TORYS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Member of the Commercial List Users Committee
Andrew advises and advocates for boards and corporations facing high-stakes and complex disputes of strategic significance. A leading lawyer in his field, Andrew gives clients sophisticated advice drawing from deep experience in corporate and securities matters.
Andrew is a skilled and prolific teacher. He taught securities regulation at the Faculty of Law, University of Toronto, for more than a decade and he has co-developed and co-teaches a course on M&A litigation at the Faculty of Law. Andrew has lectured in the contested transactions course and the Global Professional LLM program at the Faculty of Law, University of Toronto, as well as in the undergraduate course on corporate and securities disputes and in the LLM programs on corporate transactions and insolvency offered by Osgoode Hall Law School. In addition, the Ontario Securities Commission invited Andrew to teach a 2013 Securities Investigation Training Course on disclosure obligations in Ontario securities law, and he co-developed a conference with Staff of the OSC on the regulatory public interest jurisdiction. He also regularly provides seminars to clients on developments in corporate, securities and insolvency law.
Andrew is a co-author of Securities Enforcement, Canadian Securities Law Reporter, published by CCH in 2006.
Andrew serves as a member of the Commercial List Users Committee and served for a term on the Securities Proceedings Advisory Committee of the OSC.
Involved in many of Canada's highest-profile competition and foreign investment transactions, investigations and reviews, Dany brings seasoned advice and a long history of experience advising on all aspects of competition law and its practical administration to clients in Canada and internationally, including in the developing area of competition policy in big tech and digital innovation.
Dany is co-chair of the firm's Competition and Foreign Investment Review Practice and advises international and domestic clients on all aspects of competition law and foreign investment matters, including in the area of national security reviews.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Lead External Advisor to Fairfax Financial
- Managing Partner of Torys' New York
A longstanding advisor to leading companies across industries, David Chaikof is a deeply experienced M&A and securities practitioner, providing sophisticated guidance on clients' strategies and objectives on all aspects of their deal activity.
David is the managing partner of Torys' New York office and a leading advisor for public companies and private equity firms on mergers and acquisitions, shareholder activism and corporate and securities law. He has led numerous domestic and cross-border acquisitions and takeover bids and regularly advises companies, boards of directors and special committees in connection with M&A, securities law and corporate governance across various industries.
David is the lead external advisor to Fairfax Financial and BlackBerry, providing strategic advice on their corporate financings and M&A mandates. He led BlackBerry in its strategic review process along with the related US$1.25 billion financing. David also assisted Fairfax in its US$4.9 billion acquisition of Allied World Assurance Company and in its strategic investments in numerous companies, such as Toys "R" Us, Bauer and Easton Sports, the Keg, Prime Restaurants, Chorus Aviation, Mega Brands, Eacom Timber, The Brick Group, Sporting Life, Torstar and Resolute.
Job Titles:
- Chief Professional Resources Officer
Deborah Dalfen is the Chief Professional Resources Officer for Torys, responsible for the talent lifecycle. From recruitment, integration, engagement and inclusion, to professional development, advancement and performance management, Deborah and her team help develop all aspects of our legal professionals' careers at Torys. As a Certified Executive Coach, she is also actively engaged in career counselling at the firm, providing mentoring and coaching to partners, counsel and associates.
Deborah currently co-chairs the firm's Associate Committee and is a member of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee.
Job Titles:
- Director, Legal Learning & Professional Resources
- Local Group Leader for Toronto for the Professional Development Consortium
Emily Atkinson oversees the design and delivery of continuing legal education and professional development programming for the firm's legal professionals, including milestone training programs, practice-specific training and core professional skills training. To promote the culture of working smart without compromising excellence, Emily integrates practice support technologies, business process efficiencies and project management concepts into the programming.
Emily is also responsible for Torys' secondment and mentoring programs in addition to having oversight of the associates in our Toronto office. She manages their overall professional development, including their engagement, performance management, workflow and advancement.
Emily co-leads Torys' Wellness program, is a member of the Diversity Committee and is involved in the firm's women's initiatives. She is a designated wellness navigator, has completed the Queen's University Workplace Mental Health Leadership certificate, is Mental Health First Aid trained and is a registered psychotherapist.
Emily is a local group leader for Toronto for the Professional Development Consortium and a member of the advisory group for National Association of Law Placement's (NALP) PD Quarterly.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Director of Canadian Stage
Huw Evans brings skilled deal acumen, strategic thinking, and a rigorous approach to advising institutional and other leading investors on their projects and complex transactions in the energy and infrastructure sectors.
Huw is a director of Canadian Stage, Canada's leading not-for-profit contemporary theatre company, and the Oak Ridges Trail Association, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to building and maintaining public hiking trails on the Oak Ridges Moraine.
Advising on mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance transactions and other significant corporate matters across industries, John is co-head of the firm's M&A Practice and is widely recognized as one of Canada's leading corporate and securities lawyers, with deep deal acumen and strong technical skill to advance clients' business strategies.
A skilled litigator with significant experience in the energy industry, Luigi (Lou) Cusano helps clients navigate complex energy regulatory frameworks across high-stakes matters and disputes, bringing decades of knowledge of Canada's evolving electricity and oil and gas sectors.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Chairman of the Canadian Branch of the International Project Finance Association
Mark is consistently recognized as one of Canada's leading infrastructure and project finance lawyers, providing clients with strategic counsel and deep technical insight on complex and first-of-kind infrastructure projects and PPP transactions across sectors and geographies.
Mark is the Chair for the Canadian Branch of the International Project Finance Association and former Chair for the Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships.
Job Titles:
- Managing Partner
- Torys' Managing Partner
Matthew Cockburn is Torys' managing partner and is responsible for the firm's overall strategic direction and client focus, as well as for all professional and administrative matters.
He has a strategic presence.'
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Director of the North Toronto Soccer Association
By applying creative solutions and managing strong relationships among numerous project participants, Valerie supports clients to progress some of the country's most complex multi-party infrastructure and energy projects.
In the community, Valerie is a director of the North Toronto Soccer Association and previously served on the Board of Directors for the Young People's Theatre (2013 to 2016) and the e.p.i.c. School (2009 to 2012).