Benchmark Litigation Canada is introducing a new global submission template for the 2027 research cycle.

Key changes include:

• One questionnaire and one referee template per firm
• A single national submission covering all Canadian offices and practitioners
• New national ranking tables across 16 practice areas
• A standardized global template used across Benchmark Litigation jurisdictions

Please refer to the “Questions on the New 2027 Research Template” section for additional information

Benchmark Canada was derived from Benchmark Litigation, the only publication on the market to focus exclusively on litigation. Since its inception, the Benchmark brand has grown dramatically and garnered industry-wide accolades as the definitive hub for in-depth analysis of the players shaping the dynamic practice of litigation. Research is conducted through extensive interviews with litigators, dispute resolution specialists and their clients to identify the leading litigators and firms. During these interviews, we examine recent casework handled by law firms and ask individual litigators to provide their professional opinions on peers and practitioners within their jurisdiction or practice area.

Rankings are based on a combination of:

• Independent market feedback
• Practitioner interviews
• Client feedback
• Submitted casework
• Ongoing editorial research

No single factor determines a ranking outcome.

• Research begins: October 1, 2026
• Research Webinar: October 1, 2026 at 3pm EDT - Registration link
• Practitioner Survey launch: October 1, 2026 - Survey link
• Submission deadline & Practitioner Survey deadline: Friday December 4, 2026
• Client/Professional References Survey launch: December 15, 2026
• Research interviews (virtual or in-person): October 1, 2026 - January 12, 2027
• Client/Professional References Survey deadline: January 29, 2027
• Awards shortlist announced: March 2027
• Firm & lawyer rankings published: April 2027
• Benchmark Canada Awards Ceremony: May 2027

Step 1: Download the Research Forms

• Research Questionnaire (Word)
• Client Referee Template (Excel)

PLEASE NOTE: We cannot accept submissions via email as it goes against our GDPR policy. All submissions must be uploaded via the secure LBG Accreditation/Submission Portal.

Step 2: Schedule a Research Interview
Research interviews are strongly encouraged and may be scheduled from October 1st until January 12th. We encourage firms to schedule as early as possible.

To arrange an interview, contact:
Head of Research, Makenzie Rodrigues at Makenzie.Rodrigues@benchmarklitigation.com
Research Analyst, Blaike Parker at Blaike.Parker@benchmarklitigation.com.

Potential in-person interview opportunities are being explored in the following locations and timeframes. If you are interested in participating, please contact us as early as possible:

• Montréal - October 
• Calgary - November 
• Vancouver - November
• Toronto - December

All others will be conducted remotely via Teams, Zoom, or by phone.

Step 3: Submit Your Materials
Create an account and upload both documents via the secure LBG Submission Portal HERE.

• Submit one research questionnaire and one client referee template per firm.
• Firms with offices in multiple provinces should submit one consolidated national submission.
• Select your province if your firm operates in one province only.
• Select 'Canada' if your firm operates in multiple provinces.
• Select 'Dispute Resolution' as the practice area. This is for administrative tagging purposes only.

Step 4: Complete the Practitioner Survey 
The survey launches October 1st. Participate in the Practitioner Survey before the December 4 deadline. Here is the survey link.

Step 5: Encourage Client Survey Participation
The survey launches December 15. Encourage clients and professional referees to complete the survey before the January 29 deadline.

To provide the most comprehensive assessment of the Canadian litigation market, Benchmark Canada evaluates both firms and individual practitioners through a combination of independent market feedback, practitioner interviews, client feedback, submitted casework, and ongoing editorial research.

*NEW* National Firm Ranking Tables

The national rankings identify select firms who have displayed the ability to consistently handle complex, high-stakes cases in multiple jurisdictions. These selections are consistently recommended within the Canadian business and legal communities for the quality of their litigation professionals and trial work.

We are launching active national ranking tables across 16 areas in the 2027 Benchmark Canada edition:

1. Aboriginal Law
2. Arbitration
3. Class Action
4. Competition/Antitrust
5. Construction
6. Energy/Resources
7. Insolvency
8. Intellectual Property
9. Insurance
10. Labour & Employment
11. Health Law/Medical
12. Product Liability
13. Securities
14. White Collar Crime/Enforcement
15. Top Plaintiffs
16. Top Boutiques

Provincial/Local Firm Ranking Tables

Our provincial ranking tables identify the leading litigation firms and partners in each of the major Canadian provinces.

Firms are classified into two categories:

Highly Recommended: Firms receiving widespread and consistent recognition as market leaders within a province or practice area.

Recommended: Firms recognized for the strength of their litigation practice, quality of work, and strong market reputation within a province or practice area.

Individual Rankings

Alongside our firm rankings, Benchmark Canada recognizes leading litigators in each provincial market through individual lawyer rankings.

