Three partners, two associates in Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto

Bennett Jones is bolstering its tax litigation team with some of the most highly-respected and experienced tax litigation lawyers in Canada. Ed Kroft, Jehad Haymour and Deborah Toaze have joined as partners. Ed will serve as head of the firm’s tax litigation & dispute resolution practice. Also joining Bennett Jones are associates Sophie Virji and Eric Brown. These new partners and associates will work out of the firm’s Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto offices and serve clients across Canada, the U.S. and globally.

“Tax litigation is a high stakes, complex and contentious area,” says Hugh MacKinnon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Bennett Jones. “Clients need strategic advice and creative solutions on complicated Canadian and international tax matters. With the addition of this stellar group, we now have one of Canada’s strongest national tax litigation practices to serve clients across the country and around the world.”

The new members of Bennett Jones’ tax litigation team have decades of expertise at the highest levels of business and the courts. They work with major Canadian and global corporations, public and private companies, and financial institutions. They regularly represent clients before the CRA, Tax Court of Canada, Federal Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court of Canada.

Ed Kroft, Q.C., CPA (Hon.), FRPSC represents clients in domestic and international matters including transfer pricing, treaty interpretation and tax avoidance. He is recognized as a leading lawyer in directories such as Chambers Global, Chambers Canada, and Lexpert’s recent Canadian, U.S./Canada Cross-Border and Corporate Tax guides. Ed was a member of the Rules Committee of the Tax Court of Canada for many years, and a member of the Federal Courts Bench and Bar Committee. He was in the inaugural class of recipients of the Canadian Tax Foundation’s Lifetime Contribution Award in 2016.

Jehad Haymour has practiced tax litigation for almost 30 years, with an emphasis on tax disputes for large corporations. He advises Canadian and global clients on complex tax disputes and other matters such as tax reporting advice related to energy-based projects, transfer pricing and other cross-border tax issues. He is ranked by Lexpert, Chambers Global, Chambers Canada, International Tax Review, Best Lawyers in Canada and other guides as a leading lawyer in tax.

Deborah Toaze is a lawyer who represents clients on tax dispute resolution and transfer pricing. In her transfer pricing practice she advises clients on resolving disputes, avoiding them, and the impact of transfer pricing on M&A. She has held senior tax roles in the financial services industry and is a chartered accountant. Deborah is recognized in International Tax Review’s Women in Tax Leaders 2018.

Sophie Virji helps private and public corporations manage their tax controversies and formulate litigation strategies. She handles all aspects of the tax dispute resolution process and advocates complex written and oral legal positions for appearances before Canada’s highest courts. Sophie has been engaged on a wide array of tax matters including transfer pricing, international taxation and corporate reorganizations.

Eric Brown served as a judicial law clerk to the judges of the Tax Court of Canada and articled with the Federal Court of Appeal, clerking for the Honourable Justice Wyman W. Webb. Eric focuses on tax litigation and regularly writes on key trends and developments in tax litigation and how they affect businesses.

About Bennett Jones

Bennett Jones is one of Canada's premier business law firms and home to 400 lawyers and business advisors. With deep experience in complex transactions and litigation matters, the firm is well equipped to advise foreign businesses and investors with Canadian ventures, and connect Canadian businesses and investors with opportunities around the world.

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