Headquartered in Toronto with additional offices in Vancouver, Montréal and Québec City, McCarthy Tétrault is a full-service law firm with a strong presence in the life sciences space. The firm is ranked nationally in Canada for patent litigation, product liability and financial & corporate matters. In addition to these areas, the firm also has a significant practice focused on regulatory counseling.
Steven Mason is head of the firm's national intellectual property litigation group and represents several high-profile life sciences clients. He regularly assists in-house counsel at large pharmaceutical companies with their complex intellectual property issues. Recent representations include Bristol-Myers Squibb in connection with generic challenges to its blockbuster drug Eliquis. Standout partner David Tait is also lead on the Bristol-Myers Squibb matter. His practice is life sciences-focused with expertise in PM(NOC) proceedings and patent infringement litigation.
Based in the firm's Vancouver office, David Frost is co-chair of the firm's life sciences group and regularly assists clients with public offerings, transactions, and corporate governance matters. In addition, Frost represents cross border venture capital investors interested in the Canadian life sciences market. He recently advised client Zymeworks in financings and other related transactions. Philippe Leclerc also has significant experience in a variety of financial and corporate matters for life sciences clients. He operates from the firm's Montréal and Québec City offices. For his significant activity, Leclerc was shortlisted for the 2020 Financial & Corporate Attorney of the Year award in Canada.
In the product liability area, Michel Gagné and Frank McLaughlin are two of the firm’s stellar practitioners. Gagné was recently active for Abbott Labs in opioid-related class actions, and in a matter related to its drug Biaxin that was the first common issues trial in a prescription drug product liability trial in Canada. Gagné was awarded Product Liability Attorney of the Year in 2020 for his work in the area.
Partner Ranjeev Dhillon is a notable expert for regulatory matters, often acting for life sciences clients as they navigate market entry for their products and commercial issues. He currently serves as co-lead of the firm’s cannabis law group.