These recommendations are based on the same research factors used for firm rankings, including market feedback, client feedback, significant matters, and interviews.

Litigation Stars: Established practitioners who have earned significant recognition from clients, peers, and the wider market for their expertise, track record, and leadership within their practice areas.

Future Stars: Emerging practitioners who have demonstrated exceptional promise through noteworthy achievements, strong technical skill, and involvement in significant matters, but are not yet established market leaders. Future Star recognition is not age-specific.

Special Individual Honors

Top 50 Trial Lawyers in Canada: Highlights the country’s most distinguished partners whose trial work garners peer and client acclaim. These litigators are selected based on standout case experience, balancing excellence with a strong client representation. It’s a prestigious recognition of elite trial advocacy in Canada.

Top 100 Women in Litigation – Canada: Acknowledges the growing impact of women litigators nationwide, celebrating those whose recent performance, breadth of practice, and leadership have set new benchmarks. These practitioners come from a wide spectrum of practice areas and provinces, and their inclusion reflects both sustained professional excellence and the evolving gender diversity of Canada’s litigation landscape.

40 & Under Canada Stars: Shines a spotlight on emerging litigators under the age of 40 who are already making significant contributions. Through the Benchmark Litigation Canada research process, these younger attorneys are recognized for their recent achievements, courtroom or trial presence, and growing reputations — a signal of future leaders in Canadian litigation.

Editorial Analysis

We have made every effort to offer in-depth coverage of the ranked firms. In some cases, however, we were not able to provide editorial content for every ranked firm due to a lack of participation or available information.

Recommendations are based on interviews with the nation’s leading private practice lawyers and in-house counsel. These interviews were conducted between October and January. Firms cannot pay to be recommended for the guide. Instead, firms have been independently offered the opportunity to take a professional listing regardless of editorial content.

Q: How does Benchmark differ from other legal rankings?
A: Benchmark focuses exclusively on dispute resolution and litigation. This singular focus allows us to conduct a deeper and more specialized analysis of the litigation market than broader legal directories. Our research is editorially driven, based on independent market intelligence, interviews, submissions, and client feedback. We aim to recognize only the firms and litigators that the market regards as leaders in their field.

Q: How much influence does a firm's submission have on its ranking?
A: Firm submissions and interviews provide valuable context and help us understand a firm's perspective, key matters, and strategic developments. However, all information is assessed against independent market feedback, client input, and our own research. No single source determines a ranking. Where multiple sources align, they reinforce one another. Where they diverge, additional independent verification may be required.

Q: Can firms pay to be included in Benchmark's rankings?
A: No. Participation in Benchmark's research process is free of charge, and firms cannot pay to be included in rankings. Rankings are determined solely through our independent research process, which incorporates submissions, interviews, market feedback, client input, and independent analysis.

Q: We are a smaller litigation boutique. Can we compete with larger firms?
A: Absolutely. Because Benchmark focuses exclusively on litigation and disputes, specialist litigation boutiques frequently perform as well as, and sometimes better than, large full-service firms. Rankings are based on market standing, expertise, and the quality of work, not firm size.

Q: Do you only rank partners?
A: Yes. Benchmark Canada currently ranks partners only, including those being considered for Future Star recognition. Associates and counsel are not eligible for ranking consideration at this time.

Q: How does the client/professional references survey work?
A: Client and professional referees submitted by firms may be contacted throughout the research cycle and invited via email to participate in a confidential survey. The survey gathers feedback on legal expertise, client service, responsiveness, and overall market reputation. While individual responses remain confidential, anonymized client quotes may appear in published rankings and editorials.

Q: Should we include confidential matters or clients?
A: Yes. Firms may include confidential clients or matters if they believe the information is relevant to our assessment. Any information that should not be published should be clearly identified as confidential and marked in red within the submission materials.

Q: Can we review our firm's editorial before publication?
A: No. Editorial content is independently prepared by Benchmark's editorial team. Firms are not permitted to review, edit, or approve editorials before publication.

Q: Can we request an in-person interview?
A: Yes. In-person interviews are welcomed whenever scheduling permits. Please contact the research team directly to discuss availability.

Q: Should we wait until the questionnaire is complete before scheduling interviews?
A: No. Partner interviews may be scheduled as soon as the research cycle opens (October). In fact, we encourage firms to book interviews early, as availability becomes increasingly limited closer to submission deadlines.

Q: Who reads Benchmark Canada?
A: Benchmark's readership includes law firms, litigation practitioners, in-house counsel, corporate legal departments, insurers, litigation funders, and other buyers of legal services.

Q: How can I stay informed about Benchmark updates?
A: To join our mailing list, please contact Benchmark Litigation Marketing at Joseph.Cousins@legalbenchmarkinggroup.com.

