Survey highlights litigation expertise, courtroom advocacy and depth of talent
Canadian Lawyer has unveiled the Top Litigation Law Boutiques for 2026, recognizing 15 firms for their litigation expertise, track records, client service, courtroom advocacy and depth of talent.
The eighth biannual survey received 473 votes from 57 nominated firms between April and June 2026. Lawyers, in-house counsel and clients ranked up to 10 firms in order of preference. To qualify for consideration, firms had to derive the majority of their business from litigation.
The rankings come as litigation firms face increasing costs and more complex mandates. Richard M. Bogoroch, founder and managing partner of Bogoroch & Associates in Toronto, who provided an outside perspective on litigation trends, pointed to rising expert witness and disbursement costs as a major driver.
“The cost of running these cases has increased substantially, particularly over the past six years, and I attribute a lot of it to COVID,” Bogoroch said.
Several recognized firms pointed to factors they say have helped sustain their practices. At Stockwoods LLP, partner Paul Le Vay pointed to the firm’s emphasis on advocacy skills that apply across different areas of litigation.
“In the modern world, developing specialties is often the way people have gone, and we do have subject matter specialists, but I think we’re closer to the old model: master advocacy, evidence, and procedure, and then apply that to several different areas,” Le Vay said.
Associate development also emerged as a priority among recognized firms. Jordan Goldblatt, managing partner at Adair Goldblatt Bieber LLP in Toronto, said the firm gives junior lawyers substantive responsibilities early in their careers.
“We think it’s really important as a litigation law boutique to give people the opportunity to get into court and take on substantive pieces of a file as early in their career as possible. The only way to learn this job is to get out and do it,” Goldblatt said.
At Babin Bessner Spry LLP, partner Michael Bookman emphasized tailoring litigation strategy to a client’s interests and desired outcome.
“What’s in the best interests of the client is the strategic advice we want to give. To be hard on the issues when it’s in the client's best interest, or to take a step back and look strategically when the analysis favours a different approach,” Bookman said.
Woods LLP, the sole Montreal-based firm among the Eastern Canada winners, has been recognized in every report since 2012. Respondents pointed to the firm’s scale and the calibre of its senior litigators, including a former Supreme Court of Canada judge.
HMC Lawyers LLP received one of the highest volumes of comments among firms surveyed this cycle. Respondents described the firm as offering big-firm calibre work without big-firm structure and also highlighted its long-tenured staff.
At Hunter Litigation Chambers, counsel Randal Kaardal said the firm has maintained the high standards established by its founders, including understanding clients’ needs and advancing the law.
Emily Lawrence, managing partner at Paliare Roland Rosenberg Rothstein LLP in Toronto, highlighted the firm’s commitment to providing pro bono legal services to those who need advice and guidance, regardless of their ability to pay.
The 2026 roster includes 10 firms in Eastern Canada:
- Stockwoods LLP
- Adair Goldblatt Bieber LLP
- Babin Bessner Spry LLP
- Paliare Roland Rosenberg Rothstein LLP
- Woods LLP
- Affleck Greene McMurtry LLP
- Henein Hutchison Robitaille LLP
- Lax O'Sullivan Lisus Gottlieb LLP
- Lenczner Slaght LLP
- Ross Nasseri LLP
Five firms make up the Western Canada roster:
- HMC Lawyers LLP
- Hunter Litigation Chambers
- Jensen Shawa Solomon Duguid Hawkes LLP
- McEwan Partners LLP
- Nathanson Schachter & Thompson LLP
Six of the 15 recognized firms — Lenczner Slaght, Lax O’Sullivan Lisus Gottlieb, Paliare Roland Rosenberg Rothstein, Stockwoods, Woods and Hunter Litigation Chambers — have appeared in the rankings since the survey’s earliest cycles in 2012.
Canadian Lawyer congratulates this year’s Top Litigation Law Boutiques. Read the full report for more information about the 15 recognized firms and the qualities that set them apart in this year’s survey.
Array proudly sponsored the report.
