The inaugural Chambers Canada Rankings singled out Bennett Jones LLP as one of the top ranked law firms in the country.
In total, Chambers Canada ranked Bennett Jones eight times with a Band 1 status (the highest level) for excellence in Corporate/Commercial: The Elite, Dispute Resolution, Employment & Labour, Real Estate, International Trade/WTO, Environment, Energy: Oil & Gas, and Transportation: Aviation: Finance.
In the Environment category, the firm was recognized for a "top-tier environmental practice with a strong bench of lawyers who win plaudits for their experience across a wide range of specialisms." Leonard Griffiths, a partner and leading Canadian Environmental lawyer at the firm's Toronto office, was recognized as Band 1 and noted by peers as an "excellent environmental lawyer."
Also ranked in Band 1 was the firm's Energy: Oil and Gas practice, hailed for a team "with a proven track record advising on major transactions in Alberta and further afield." This includes Band 1 recognition for Patrick Maguire, a partner and co-head of the corporate department, and Loyola Keough, a regulatory partner.
In addition, in the practice area of International Trade/WTO, Bennett Jones was noted for the firm's expertise across a wide range of trade issues, including customs and anti-corruption. The firm's international reach— with offices in Doha, Washington, D.C., Bermuda, and Beijing—also increases the reach of the practice. The practice is led by Band 1 co-chairs Darrel Pearson and Milos Barutciski.
Finally, Bennett Jones' Transportation: Aviation: Finance was listed as Band 1 for its work in aviation law across Canada and a "highly regarded team of financial services and tax specialists." Patrick J. Brennan, partner and aviation lawyer, earned a Band 1 recognition and is described as "a top-tier aircraft financing lawyer... relaying complex legal issues concisely and simply."