Q: I have a question that isn't answered here. Who should I contact?
A: Please contact the appropriate team member below based on the nature of your inquiry.

Research Inquiries
Makenzie Rodrigues, Head of Research
Makenzie.Rodrigues@benchmarklitigation.com

Blaike Parker, Research Analyst
Blaike.Parker@benchmarklitigation.com

Editorial Inquiries
Michael Rafalowich, Managing Editor
mrafalowich@benchmarklitigation.com

Commercial & Business Development Inquiries
George Reeves, Business Development Manager
George.Reeves@legalbenchmarkinggroup.com

Stuart Gurney, Head of Business Development
Stuart.Gurney@legalbenchmarkinggroup.com

Please note: Benchmark Litigation is introducing a new global submission template for the 2027 research cycle. The questions below address common points of clarification regarding the new form and its application to Benchmark Canada.

Q: If we have offices in multiple provinces, should we submit multiple questionnaires/research forms?
A: No. Firms should submit a single questionnaire that incorporates relevant information from all offices and provinces.

Q: If we are submitting for consideration in practice areas on the national & provincial level, should we separate these out?
A: No. National and provincial considerations may be combined within a single entry. For example: Securities (National & Ontario) or Class Actions (National, Alberta & British Columbia).

Q: If a lawyer has multiple focus areas, should we select the generalist option of "Dispute Resolution" as their primary practice area?
A: Where possible, select the lawyer's primary practice area. Additional areas of focus can be reflected through the accompanying casework and will be considered as part of our assessment. If a practitioner works across multiple disciplines, include representative casework demonstrating those areas of expertise. Practitioners should select "Dispute Resolution" only if they are genuine generalists without a predominant practice focus.

Q: Should we nominate only practitioners who are not already recognized in Top Women?
A: No. If your firm currently has ranked Top Women practitioners, continue to nominate them. If your firm already has five or more recognized individuals, please limit additional nominations to five new candidates.

Q: Do you still require biographies for Top Women nominees?
A: No. We no longer require biographies. Assessments are based primarily on submitted casework and supporting research. Additional context can be provided during interviews.

Q: We do not track some of the statistics requested in the Firm Profile & Statistics section. Will this affect our ranking?
A: No. Providing this information is optional and will not negatively affect rankings or award consideration. The data helps provide broader context regarding practice growth, structure, market position, and industry trends, but it is not a ranking criterion.

Q: Can we submit a firm overview instead of a 12-month highlight?
A: No. Rankings and awards are assessed on a year-over-year basis. We therefore ask firms to summarize developments from the previous 12 months rather than provide a broader historical overview.

Q: Can we leave sections of the questionnaire blank?
A: We encourage firms to complete as much of the questionnaire as possible. While some sections may be less relevant to certain firms, more complete submissions generally allow for a more thorough assessment of a practice. "Geographic Strengths & Alliances", for example, helps provide regional context because firms submit a single national questionnaire.

Q: The awards and casework sections allow only two practice areas (primary and secondary). Can we include additional practice areas?
A: No. Award nominations are limited to two practice areas in order to promote consistency and facilitate fair evaluation across submissions. Limiting submissions to the most relevant categories also helps ensure accurate consideration for practice area-specific awards.

Q: The questionnaire practice areas dropdown menu has many more than the new Canadian national ranking tables. Is this intentional?
A: Yes. The 2027 questionnaire is part of a global Benchmark Litigation template used across multiple jurisdictions/countries. Some categories may not currently correspond to Canadian ranking tables but allow firms to highlight work in emerging areas that may be considered in future research cycles. Top Plaintiffs and Top Boutiques are evaluated separately and are therefore not included as practice area selections.

Q: Can ongoing matters be submitted for Impact Case consideration?
A: Impact Cases must be public and have reached a significant resolution during the research period, such as a trial verdict, appellate ruling, or consequential settlement. Ongoing matters may still be discussed elsewhere in the questionnaire, but Impact Case nominations should be tied to a substantial completed milestone.

Q: Can Canadian firms provide amounts in CAD rather than USD?
A: Yes. While the global template requests USD for consistency across jurisdictions, Benchmark Canada will also accept values reported in CAD.

Q: When the form requests in-house counsel in the casework section, does this refer to in-house counsel of the client?
A: Yes. Where appropriate, please provide the name of the relevant in-house counsel or legal contact at the client organization.

Q: Can associates or counsel be listed under "Other Lawyers Involved"?
A: No. For Benchmark Canada, please list partners only. Although other Benchmark Litigation jurisdictions accept associate and counsel submissions, Benchmark Canada currently ranks partners exclusively.

Q: What does "Governing Law" refer to?
A: For domestic matters, simply listing Canada is generally sufficient. For international or cross-border disputes, please identify the relevant jurisdictions whose laws govern the matter or are otherwise involved.