Menu
Scarborough · Mississaugatlf@teleshlawfirm.ca
Corporate Law

Corporate Law — Toronto

Telesh Law Firm advises business owners across Toronto and the GTA on incorporation, shareholder agreements, commercial contracts, and corporate compliance, from offices in Scarborough and Mississauga. Plain-language advice you can act on, with rates set out before the work begins.

787+
Successful wins
895+
Clients served
Book a consultation→416 · 639 · 0887
Your counsel
  • Caleesis Telesh
    Founder & Principal Lawyer
  • Shaneisha Mattis
    Foreign Trained Lawyer
  • Diego Herrera
    Internationally Trained Lawyer
  • Daniel Osei
    Student Legal Assistant
The person reviewing your matter is the person who answers your call. Meet the team →
Paid one-hour consultationRates set out in writing before work beginsCounsel in eight languagesSaturday by appointmentReplies within one business day
More about the firm
Hours
Telesh Law Firm Professional Corporation is open Monday – Friday 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM. Saturday by appointment. Sunday closed. Consultations are booked in advance; walk-ins are not seen without an appointment.
Offices
Telesh Law Firm has two offices: the Scarborough office at 1585 Markham Road, Scarborough, ON M1B 2W1, and the Mississauga office at 2960 Drew Road, Unit 139, Mississauga, ON L4T 0A5. Call 416-639-0887 or 416-299-8088, or email tlf@teleshlawfirm.ca.
Consultation and rates
Telesh Law Firm offers a paid one-hour consultation: a full review of your matter with a lawyer, so you leave knowing where you stand and what your options are. Rates for the work that follows are set out in plain language before any work begins.
Response time
A member of the team responds to consultation requests within one business day. For an urgent corporate law matter, call rather than write.
Languages
Counsel is available in eight languages: English, Hindi, Urdu, Farsi (Persian), Punjabi, Spanish, and Tamil.
Courts
Telesh Law Firm appears in the Ontario Court of Justice, the Superior Court of Justice, and Small Claims Court in Toronto and across the Greater Toronto Area.
Licensing
Telesh Law Firm Professional Corporation is a member of the Law Society of Ontario. Caleesis Telesh, Founder & Principal Lawyer, is an Ontario licensed lawyer. The firm is also a member of the Canadian Bar Association, Criminal Lawyers' Association, Canadian Immigration Lawyers Association, and Durham Region Law Association.
Clients from
Corporate Law clients come to Telesh Law Firm from the Greater Toronto Area, including Scarborough, Mississauga, Toronto, Brampton, Milton, Newmarket, Oshawa, Barrie, Guelph, Hamilton, and Bracebridge.
Facts reviewed
July 2026. Fees, hours, and availability change; call to confirm before relying on them.
The business brief
01

Legal structure should support the business—not slow it down.

Corporate decisions create obligations long after the document is signed. We help founders, shareholders, and established businesses understand who controls what, where liability sits, how decisions are made, and what happens when plans change. The work begins with the commercial objective, then turns it into clear records and agreements that the people running the company can use.

02
Matter index

What we examine, and why it matters.

Build the foundation

Incorporation & structuring

Incorporation is more than filing articles. The jurisdiction, share structure, directors, officers, and initial resolutions shape ownership, control, and future transactions. We explain the legal choices, prepare the formation documents, and coordinate with the client’s accountant where tax advice affects the structure.

When to call

Before launching a venture, adding an owner, moving an existing operation into a corporation, or changing how ownership is divided.

Documents to gather
  • Proposed corporate names
  • Owner and director information
  • Intended ownership percentages
  • Business and registered-office addresses
Questions we assess
  • Federal or Ontario incorporation?
  • What share classes are needed?
  • Who controls key decisions?
  • Which records must be created at closing?
Define the relationship

Shareholder agreements

A shareholder agreement sets the rules before a disagreement tests the relationship. It can address voting, funding, information rights, transfers, departures, death or disability, valuation, and deadlock. We translate the owners’ expectations into a practical agreement and identify terms that need a business, accounting, or tax decision before drafting is complete.

When to call

When two or more people own the company, before a new shareholder joins, or while the owners still agree on how difficult situations should be handled.

Documents to gather
  • Articles and current minute book
  • Ownership and capitalization table
  • Existing shareholder or partnership terms
  • Any financing or investor documents
Questions we assess
  • Which decisions require special approval?
  • Can an owner sell to a third party?
  • How is a departing owner bought out?
  • What process resolves deadlock?
Document the deal

Commercial contracts

A useful contract tells both sides what must happen, when payment is due, who owns the work, how risk is allocated, and how the relationship can end. We draft and review agreements in plain language, flag one-sided provisions, and focus negotiations on terms that carry real operational or financial consequences.

