Torys
Encyclopedia
Torys LLP is a Canadian international business law firm
with offices in Toronto
, Calgary
and New York
, United States
. Torys serves clients in Canada
, the United States
, and globally. It is one of the Canadian "seven sisters"
law firms.
Torys main practice areas are mergers and acquisitions
, corporate finance
, and major litigation matters. In addition, the firm has experience in a wide range of other practice areas, including restructuring
and insolvency
; taxation; competition
and antitrust
; environmental
, health and safety; private equity
and venture capital
; financial institutions; pension and employment; intellectual property; technology and communications; life sciences; real estate
; infrastructure and energy; and personal client services.
The firm was founded in 1941 by Toronto
business lawyer John Stewart Donald Tory
. John S.D. Tory graduated at the top of his class at Osgoode Hall
, and earned a J.D. from Harvard University
. He practised with the W.N. Tilley law firm in Toronto for a few years and then launched his own firm with a focus on corporate law. In 1954, John S.D. Tory's sons, James M. Tory and John A. Tory
, the father of Ontario
politician John H. Tory, joined the firm.
In the 1960s the firm was renamed Tory Tory DesLauriers & Binnington. In 2000, it merged with the New York law firm Haythe & Curley, whose predecessor firm was established in 1948. The merged firm was briefly known as Tory Haythe, until the departure of named New York partner Thomas Haythe. The firm then rebranded as Torys LLP.
Past articling employees include Eleanor Clitheroe-Bell
, later president and CEO of Hydro One
.
In March 2010, Torys became one of the first law firms to have its own iPhone app.
In March 2011, Torys announced the opening of a Calgary office.
Law firm
A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to represent clients in civil or criminal cases, business transactions, and other...
with offices in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
and New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Torys serves clients in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and globally. It is one of the Canadian "seven sisters"
Seven Sisters (law firms)
The Seven Sisters refers to a collection of seven leading Canadian law firms with offices in Toronto. The term can be traced back to at least 2001, when it may have been coined by Sandra Rubin to describe the top seven Canadian law firms by mergers and acquisitions deal volume...
law firms.
Torys main practice areas are mergers and acquisitions
Mergers and acquisitions
Mergers and acquisitions refers to the aspect of corporate strategy, corporate finance and management dealing with the buying, selling, dividing and combining of different companies and similar entities that can help an enterprise grow rapidly in its sector or location of origin, or a new field or...
, corporate finance
Corporate finance
Corporate finance is the area of finance dealing with monetary decisions that business enterprises make and the tools and analysis used to make these decisions. The primary goal of corporate finance is to maximize shareholder value while managing the firm's financial risks...
, and major litigation matters. In addition, the firm has experience in a wide range of other practice areas, including restructuring
Restructuring
Restructuring is the corporate management term for the act of reorganizing the legal, ownership, operational, or other structures of a company for the purpose of making it more profitable, or better organized for its present needs...
and insolvency
Insolvency
Insolvency means the inability to pay one's debts as they fall due. Usually used to refer to a business, insolvency refers to the inability of a company to pay off its debts.Business insolvency is defined in two different ways:...
; taxation; competition
Competition law
Competition law, known in the United States as antitrust law, is law that promotes or maintains market competition by regulating anti-competitive conduct by companies....
and antitrust
Antitrust
The United States antitrust law is a body of laws that prohibits anti-competitive behavior and unfair business practices. Antitrust laws are intended to encourage competition in the marketplace. These competition laws make illegal certain practices deemed to hurt businesses or consumers or both,...
; environmental
Environmental law
Environmental law is a complex and interlocking body of treaties, conventions, statutes, regulations, and common law that operates to regulate the interaction of humanity and the natural environment, toward the purpose of reducing the impacts of human activity...
, health and safety; private equity
Private equity
Private equity, in finance, is an asset class consisting of equity securities in operating companies that are not publicly traded on a stock exchange....
and venture capital
Venture capital
Venture capital is financial capital provided to early-stage, high-potential, high risk, growth startup companies. The venture capital fund makes money by owning equity in the companies it invests in, which usually have a novel technology or business model in high technology industries, such as...
; financial institutions; pension and employment; intellectual property; technology and communications; life sciences; real estate
Property law
Property law is the area of law that governs the various forms of ownership in real property and in personal property, within the common law legal system. In the civil law system, there is a division between movable and immovable property...
; infrastructure and energy; and personal client services.
The firm was founded in 1941 by Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
business lawyer John Stewart Donald Tory
John Stewart Donald Tory
John Stewart Donald Tory was a Toronto lawyer and founder of the law firm Torys.Born in Toronto, J.S.D. attended UTS, Harvard University , and University of Toronto Law School. Called to the Ontario bar, he was founder of the Torys law firm. His sons John A. Tory and James Marshall Tory later...
. John S.D. Tory graduated at the top of his class at Osgoode Hall
Osgoode Hall
Osgoode Hall is a landmark building in downtown Toronto constructed between 1829 and 1832 in the late Georgian Palladian and Neoclassical styles. It houses the Ontario Court of Appeal, the Divisional Court of the Superior Court of Justice, and the Law Society of Upper Canada...
, and earned a J.D. from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. He practised with the W.N. Tilley law firm in Toronto for a few years and then launched his own firm with a focus on corporate law. In 1954, John S.D. Tory's sons, James M. Tory and John A. Tory
John A. Tory
John Arnold Tory, QC was a Canadian lawyer and corporate executive. Born in Toronto, he was one of two sons of John Stewart Donald Tory...
, the father of Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
politician John H. Tory, joined the firm.
In the 1960s the firm was renamed Tory Tory DesLauriers & Binnington. In 2000, it merged with the New York law firm Haythe & Curley, whose predecessor firm was established in 1948. The merged firm was briefly known as Tory Haythe, until the departure of named New York partner Thomas Haythe. The firm then rebranded as Torys LLP.
Past articling employees include Eleanor Clitheroe-Bell
Eleanor Clitheroe-Bell
Eleanor Ruth Clitheroe, MBA , LL.M , LL.B, M.Div is a Canadian cleric and former businesswoman.Born in Montreal, Clitheroe earned her LL.B from the University of Western Ontario in 1977. In 1978 she earned her LL.M from McGill University, and earned her MBA from UWO in 1980. In 2005, she obtained...
, later president and CEO of Hydro One
Hydro One
Hydro One Incorporated delivers electricity across the Canadian province of Ontario. It is a Corporation established under the Business Corporations Act with a single shareholder, the Government of Ontario....
.
In March 2010, Torys became one of the first law firms to have its own iPhone app.
In March 2011, Torys announced the opening of a Calgary office.