Jennifer A. Bishop
Admitted to the Ontario Bar: 2001
-
Toronto
- Bio
- Awards & Recognition
- Professional Involvement
- Selected Speaking Engagements
- Insights
- Education
Jennifer is Co-Chair of the firm’s Mergers & Acquisitions Group and founder and Co-Chair of the Sports, Media & Entertainment Group. She also serves as Global Chair of the International Bar Association’s Women Lawyers' Committee. Jennifer is recognized as a leading Canadian corporate lawyer by multiple legal ranking organizations including Best Lawyers in Canada, The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory and the Top 40 Lawyers Under 40. She has also been named one of the 2024 Top 25 Women of Influence by Women of Influence+. Jennifer is called upon frequently to speak internationally on matters relating to corporate law and governance, leadership and gender equity.
Jennifer’s extensive business law experience and dedication to client service makes her a trusted advisor who provides strategic advice on a wide array of domestic, cross border and international matters. She has a corporate practice that focuses on all areas of business law, including mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, reorganizations, complex commercial matters and ongoing general corporate advice in a variety of sectors including sports, hospitality, manufacturing, technology, real estate and financial services.
After competing at the national and international levels in tennis, Jennifer remains dedicated to the business of sport through her work with Tennis Canada and other key global leadership positions. Jennifer is the immediate past Chair of the Board of Tennis Canada and currently serves on the Executive Board and as Chair of the Nominating Committee. She is also a member of the International Tennis Federation’s Davis Cup committee, a key committee that has oversight over the premiere global team event for men’s tennis after having served on the Billie Jean Cup committee from 2019-2021. In 2022, Jennifer was appointed to the Canadian Olympic Committee’s Ethics and Governance committee, a position she holds with great pride. Jennifer fuels her passion for giving back to sport as Chair of the Board of the Doug Philpott Inner-City Children’s Tennis Federation, the only tennis charity in Canada dedicated exclusively to children in priority needs neighbourhoods serving over 8,500 participants each year. Jennifer is an ambassador for Tennis Canada’s Game. Set. Equity initiative and in 2022 was inducted into the Newfoundland & Labrador Tennis Hall of Fame as an athlete and a builder.
Awards & Recognition
- Recipient, Top 25 Women of Influence Awards, 2024
- Recognized in The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory as a leading lawyer in the area of Corporate Commercial Law and Corporate Mid-Market
- The Best Lawyers in Canada – Corporate Law and Mergers and Acquisitions Law, 2021-2024
- Recognized as one of Lexpert’s Rising Stars: Leading Lawyers Under 40, 2010
- Recipient, J.W. Whiteside Award for outstanding commitment and service to the Faculty of Law, Legal Professional and Community, 1999
Professional Involvement
Memberships
- Chair, Women Lawyers' Committee, International Bar Association
- International Bar Association
- Sports Lawyers Association
- Women in Sports and Events
- American Bar Association (Business Law Section)
- Law Society of Ontario
- Ontario Bar Association (Business Law, Corporate Counsel)
Community Involvement
- Advisory Board, Holt Xchange Media, Sports & Entertainment Fintech Fund
- Member, International Tennis Federation, Davis Cup Committee
- Executive Board Member, Tennis Canada
- Chair of the Board of Directors, The Doug Philpott Inner-City Children’s Tennis Fund
- Member, International Tennis Federation, Billie Jean King Cup Committee
- Member of the Board of Directors, Toronto Swim Club, 2017 – 2019
- Past President of the Board of Directors, Toronto Lawn Tennis Club, 2016 – 2017
- Member of the Advisory Board, Smiling Land Foundation, 2008 – 2014
- Member of the Board of Directors, Live to Give Relief Organization (Dress for Success), 2009 – 2010
Selected Speaking Engagements
Panellist, Women in Law Panel, Pre-Law Shadowers, March 27, 2025.
Panellist, Sports & Business Law Panel, Law & Business Student Association, Toronto Metropolitan University, March 18, 2025.
Panellist, "Global Responses to the Efficacious Engagement of Women in Governance," Beijing+30, March 12, 2025.
Speaker, "Sport Management," Ted Rogers School of Business MBA Class, February 6, 2025.
Co-Chair, 10th World Women Lawyers' Conference: Driving Change, October 23-25, 2024.
Speaker, "Fireside Chat With Women Law Firm Leaders," IBA Annual Conference Mexico City, September 15-20, 2024.
Speaker, "Growth and Monetization of Women's Professional Sports," ABA | 45th Annual Conference of the Forum on the Entertainment & Sports Industries, October 5-7, 2023.
Speaker, "Monetization of Sport," Georgetown University MBA Class, October 3, 2023.
Moderator, "Beyond the Court: A Look at Equity: Keynote Session with Maria Sharapova," UNMATCHED: Gender Equity in Sports, August 9, 2023.
Moderator, "How Betting Almost Ended My Basketball Career: Case Study with Jordan Spencer," 2023 Symposium on Competition Manipulation and Gambling in Sport, May 31, 2023.
Co-Chair, United Nations 67th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women, March 13, 2023.
Panellist, "Embracing Equity in the Leadership of Sport," Said Business School/Oxford University International Women's Day Panel, March 8, 2023.
Event Host, "Women Owning Court," ONcourt, March 4, 2023.
Speaker, "Finding Your Forward: Gender Equity in Sport," SponsorshipX, Montreal, Quebec, November 23, 2022.
Speaker, UNMATCHED Gender Equity in Sports Conference featuring Billie Jean King, Presented by Tennis Canada & National Bank, Toronto, Ontario, August 10, 2022.
Speaker, "Women in Sports Law," Osgoode Sports and Entertainment Law Association, Toronto, Ontario, February 14, 2022.
Speaker, “Boardroom Skills and Influence,” International Tennis Federation Advantage All Seminar Series, July 15, 2021.
Keynote Speaker, University of Toronto Rotman School of Management, Sports Business Association Annual Conference, Toronto, Ontario, March 2021.
Speaker, “Closing the Gender Gap,” Global Leaders 4 Parity Virtual Conference Series, Women in Governance, July 2020.
Speaker, “Future Proofing Tennis in an Era of Accelerated Transformation,” International Tennis Federation Annual General Meeting, Lisbon, Portugal, September 2019.
Speaker, “Insights From Roads Well-Travelled – A Panel of Levelers, Disruptors and Alchemists Talks Success in Navigating Advancement in Today’s Legal Environment,” International Bar Association Conference, Rome, Italy, October 2018.
Roundtable, “The Time is Now,” Moderated and Presented by The Law Society of England & Wales International Group, International Bar Association Conference, Rome, Italy, October 2018.
Speaker, “Cracking the Glass Ceiling,” World Women’s Lawyer’s Conference, International Bar Association Conference, London, UK, April 2018.
Speaker, “Resilience Under Pressure, Thriving or Surviving in the Legal Profession,” International Bar Association Conference, Sydney, Australia, October 2017.
Speaker, “Departures and Lateral Hires of Partners,” International Bar Association Conference, Sydney, Australia, October 2017.
Speaker, “Law in a Changing World – How Women Contribute to Innovation,” International Bar Association Conference, Washington, D.C., September 2016.
Speaker, 3rd Annual “Forward Together” Conference (in association with American Express, Catalyst, Corus, Dentsu Aegis, Facebook, Exact Media, Google, P&G, Pepsi Co, Salesforce and Telus), Toronto, Ontario, May 2016.
Insights
Education
- LLB, University of Windsor, 1999
- BA, University of South Florida, 1993