Federal or Provincial — Incorporate Right
Whether you incorporate federally under the CBCA or provincially in Ontario, BC, or Alberta shapes where you can operate and what you must file. We help you choose.
CIPO Trademark & IP Protection
Registering your trademark with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office to protect your brand from coast to coast.
10+ Years of Business & Legal Experience
Federal & Provincial Coverage Across Canada
Ontario, BC, Alberta & Quebec Focus
1000+ Contracts Drafted & Reviewed
Our Canadian Practice Areas
In Canada, the Province Decides the Rules
Canada is not one legal market — it is fourteen. Each province and territory sets its own employment standards, consumer-protection rules, limitation periods, and corporate statutes, and Quebec operates under a civil-law system rooted in the Civil Code of Québec rather than the common law that governs the rest of the country. A document drafted for Ontario can be unenforceable, or simply wrong, in Quebec or British Columbia.
Termination clauses are the clearest example. Canadian courts scrutinise employment termination provisions more strictly than almost anywhere else; a clause that dips below the statutory minimum, even unintentionally, can be struck down entirely and expose the employer to costly common-law reasonable notice. We draft these to hold.
Federal layers sit on top. CASL governs commercial electronic messages with significant penalties, PIPEDA and Quebec’s Law 25 govern personal data, and the Investment Canada Act can apply to foreign acquisitions. We build these into your contracts and structure from the start.
We don’t just draft documents. We design structures that work in the province you actually operate in, and across the federal rules that apply nationwide.
Who We Serve in Canada
Legal counsel for businesses operating in Canada.
From Toronto and Vancouver startups to Montreal and Calgary enterprises, find your starting point and the Canadian services built around you.
Prakhar Rai | Founder & Attorney
Attorney & Founder
Prakhar Rai
Prakhar Rai founded My Legal Pal after seeing how often businesses treated Canada as a single legal market, reusing one Ontario template across provinces or assuming a U.S. contract would carry over the border. With over a decade in corporate advisory, he built a practice that respects how much Canadian law turns on the province, and on the federal rules layered above it.
A graduate of La Martiniere College, holding an LL.B and a Master of Business Laws from the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bangalore, with specialization in Corporate, Banking, Intellectual Property, Finance, and Securities Laws, Prakhar combines strong academic foundations with practical cross-border advisory experience.
My Legal Pal works with local Canadian counsel where provincial representation or law-society-regulated advice is required, leading the structuring, drafting, and strategy for businesses across Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec, and beyond.
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Real Stories. Real Success
From startups to established businesses, our clients share how My Legal Pal simplified their legal journey and protected what matters most.
As a Canadian startup working with investors in Asia, we needed solid contracts that satisfied all parties. My Legal Pal delivered documents that were both internationally compliant and commercially practical.
They flagged that our employment termination clause wouldn’t hold up and redrafted it properly. Exactly the kind of detail that matters in Canada.
It was a breeze to work with Prakhar, he was clear, responsive, and very easy going with any required changes.
Canadian Legal Services — Frequently Asked Questions
Should I incorporate federally or provincially in Canada?
Federal incorporation under the Canada Business Corporations Act (CBCA) gives you name protection across the country and is often preferred if you operate in multiple provinces, though you must still register extra-provincially where you carry on business. Provincial incorporation (for example under Ontario’s OBCA or BC’s BCBCA) can be simpler and cheaper if you operate in one province. We match the choice to where you actually trade and raise.
Is Quebec law different from the rest of Canada?
Yes, significantly. Quebec follows a civil-law system based on the Civil Code of Québec, while the other provinces and territories follow the common law. Contract interpretation, certain formalities, and language requirements differ. A contract written for Ontario should not simply be reused in Quebec, and French-language obligations may apply.
Why are employment termination clauses such a big deal in Canada?
Canadian courts scrutinise termination clauses very strictly. If a clause attempts to give an employee less than the statutory minimum under the applicable Employment Standards Act, or is ambiguous, courts can void it entirely and award common-law reasonable notice, which is often far more than the contract intended. A carefully drafted, compliant clause is essential, and the rules vary by province.
Can you register a trademark with CIPO?
Yes. We handle Canadian trademark search, filing with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO), and responses to examiner objections, under the modernized Trademarks Act and Nice Classification, to protect your brand across Canada.
What is CASL and does it affect my business?
CASL is Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation, governing commercial electronic messages such as marketing emails. It requires consent, identification, and unsubscribe mechanisms, and carries substantial penalties for non-compliance. If you market to Canadians electronically, your terms and consent flows need to be CASL-compliant, and we draft them accordingly.
Do you draft PIPEDA and Law 25 compliant privacy policies?
Yes. We draft privacy policies and consent frameworks compliant with PIPEDA federally and provincial regimes including Quebec’s Law 25, which has introduced some of the strictest privacy obligations in Canada.
Do you work with local Canadian lawyers?
Yes. Where a matter requires advice regulated by a provincial law society or representation before a Canadian court, we coordinate with local licensed counsel, while leading the structuring, drafting, and overall strategy.
Are your services available outside Canada too?
Yes. Alongside Canada, we serve clients in India, the USA, UK, UAE, Singapore, and Australia, and regularly handle cross-border, Canada-U.S., and multi-jurisdictional work.