Professional Services

Corporate businesspeople having a meeting in the boardroom.

Professional services firms are talent-rich organizations with unique challenges. Their principal assets are their people – today, staff mobility has never been higher. The business landscapes of these firms are rapidly evolving, and their clients are increasingly exacting. As new developments drive stricter regulations and tightening rules, professional services firms, especially those in accounting and law, are under increased regulatory scrutiny.

In addition, the marketplace continues to grow more competitive, requiring professional services firms to find new ways to grow nationally and internationally and innovate to respond to clients’ needs. Competition also prompts firms to undergo digital transformations and exploit data, technology and new products, such as subscription-based and knowledge-as-a-service (KaaS) offerings, to drive profitability, adding further commercial, regulatory and compliance complexity.

To stay ahead, you need the guidance of an informed and experienced legal counsel that understands your business to assist in anticipating and responding to issues while supporting your growth amid economic uncertainty.

How we can help

Using a “one-firm” approach that leverages the expertise of various practice groups from across the firm, Osler helps professional services firms in accounting, management consulting, and other advisory services remain competitive and compliant while functioning in today’s economic landscape. Whether you are looking to improve operational functions, invest in partnerships or acquisitions, or defend against disputes, our team understands the challenges being placed on the industry. It can help you mitigate risks and capitalize on opportunities that come with industry demands, including expanding and implementing innovations and organizational structures.

Our lawyers deliver highly strategic and innovative advice to support all aspects of professional services firms’ complex and specialized needs:

M&A: Our top-ranked M&A Practice is ready to assist you with transformational deals to help you expedite growth and enter new markets or verticals. Osler’s M&A team works with other Osler practice groups that are key to achieving successful M&A transactions. Our Employment and Labour Group can help you navigate the complexities of building a winning team, and our Tax Group can address issues unique to partnership structures.

Privacy: Our Privacy Group advises on a wide range of issues that affect the professional services industry and can help ensure your firm complies with privacy regulations, including the Privacy Act and the General Data Protection Regulation, and employs best practices in the privacy and cybersecurity space.

Litigation: If disputes or regulatory interventions should arise, our Litigation and Dispute Resolution Group is well-placed to defend your firm. Osler litigators advise on and solve business-critical issues for Canadian and global organizations and can protect your firm against allegations of professional malpractice, breach of duty or other disputes. While our team will help ensure your organization is always litigation-ready, our litigators can also help you develop effective risk management strategies to proactively address potential exposures and mitigate the threat of complex litigation. When litigation is unavoidable, however, our team will defend your firm in a strategic, coordinated and cost-effective manner.

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