These are British Columbia’s top mergers and acquisitions lawyers based on the results of Lexpert’s latest expansive peer survey. For the complete list of the most recommended M&A lawyers and law firms in the province, check out our practice area rankings.
Mergers and acquisitions is the branch of corporate law dealing with the purchase of one company by another or the blending of two companies into a new entity.
Most frequently recommended mergers and acquisitions lawyers
David A. Allard
Law firm: Lawson Lundell LLP
Year called to the bar: 1987
David A. Allard is a partner at Lawson Lundell LLP. He devotes his practice to mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance and securities law. Allard has extensive experience in advising private and public companies on transactional and general corporate commercial matters, corporate reorganizations and restructurings and corporate governance issues. His major representative transactional work includes the sale and purchase of large-scale manufacturing and processing operations and businesses, multi-jurisdictional structured sale transactions, private equity and venture capital investments, convertible debt financings, early-stage financings and corporate restructuring transactions and proceedings. Allard is a sought-after lecturer on business law matters and a regular contributor to continuing legal education publications.
Cameron G. Belsher
Law firm: McCarthy Tétrault LLP
Year called to the bar: 1988
Cameron G. Belsher is a partner at McCarthy Tétrault LLP’s Vancouver and Toronto offices. He specializes in corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions. His recent experience includes acting as lead counsel on substantial debt restructurings, cross-border and domestic M&A involving public and private companies, proxy contests, initial public offerings, public and private equity and debt financings, and joint ventures. Belsher also conducts significant work with pension fund and private equity clients. He is a former adjunct professor at University of British Columbia, Faculty of Law and past member of the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) listings advisory committee.
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John-Paul Bogden
Law firm: Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
Year called to the bar: 1999 (MB); 2000 (BC)
John-Paul Bogden co-leads the private equity group at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP, where also serves as a partner. He devotes his practice to mergers and acquisitions, private equity transactions, infrastructure and projects work and general corporate law. Bogden’s clients range from start-ups and venture-financed businesses to large, publicly traded corporations. A significant portion of his practice involves working with private equity funds, including buyout, infrastructure and venture capital funds, and their portfolio companies in investment, add-on, recapitalization and exit transactions. He also acts for technology-based businesses in relation to both operational and transactional matters and investment banks and other corporate finance professionals in relation to M&A and financing transactions. Bogden is frequently engaged as special M&A counsel by seller groups and investment banks undertaking competitive auction processes. He regularly speaks at business law conferences and is a member of several industry associations, including the Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association, the British Columbia Technology Industry Association and the Vancouver chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth.
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Mitchell H. Gropper
Law firm: FARRIS
Year called to the bar: 1966 (BC); 1970 (ON)
Mitchell H. Gropper is a senior partner at FARRIS. He boasts an extensive corporate and securities practice, with a focus on complex transactions, including real estate matters, corporate finance, reorganizations and mergers and acquisitions. Gropper has acted for purchasers and sellers in M&A transactions, including those for Aritzia, MDS, IntraWest, Vancouver Island Helicopters, Mark Anthony Presents, Coast Hotels and Global University Services. He has advised boards of directors and special committees, including those at Goldcorp, Intrawest, Coast Wholesale, Sterling Shoes and Vancouver City Savings Credit Union. He has also been involved in going-private and related-party transactions. Gropper has advised on financial reorganizations and debt restructurings, including as special legal advisor to Vancouver for the Olympic Village and several reorganization transactions for Concord Pacific Group, Onni Development and A&W Revenue Royalties. He was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1990.
Bob J. Wooder
Law firm: Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
Year called to the bar: 1995
Bob J. Wooder is a partner at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP’s capital markets group. He specializes in corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions. Wooder advises public and private companies and financial institutions. He boasts extensive expertise in advising on takeover and issuer bids, private equity financings and as independent counsel to boards of directors. Among his recent transactions are advising Nevsun Resources in connection with the $1.4-billion hostile takeover bid by Lundin Mining, which resulted in a friendly agreement with Zijin Mining Group to acquire Nevsun for $1.8 billion and acting for Equinox Gold in connection with its $1.5-billion merger with Leagold Mining. Wooder also has extensive experience advising on M&As, including advising Aurizon in connection with the hostile bid made by Alamos and advising a Special Committee of Alterra Power in connection with its $1.1-billion acquisition by Innergex Renewable Energy.
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Consistently recommended mergers and acquisitions lawyers
Robin Mahood
Law firm: McCarthy Tétrault LLP
Year called to the bar: 2006 (BC); 2004 (New York)
Robin Mahood is a partner at the business law group at McCarthy Tétrault LLP’s Vancouver office. He advises public and private corporations on mergers and acquisitions, securities, day-to-day governance, continuous disclosure obligations and commercial matters. His recent transactional experience includes advising Canadian and international acquirers and targets in respect of domestic and cross-border M&A transactions in the renewable energy, mining, retail, forestry and life sciences industries. Mahood has also advised issuers, underwriters and investors on cross-border and domestic public offerings of equity and debt, including initial public offerings and private placements of equity and high-yield debt. He was formerly a law clerk to Justice Frank Iacobucci at the Supreme Court of Canada.
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Steven R. McKoen
Law firm: Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
Year called to the bar: 1998 (BC); 2002 (New York)
Steven R. McKoen is partner at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP, where he practises securities and corporate law. He focuses on domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, reorganizations, corporate finance and corporate governance. McKoen acts for issuers, underwriters and private equity clients in a variety of sectors, including mining, forestry, high-tech and bio-tech. He has been a bencher of the Law Society of British Columbia since 2016 and was an adjunct professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of British Columbia for eight years. His recent transactions include acting for Nevsun Resources Ltd. on unsolicited acquisition proposal by Lundin Mining Corporation and Nevsun’s subsequent acquisition by Zijin Mining Group Co. Ltd. for $1.86 billion, BRS & Co.’s acquisitions of majority stakes in Organika Health Products Inc. and Canada Pooch Ltd. and Correvio Pharma Corp. in its agreement to be acquired by ADVANZ Pharma Corp. Limited. He has also acted as Canadian counsel to Digital Colony Partners and EQT Infrastructure IV Fund in connection with their consortium’s US$14.3-billion agreement to acquire, recapitalize and take private Zayo Group Holdings, Inc.
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Bradley A. Newby
Law firm: FARRIS
Year called to the bar: 1995
Bradley A. Newby is a partner at FARRIS. He focuses on corporate commercial, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and securities and corporate governance law. Newby has extensive experience in advising corporations, private equity firms, professional managers and entrepreneurs on a wide range of complex business transactions.
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Fred R. Pletcher
Law firm: Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG)
Year called to the bar: 1993
Fred R. Pletcher is the national leader of the mining group at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, where he is also partner. He advises public companies and underwriters in connection with mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, corporate governance, continuous disclosure and general commercial matters. Pletcher frequently advises boards of directors and special committees of public companies. He also has considerable experience in the field of shareholder activism. In the mining field, Pletcher acts for Canadian and international mining companies in acquisitions and dispositions of mines, development projects and exploration properties, joint venture and option agreements, royalty and streaming transactions, expropriations and NI 43-101 reporting obligations. Pletcher frequently speaks and publishes papers on corporate, securities and mining issues.