Corporate & M&A
Acquisitions, disposals and reorganizations for owner-managed companies and their investors, from letter of intent to closing.
- Share purchases
- Due diligence
- Unanimous shareholder agreements
Barristers & Solicitors · Toronto
Considered counsel for the decisions that define a business — and a family.
For nearly four decades, Hale & Morrow has advised Ontario companies, owners and families through acquisitions, disputes, successions and the quieter moments that matter just as much. Partner-led, discreet, and precise.
1987
Founded by Richard Hale and Ian Morrow in a two-room office on Adelaide Street.
- 38years in practice
- 24lawyers, three partners
- 1,900+matters concluded
- EN · FR · HIlanguages of advice
Practice areas
Six disciplines, one standard of care.
Our lawyers work across practice lines, so a founder selling her company and planning her estate is advised by one team that sees the whole picture.
Commercial Contracts
Supply, distribution, licensing and franchise agreements drafted to hold up when a relationship is tested — including cross-border terms with U.S. partners.
- Distribution
- IP licensing
- Franchising
Litigation & Disputes
Negotiation, mediation and litigation before the Ontario Superior Court of Justice and in commercial arbitration — with a clear view of cost against outcome.
- Litigation
- Arbitration
- Mediation
Real Estate
Acquisition, development and leasing of commercial and residential property across the Greater Toronto Area and Golden Horseshoe.
- Transactions
- Commercial leases
- Development
Family Law
Marriage and cohabitation contracts, separation, divorce and parenting arrangements handled with discretion, patience and a firm hand where needed.
- Domestic contracts
- Divorce
- Parenting time
Wills & Estates
Wills, powers of attorney, estate freezes for family businesses and estate administration, coordinated with your accountant and bank.
- Wills & POAs
- Estate freezes
- Probate
How we work
A partner on every matter. No surprises on the invoice.
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An unhurried first meeting
A partner meets you — in person or by video — to understand the situation and what a good result would look like. The first hour carries no charge.
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A written plan and a fixed scope
Within five business days you receive our assessment, the team, a timeline and a fixed fee or capped estimate in Canadian dollars. You decide before any work begins.
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Steady, direct communication
You always know who is handling your file and can reach them directly. We report at agreed milestones, and whenever something changes.
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A clean close
Every matter ends with a reporting letter: what was achieved, what to keep, and what to revisit in the years ahead.
The partners
Experience you can sit across the table from.
Three partners, each called to the Ontario bar more than fifteen years ago, lead a team of twenty-one lawyers, law clerks and paralegals.
Simone Hale
Managing Partner · Corporate & M&ASimone joined her father's firm in 2001 after six years at a large Bay Street practice. She has led more than 140 company sales and acquisitions and chairs the firm's succession group. Called to the Ontario bar in 1995.
shale@hale-morrow.exampleGraham Morrow
Partner · Litigation & DisputesGraham has appeared at every level of Ontario's courts, including the Court of Appeal, and sits regularly as a commercial arbitrator. Clients value his candour about when a case is worth fighting — and when it isn't.
gmorrow@hale-morrow.exampleArjun Mehta
Partner · Family & EstatesArjun advises families on domestic contracts, divorce and the transfer of businesses between generations. He trained as a family mediator in 2015 and teaches estate planning in a downtown law school's continuing education program.
amehta@hale-morrow.exampleNotable matters
Recent work, described with care.
Details are shared with our clients' permission and anonymized where confidentiality requires.
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2025 · M&A
CAD 84mEnterprise value
Sale of a third-generation Ontario furniture maker to a U.S. industrial group
Advised the founding family on the sale of 100% of the shares, including an earn-out and a five-year retained brand agreement.
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2025 · Arbitration
CAD 5.6mAwarded to client
Supply dispute for a Toronto food-tech company
Represented the claimant in a Toronto-seated commercial arbitration against a Michigan co-packer; award in full with costs.
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2024 · Real Estate
38 unitsDelivered on schedule
Conversion of a heritage-designated Liberty Village warehouse into 38 residences
Acquisition, site-plan negotiations with the City of Toronto and pre-construction condominium sales for a private developer.
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2024 · Succession
Two heirsOne agreement, no dispute
Generational transfer of a family-owned engineering firm
Structured an estate freeze through a family holding company, with a shareholder agreement protecting the sibling who is not active in the business.
Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome in future matters.
Client words
In their own words.
Simone and her team sold the company my grandfather founded. They were tough across the table and endlessly patient with a family that had very strong feelings. I can't imagine having done it with anyone else.
Graham told us plainly which claims to drop and which to press. That honesty saved us a year and a great deal of money.
Our separation was handled with a dignity I did not expect. Arjun kept the children at the centre of every conversation.
Visit the office
145 King Street West, eighteenth floor.
- Address
- 145 King Street West, Suite 1800
Toronto, ON M5H 1J8 - Telephone
- 416-555-0182
- info@hale-morrow.example
- Hours
- Monday–Friday 8:30 a.m.–6:00 p.m.
Evening meetings by arrangement - Arriving
- St Andrew subway station (Line 1), 3 minutes' walk, with direct underground PATH access. Visitor parking beneath the building.