OUR PEOPLE

Janet Lee is a partner in Gowlings’ Toronto office. Her real estate practice focuses on acquisitions and dispositions of office, retail and industrial real properties, financings for both borrowers and lenders, structuring joint venture transactions, land transfer tax and leasing for landlords and tenants of office, retail and industrial premises.

Janet advises public and private companies of all sizes, banks, REITs, insurance companies, developers, foreign enterprises, pension funds, hospitals and not-for-profit organizations.  She has worked with notable clients such as OMERS, Oxford Properties, Royal Bank of Canada, Manulife, Metropolitan Life and General Electric.  

Janet is a member of Gowlings’ China Group. Janet is proficient in written and spoken Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese). She advises Chinese state-owned enterprises and private investors and Chinese-Canadian businesses on their investments and operations in Canada. In 2002, Janet was seconded to General Motors' in-house legal department in Shanghai, China.

Janet brings to her legal practice extensive business experience in the commercial real estate industry. Before becoming a lawyer, Janet assisted overseas investors in the acquisition of investment properties in Toronto. She also worked with Canada’s largest commercial real estate service firm, specializing in the purchase and sale of development sites and investment properties.