When to call

Before signing a customer, supplier, service, licensing, confidentiality, or independent-contractor agreement—or when a standard form no longer matches how the business operates.

Documents to gather
  • Draft agreement and schedules
  • Proposal, quote, or statement of work
  • Relevant emails and negotiated terms
  • Insurance or compliance requirements
Questions we assess
  • Is the scope measurable?
  • When can payment be withheld?
  • Who owns intellectual property?
  • How can either party terminate?
Control the transaction

Business purchases & sales

Buying or selling a business requires more than agreeing on price. Asset and share transactions allocate liabilities differently, and the agreement must deal with due diligence, working capital, employees, contracts, conditions, representations, indemnities, and closing deliveries. We organize the legal work from the letter of intent through closing.

When to call

Before signing a letter of intent, paying a deposit, disclosing sensitive records, or committing to an asset or share purchase structure.

Documents to gather
  • Letter of intent or term sheet
  • Corporate and financial records
  • Material contracts and leases
  • Employee and contractor information
Questions we assess
  • Asset purchase or share purchase?
  • Which liabilities transfer?
  • What must due diligence confirm?
  • What survives after closing?
Keep the record straight

Corporate records & compliance

A corporation needs records that match what its owners and directors actually decided. Missing resolutions, outdated registers, or undocumented share issuances can complicate financing, a sale, or a dispute. We review minute books, correct gaps where possible, prepare annual and transaction-specific resolutions, and help keep required filings current.

When to call

When records have fallen behind, a bank or buyer requests the minute book, shares have changed hands, directors or officers have changed, or annual resolutions are overdue.

Documents to gather
  • Minute book and share certificates
  • Articles and amendments
  • Annual returns and notices
  • Prior resolutions and registers
Questions we assess
  • Do the registers match ownership?
  • Were past decisions authorized?
  • Which filings are outstanding?
  • What must be corrected before a transaction?
Counsel for the next decision

Ongoing corporate advice

Businesses rarely need legal advice in isolated boxes. A new contract may affect insurance; a new investor may require governance changes; a dispute may expose a weak process. Ongoing counsel gives management a consistent legal record and a place to test risk before a decision becomes expensive to reverse.

When to call

When the business is growing, entering repeated contracts, hiring senior people, adding investors, changing ownership, or facing recurring compliance questions.

Documents to gather
  • Current organizational chart
  • Standard-form agreements
  • Policies and approval processes
  • Upcoming transaction summaries
Questions we assess
  • Which risks need legal review first?
  • Can a repeatable template solve the issue?
  • Who should approve this decision?
  • What record should the company retain?
03
Decision pathway

From first question to an actionable record.

01

Define

We identify the business objective, decision-makers, timing, and constraints before choosing a document or structure.

02

Structure

We map ownership, authority, obligations, and risk, and coordinate with accounting or tax advisors where needed.

03

Draft

We prepare the agreement, resolutions, or transaction documents in language the client can operate from.

04

Negotiate

We separate material issues from drafting noise and keep the negotiation tied to the commercial goal.

05

Maintain

We complete closing records, identify ongoing obligations, and keep the corporate record aligned with later decisions.

Side by side

Buying the assets or buying the shares.

When a business changes hands, the same deal can be structured two ways, and the choice changes what the buyer takes on. Tax and accounting advice is coordinated with the legal structure before the agreement is drafted.

Point of comparisonAsset purchaseShare purchase
What is boughtParticular assets — equipment, inventory, goodwill, a lease, chosen contracts — listed in the agreement.The corporation itself. Everything it owns and owes comes with it.
LiabilitiesOnly the obligations the buyer agrees to assume; the rest stay with the seller's corporation.All of them, known and unknown, which is why the due diligence and the indemnities matter more.
Contracts and licencesEach one has to be assigned, and many need the other party's or a regulator's consent.Stay in place, because the contracting party has not changed — subject to change-of-control clauses.
EmployeesEmployment ends with the seller and restarts with the buyer; Ontario law carries service forward for notice purposes.Continue uninterrupted with the same employer.
Who usually prefers itBuyers, for the cleaner liability position and a fresh tax cost on the assets.Sellers, who may be able to use the lifetime capital gains exemption on qualifying shares.
04
When clients call

The legal question usually arrives inside a business problem.

