Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison has opened an office in Toronto with a double hire from Shearman & Sterling.

The partners joining the new office are Christopher Cummings, the managing partner of Shearman's Toronto office, and corporate partner Adam Givertz.

Also joining the new office will be Paul Weiss corporate partner Andrew Foley, who is relocating from New York. Foley is a member of the firm's Canadian practice group and specialises in capital markets and securities as well as corporate governance.

The firm will also be recruiting a number of associates to join the new base.

The office, which will practise only US law, is the US firm's first presence in Canada, alongside its other international bases in Beijing, Hong Kong, London and Tokyo.

The firm has three US offices in New York, Wilmington and Washington DC.

Paul Weiss Canada practice group chair Edwin Maynard said: "Canada is very important to us. It's a strong country, financially and fiscally. It's the US's largest trading partner by far, and it has been very robust source of important work for our firm, with a lot of cross-border matters.

"Canada has been commented on as being the strongest economy in the G8, which has drawn a lot of attention to Canada globally. But that wasn't the deciding factor for us – for over 40 years we've had a dedicated Canadian practice, and this was just the right time for us to open there."

Canada's financial resilience and wealth of natural resources have made the country an attractive target for international law firms. UK top 10 firm Norton Rose is set to formally merge with Canada's Ogilvy Renault as of 1 June 2011.

Meanwhile, it was reported last month (7 March) that City firm Clyde & Co was in talks to open in Canada through a tie-up with local insurance boutique Nicholl Paskell-Mede.