Martha Harrison expects tariffs to remain in the spotlight over at least the next four years
Tariffs announced and imposed on Canada by the Trump administration have left Canadian law firms scrambling to find lawyers with sufficient international trade expertise – an area considered niche in regular times.
That demand is already influencing legal hiring. Senior trade lawyers have repeatedly expressed concerns to Canadian Lawyer that Canada may lack the depth of talent required to meet client needs in the face of rapidly evolving geopolitical shifts.
At McCarthy Tétrault, the international trade group has expanded. The firm is training internal talent to meet the rising demand and investing in complementary practice areas that support clients whose businesses are impacted by tariffs.
Martha Harrison, a partner at McCarthy who focuses on international trade, says the firm has pulled in associates from litigation and corporate commercial groups to train in certain aspects of trade law.
This has traditionally been considered a niche area. However, the issues are increasingly complex, Harrison says, adding that international trade matters are highly technical, fast-moving, and require deep subject expertise.
“It’s not an area of law you can dabble in.”
She adds that the international trade talent pool needs to grow nationwide to ensure firms are equipped to respond.
“I think that tariffs and trade policy are going to carry on being a very important subject area over the next four years, at least for the rest of the Trump administration.”
McCarthy also hired Vasuda Sinha, a new partner in its international arbitration group, to strengthen its ability to handle disputes of increasing complexity. Sinha, who previously practised in Paris for a decade, says arbitration is particularly relevant now as companies seek to resolve disputes tied to international commerce and investment treaties.
“It's still the early days… but arbitration is the most common forum for the resolution of international disputes. So, there's a clear opportunity there,” Sinha says.
While Sinha draws some parallels with the business uncertainty of the COVID-19 era, she stresses that the current situation is different in both substance and scope.
“It's an important area to watch. I think there is an opportunity for both commercial arbitration and investor-state arbitration to provide solutions, but we still don't actually know what the problem is and how it's going to play out.”
Trade lawyers were flooded with basic legal inquiries at the outset of the tariff disruptions. That urgency hasn’t subsided, but the nature of questions has changed.
Harrison says that clients have matured in how they process complex shifts. Early on, many asked what tariffs were or how they were legally enforced. Now, the conversations are more strategic.
“They’re asking what these developments mean for their long-term investment strategies, for their supply chains, and for their global operations.”
Harrison says her team has grown adept at handling near-daily changes in administrating and enforcing tariffs. In parallel, clients have become more capable of interpreting those changes and identifying risks.
“Now, the questions are more broad-based,” she says.
That shift has also influenced how legal services are delivered. Harrison says the firm regularly works with consultants, accountants, ESG auditors, government relations teams, and supply chain specialists.
Meanwhile, McCarthy’s international trade team has grown to include 10 lawyers practising nearly full-time in the area and another 15 to 20 providing peripheral subject expertise. Harrison says the team has tripled in size since she joined seven years ago.
The regulatory group has also seen heightened demand, particularly as product classification and customs compliance become critical under evolving tariff policies.
With Sinha’s addition, Harrison says the firm now offers an end-to-end international trade and dispute resolution model.
In the end, she adds, the pace of change isn’t likely to slow.