01
Hypothetical situation

A shareholder wants out

The owners agree that one person should leave, but they never settled valuation, payment timing, or what happens to guarantees and confidential information.

Our focus: We review the governing documents, map approval and transfer requirements, and structure the exit so ownership and corporate records match the deal.

02
Hypothetical situation

A major customer sends its contract

The commercial opportunity is valuable, but the proposed agreement contains broad indemnities, unclear acceptance terms, and a termination right that could strand completed work.

Our focus: We rank the legal and operational risks, propose targeted revisions, and help the client decide where the business can accept risk and where it should not.

03
Hypothetical situation

The minute book is incomplete

A financing or sale is approaching and the company’s share register, annual resolutions, and director records do not reflect years of informal decisions.

Our focus: We review the available evidence, identify gaps, prepare corrective records where legally supportable, and organize the book for the transaction.

Prepare the file

Bring the record, not just the problem.

A complete first review makes the consultation more useful. Organize what you have; do not delay getting advice because one document is missing.

  1. 01Articles, amendments, and corporate profile
  2. 02Minute book, registers, and share certificates
  3. 03Shareholder, partnership, or investor agreements
  4. 04Material customer, supplier, lease, and financing contracts
  5. 05Ownership chart and director/officer details
  6. 06Proposals, term sheets, and negotiated business points
  7. 07Recent notices, filings, and correspondence
Risks to identify early
01

Personal and corporate obligations

Incorporation can separate legal identity, but guarantees, director obligations, and personal conduct may still create exposure. The documents must show where each obligation sits.

02

Control without a process

Equal ownership, vague approval rules, and undocumented decisions create avoidable deadlock. Governance terms should match how the owners intend to run the business.

03

Templates that do not match operations

A polished template can still fail if its payment, delivery, liability, or termination terms do not reflect the actual transaction.

04

Records left until the transaction

Corporate gaps become slower and more expensive to fix when a lender, investor, buyer, or dispute has already created a deadline.

Last reviewed: July 2026This page provides general legal information, not advice for a specific matter. Legal rights and deadlines depend on the facts.
In their words

Advised, and heard.

“Great team! Always on top of everything and get the work done fast.”
Veronica · Google review
“Telesh Law Firm provides outstanding legal services. The team is highly knowledgeable — I would highly recommend.”
A.M · Google review
Common questions

Answers, in plain language.

It depends on your liability, tax, and growth picture. We set out the advantages and the obligations so you can decide for your situation.

Yes. We review commercial contracts in plain language, flag the risks, and suggest changes before you commit.

We help keep your corporate records and required filings current, so your business stays in good standing.

We set out rates up front, including government fees. Book a consultation for a quote specific to your needs.

Ideally, when ownership is established and before conflict exists. It is also worth revisiting the agreement when a new owner, investor, financing, or major change in responsibility is being considered.

An asset purchase selects particular business assets and assumed obligations. A share purchase transfers ownership of the corporation itself, including its history and liabilities. Tax and accounting advice should be coordinated with the legal structure.

The minute book records ownership, directors, officers, share issuances, and corporate decisions. Lenders, investors, buyers, and their lawyers commonly review it, and missing records can delay a transaction.

Free tool

Corporate filing deadlines

A fiscal year end turned into the T2, tax balance, instalment, HST and annual return dates, each with the section it comes from.

Open the calculator
Corporate Law by location
From the blog

Corporate Law explained, in plain language.

All articles
Business owner reviewing incorporation and guarantee documents at a desk in a Toronto office
Corporate Law

When are business owners personally liable in Ontario?

Incorporating protects owners from most business debts, but not all of them. Here is where Ontario law holds directors and owners personally liable.

July 15, 20266 min read
Read more
Canadian and Emirati officials seated in conversation between their two national flags
Corporate Law

Canada-UAE trade and investment agreements: what they mean for Canadian business

Canada and the UAE signed an investment protection agreement and have now concluded CEPA talks. Here is what that means for your business.

June 3, 20265 min read
Read more
Two business owners and their lawyers reviewing a purchase agreement across a boardroom table
Corporate Law

Buying or selling a business in Ontario: shares or assets, and everything that follows

Sellers want a share sale, buyers want the assets, and the tax gap between them is negotiable. Here is how an Ontario business deal actually gets done.

May 26, 20269 min read
Read more
Speak with counsel

Book a consultation.

Book a consultation→416 · 639 · 0887
Consultations available in eight languages.