1 · 2026-07-21
- 17 Hodgson Russ LLP | Am Law 200 Firm | Toronto, Ontario Law Officefirm_website · G2 · 2026-07-21
- 18 Hodgson Russ — Toronto news & announcementsfirm_website · G3 · 2026-07-21
04 — Questions
About this ranking
Who are the best law firms in Toronto?
Who leads Toronto? As of July 2026, Market leaders are Blake Cassels & Graydon, Borden Ladner Gervais. Sartori does not name a single number-one firm; the gap inside Tier 1 is treated as unmeasurable, and the wider board of 10 firms uses worded tiers only.
Is Blake Cassels & Graydon the best law firm in Toronto?
Blake Cassels & Graydon sits in Tier 1 — Market leaders — of Sartori's Toronto board as of July 2026, alongside Borden Ladner Gervais. Sartori does not name a single #1: the gap between Tier 1 firms is genuinely unmeasurable, and a numeric score would be false precision.
Which are the biggest law firms in Toronto?
By mapped Toronto bench, the largest firms on this board are Blake Cassels & Graydon, Borden Ladner Gervais (350+ mapped lawyers each), followed by Stikeman Elliott, Gowling WLG (200–349). All counts are bands, never precise headcounts.
Which law firms are hiring in Toronto right now?
As of July 2026, no firm on this board shows a public hiring signal in the mapping window. Live Toronto mandates are listed on Sartori's jobs board.
What is a Tier 1 law firm?
In Sartori's rankings, Tier 1 — Market leaders — is an editorial judgement expressed in words, never a score: the firms whose Toronto bench depth, seniority mix and market standing set the reference point for the market. As of July 2026 that is Blake Cassels & Graydon, Borden Ladner Gervais. Within the tier no firm outranks another.
Which are the best law firms for corporate & m&a in Toronto?
Sartori publishes a dedicated Corporate & M&A board for Toronto: as of July 2026 its Tier 1 is Blake Cassels & Graydon, Stikeman Elliott. See the full ranking at /firms/corporate/in/toronto/.
Which are the best law firms for mergers & acquisitions in Toronto?
Sartori publishes a dedicated Mergers & Acquisitions board for Toronto: as of July 2026 its Tier 1 is Stikeman Elliott, Blake Cassels & Graydon. See the full ranking at /firms/mergers-acquisitions/in/toronto/.
Which are the best law firms for corporate governance in Toronto?
Sartori publishes a dedicated Corporate Governance board for Toronto: as of July 2026 its Tier 1 is Stikeman Elliott, Blake Cassels & Graydon. See the full ranking at /firms/corporate-governance/in/toronto/.
Which are the best law firms for securities regulation in Toronto?
Sartori publishes a dedicated Securities Regulation board for Toronto: as of July 2026 its Tier 1 is Norton Rose Fulbright, Stikeman Elliott. See the full ranking at /firms/securities-regulation/in/toronto/.
Which are the best law firms for litigation & disputes in Toronto?
Sartori publishes a dedicated Litigation & Disputes board for Toronto: as of July 2026 its Tier 1 is Miller Thomson, Borden Ladner Gervais. See the full ranking at /firms/litigation/in/toronto/.
Which are the best law firms for finance & banking in Toronto?
Sartori publishes a dedicated Finance & Banking board for Toronto: as of July 2026 its Tier 1 is Blake Cassels & Graydon. See the full ranking at /firms/finance-banking/in/toronto/.
This ranking is compiled independently by Sartori from public sources. Tiers are Sartori’s editorial opinion, expressed without numeric scores; firms are named for identification only, no logos are reproduced, and no firm has paid for or approved its placement. No third-party legal-directory band is used as an input. Nothing here is legal advice or a recommendation to instruct counsel.