Woods

What Woods does

Woods (legal name: Woods s.e.n.c.r.l) is a Montreal-based boutique law firm founded in 1995 by James A. Woods, Ad.E., focused exclusively on litigation, arbitration, and insolvency/restructuring. The firm operates a single office at 2000 avenue McGill College, Suite 1700, in Montreal, Quebec, and is structured as a Quebec limited liability partnership (s.e.n.c.r.l.). It employs 51–100 people and serves large corporations, financial institutions, international entities, and sports organizations on high-stakes, complex commercial disputes in Quebec, across Canada, and internationally.

The firm's service portfolio is organized around three core pillars — Litigation, Arbitration, and Insolvency & Restructuring — supplemented by specialized practice areas including class actions, complex commercial matters, appeals, white-collar crime and investigations, defamation, employment law, infrastructure and construction, corporate and securities litigation, professional and director/officer liability, and sports law before the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Notably, Woods operates what it characterizes as one of the only full-time international arbitration practices in Canada, with multilingual professionals trained in both civil and common law traditions. Counsel ranks include a former Supreme Court of Canada justice (Hon. Clément Gascon, C.C., Ad.E.) and a retired Quebec Superior Court judge (Hon. André Prévost), lending significant bench-level credibility.

The business model is a conventional professional services model: billable legal work (hourly or fixed-fee) delivered through direct client engagement with no intermediaries, resellers, or subscription pricing. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. The firm has no technology platform, no proprietary software, and no AI/ML components; its competitive position rests on partner-level talent, 30+ years of brand equity, and rankings in Chambers, Legal 500, Benchmark Litigation, Lexpert, Canadian Lawyer, and The Globe & Mail. Client wins include representation of CHUM, Chrysler Canada, Vidéotron, National Bank of Canada, Rothmans Benson & Hedges, Cinar Corporation, Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board, and the World Anti-Doping Agency on matters ranging from tens of millions to tens of billions of dollars in dispute value.

Name

Woods

Legal name

Woods s.e.n.c.r.l

Website

https://woods.qc.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Woods is a Montreal-based boutique law firm founded in 1995 that specializes in litigation, arbitration, and insolvency. It serves large corporations, financial institutions, and international clients on complex commercial disputes across Quebec and Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Legal Services: Professional legal services including litigation, arbitration, and insolvency matters billed on professional services basis

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Woods is a Montreal-based litigation boutique providing specialized legal services across three core areas: litigation, arbitration, and insolvency and restructuring. The firm represents corporations, financial institutions, and international clients in complex commercial disputes, international and domestic arbitration, insolvency proceedings, class actions, and appellate matters. Its team includes multilingual professionals trained in both civil and common law, and counts former judges of the Quebec Superior Court and Supreme Court of Canada among its counsel.

Product overview

Woods is a Montreal-based litigation, arbitration, and insolvency law firm offering legal services through three core service lines: Litigation, Arbitration, and Insolvency and Restructuring. The firm operates as a single unified legal practice with specialized practice areas including Class Actions, Complex Commercial Matters, Appeals, White Collar Crime and Investigations, Defamation, Contractual Disputes, Administrative and Constitutional Law, Employment Law, International Law, Infrastructure and Construction, Injunctions and Urgent Applications, Corporate and Securities Litigation, Manufacturer Liability, Professional and Director/Officer Liability, Arbitration and Alternative Dispute Resolution, International Arbitration, and Sports Law and Sports Arbitration. Founded in 1995 by James A. Woods, Woods is recognized as one of the largest litigation boutiques in Canada with over 30 years of experience.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Litigation Services

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• LinkedInminorOthersThe firm maintains a LinkedIn company page for professional networking and visibility (https://ca.linkedin.com/company/woods-llp)

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Dentons Canada: World's largest law firm with a strong Canadian litigation and arbitration practice including Montreal-based partners, competing on complex commercial mandates.
• Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg: Toronto-based elite Canadian firm renowned for high-stakes commercial litigation and arbitration; competes directly with Woods on premium dispute mandates.
• Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP: Major Canadian firm with a strong litigation, international arbitration and insolvency practice, with significant Montreal presence directly competing in Quebec.
• Borden Ladner Gervais LLP: Canada's largest full-service law firm with a nationally recognized litigation, arbitration, and insolvency practice competing across provinces.
• Norton Rose Fulbright Canada: Global law firm with a substantial Canadian litigation and international arbitration practice, frequently competing for the cross-border mandates Woods targets.
• Stikeman Elliott LLP: Major Canadian law firm with a top-tier litigation, arbitration, and restructuring practice, frequently retained on the same complex commercial disputes as Woods.
• Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP: Leading Canadian national firm with a top-ranked commercial litigation and arbitration group, often retained alongside or against Woods on complex matters.
• McCarthy Tétrault: One of Canada's largest national law firms with a leading commercial litigation, arbitration, and insolvency practice across multiple provinces, competing with Woods on complex mandates.

Direct peers

• BCF Business Law: Quebec-based business law firm with comparable litigation and dispute resolution capabilities and a similar mid-sized boutique structure.
• Langlois Lawyers: Quebec-based full-service law firm with a strong litigation, arbitration and insolvency practice; the closest Canadian boutique comparable in size, geography, and practice mix.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/woods-llp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Woods