Paliare Roland Rosenberg Rothstein LLP

Practice area: Constitutional law
What do they do?: Although there is no formal constitutional law practice group, many of the firm’s lawyers will touch on constitutional law from time to time. In a recent high-profile case, the firm successfully challenged the constitutionality of the federal government’s security certificate legislation.
In their own words: “Constitutional cases are some of the most complex public law cases you can do. They cut to the core of how we organize our society. The constitutionality of the state’s response to terrorist threats post-9/11 is the cutting edge constitutional issue of our time.”
— Robert Centa, partner

Lang Michener LLP

Practice area: Biotech (part of the firm’s intellectual property group)
What do they do?: Most biotechnology cases involve intellectual property rights for technological and chemical innovations — having more to do with patents than labs and test tubes. One of the issues the IP group is interested in is the ability to obtain patent protection for things that have been learned from natural medicine practitioners in places like South America and Africa.
In their own words: “The beauty of what I do is I get to see these really neat ideas right after people come up with them. I can’t tell you how much fun I’ve had learning about this stuff — it’s just a blast.” — Peter Wells, partner

Minden Gross LLP

Practice area: Real estate
What do they do?: The real estate group is a broad umbrella for mortgage lending, pure real estate (the purchase and sale of commercial properties) and leasing. For example, the firm is involved in a new venture called “Woodbine Live!” near Toronto’s Pearson airport that will be a huge entertainment development including restaurants, music venues, shopping, parks, and recreation sites.
In their own words: “We end up dealing with the cream of the crop in terms of developers… Plus a lot of high-powered retailers like Starbucks, Reitmans, La Senza, Ruth’s Chris, and Pharma Plus. The list goes on.” — Stephen Messinger, partner