A leading lawyer in his field, Omar has deep understanding of competition law and foreign investment matters and extensive experience that spans industries, giving clients creative, tailored advice across business-critical transactions, discrete matters and investigations.
Omar is co-chair of the firm’s Competition and Foreign Investment Review Practice and advises international and domestic clients on all aspects of competition law and foreign investment matters.
In his competition practice, Omar provides strategic advice to firms involved in mergers, cartel and abuse of dominance investigations under the Competition Act.
In his foreign investment review practice, Omar advises clients on net benefit and national security reviews under the Investment Canada Act. He has represented numerous foreign investors, including state-owned enterprises, as well as domestic targets in acquisition transactions.
Omar works with clients active in a wide range of business sectors, including automotive parts, agricultural products, chemicals, consumer products, energy, financial services, grocery retailing, manufacturing, media, metals and mining, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications and transportation.
—Chambers Canada, 2024
2016-2024 | Chambers Canada—Leading lawyer in competition/antitrust |
2012-2023 | Chambers Global—Leading lawyer in competition/antitrust |
2018-2024 | The Legal 500—Leading lawyer in competition and antitrust |
2010-2024 | Best Lawyers in Canada—Leading lawyer in competition/antitrust law |
2022 | Best Lawyers in Canada—competition/antitrust law lawyer of the year (Toronto) |
2016-2024 | Lexpert/American Lawyer's Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada—Leading lawyer in competition law |
2016-2023 | The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory—Leading lawyer in competition law |
2018-2023 | Who’s Who Legal—Foreign Investment Control; Thought Leader: Global Elite in competition and foreign investment control; Thought Leader in competition |
2019 | Lexpert’s Guide to US/Canada Cross-Border Lawyers in Canada—Most frequently recommended in business issues |
2008 | Global Competition Review—40 under 40 |
Omar is the author of the two leading competition law texts, The Annotated Competition Act and The Annotated Investment Canada Act, both published annually by Thomson Carswell. He is a non-practising member of the Law Society of England and Wales.
Omar is a member of the Executive Committee of Canadian Bar Association's National Competition Law Section and is past-chair of the Section's Mergers and Foreign Investment Review committees. He is also a member of the Foreign Investment Review Committee and the Mergers Committee of the Competition Law Section for the Canadian Bar Association. In addition, he is a member of the Antitrust Law Section and International Law Section for the American Bar Association, as well as for the International Bar Association.
Omar is also a member of the CD Howe Institute's Competition Policy Council and the Practical Law Canada Advisory Board. He is also a private-sector adviser to the International Competition Network, a multijurisdictional organisation that seeks to facilitate effective international cooperation in competition law enforcement.