John J. Lennard

First Year of Call
Ontario, 2023

Areas of Practice
Taxation

Description
John J. Lennard is a partner in the Tax Group. He works closely with leading private and public companies, as well as pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, private equity firms and Crown corporations on corporate reorganizations, mergers and acquisitions, investment fund formation, and corporate finance matters. He frequently consults on cross-border transactions, structuring non-resident investment into Canada and outbound investment by Canadian multinationals. John also advises high-net-worth individuals on a wide variety of taxation matters. John’s clients turn to him for his practical and business-oriented advice on all aspects of domestic and international tax planning.

In addition to his tax planning practice, John represents taxpayers in tax audit matters and in disputes with the Canada Revenue Agency and provincial taxation authorities, and acts as counsel in tax litigation matters before the courts.

A frequent speaker at tax conferences and contributor to various tax publications, John is particularly well-regarded for his thought leadership on the taxation of hedge funds and other private investment funds.

Professional Activities
John is member of the Canadian Tax Foundation and the International Fiscal Association.

Background
John is an active community volunteer in Montreal and Toronto. He is a member of the Major Donors’ Cabinet of Centraide of Greater Montréal and is a Director of its endowment arm, the Centraide of Greater Montréal Foundation. John is also a member of the McGill University Faculty of Law Advisory Board.

A longtime advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in the legal profession, John is a member of the Canadian Association of Black Lawyers, the Canadian Bar Association’s Québec Steering Committee for the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Committee, and L’Association des juristes d’expression française de l’Ontario.