Here are Alberta’s leading mergers and acquisitions lawyers based on Lexpert’s expansive annual peer survey. For the full roster of the province’s most recommended lawyers and law firms, visit our practice area rankings list.
Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) 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
Ross Bentley
Law firm: Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1995
Ross Bentley is a partner at global full-service business law firm Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP. He specializes in securities and corporate law, with a focus on corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions. Bentley has extensive experience in a wide variety of equity and fixed-income offerings, including offerings of investment grade, subordinated and high-yield debt. He also assists issuers in establishing shelf financing programs both for domestic and cross-border offerings under the Canada and US multi-jurisdictional offering system. Bentley has acted for issuers, underwriters and selling shareholders on offerings for participants in the airline, pipeline and energy infrastructure, agribusiness, railroad, chartered banking, and oil and gas service, exploration and development sectors. He regularly advises issuers on corporate governance matters and has acted for several issuers on high-profile proxy contests. He also regularly advises issuers in connection with continuous disclosure obligations, stock exchange matters and general corporate matters.
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Christopher W. Nixon
Law firm: Stikeman Elliott LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1980
Christopher W. Nixon is a partner at the capital markets and mergers and acquisitions groups at Stikeman Elloitt LLP. He also heads the full-service business law firm’s China group. Nixon specializes in business law, with an emphasis on M&A, corporate finance, joint ventures, private equity, corporate and trust reorganizations and corporate governance. His practice involves both transactional and advisory assignments and representing oil and gas exploration entities, oilfield service entities, investment funds and investment dealers in Canada, the US, Europe and Asia. Nixon is considered among the top mergers and acquisitions lawyers in the country.
Chad Schneider
Law firm: Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1997
Chad Schneider is a partner at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP. He specializes in corporate and securities law, with a focus on mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and governance, private equity and continuous disclosure compliance. Schneider has assisted both buyers and acquired companies in M&A transactions involving domestic and foreign parties. As one of Canada’s leading mergers and acquisitions lawyers, he boasts extensive experience in representing publicly traded issuers listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange, the New York Stock Exchange and the TSX Venture Exchange. Schneider has also represented private companies and private equity investors. He has acted on behalf of underwriters and dealers in domestic and foreign public and private offerings of equity and debt. Schneider also assists clients on general corporate and commercial matters.
Craig A. Story
Law firm: Stikeman Elliott LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1997
Craig A. Story is a partner at the capital markets and mergers and acquisitions groups at Stikeman Elliott LLP. He has also served on the firm’s partnership board and on the management group of its Calgary office. Story devotes his practice to corporate and securities law, including public and private capital markets offerings, private equity and venture capital funds, M&A and corporate governance. His corporate finance practice includes advising issuers, major investors and underwriters in both the public and exempt markets. Specific transaction experience includes bought deals, multi-jurisdictional disclosure system offerings, shelf prospectuses, private equity and venture capital fund creation, restructuring and initial public offerings. Story advises clients and special committees on numerous types of M&A and other strategic transactions. His clients include energy companies, service and infrastructure companies, private equity firms and their portfolio companies, midstream companies and investment bankers.
Consistently recommended mergers and acquisitions lawyers
Leland P. Corbett
Law firm: Stikeman Elliott LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1995
Leland P. Corbett is a partner at the banking and finance, mergers and acquisitions and capital markets groups at Stikeman Elliott LLP. His practice focuses on the corporate and commercial law. He frequently acts in public and private financing and other capital markets transactions, including corporate and investment banking transactions, share and asset acquisitions and dispositions, securities transactions and other M&A activity. Corbett has been senior counsel in many large and complex corporate transactions. He has considerable expertise in corporate reorganizations, restructurings, spin-offs and large commercial matters. Corbett also has acted for a broad range of international, national and regional companies, financial advisors and underwriters in public and private debt and equity financings and M&A. He is recognized as one of Canada’s leading mergers and acquisitions lawyers.
Robert J. Engbloom
Law firm: Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1976
Robert J. Engbloom serves as counsel at Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP. He advises clients on mergers and acquisitions, transactional, governance and general business matters. As among Canada’s best mergers and acquisitions lawyers, Engbloom has acted as lead counsel on a wide variety of significant transactions and has extensive experience in providing advice on M&A, reorganizations and related-party transactions. His practice includes advising boards of directors and special committees on both governance matters and substantive transactions. Engbloom also boasts considerable experience on a broad range of corporate finance matters, representing issuers and underwriters in a variety of public and private financing matters both nationally and internationally. He is also a corporate secretary or director of a number of public and private corporations. Although Engbloom’s practice is primarily in the natural resources and energy areas, he also acts for clients and on transactions in other industries. His firm is a full-service business law firm with more than 3,700 lawyers and legal professionals worldwide.
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Brock W. Gibson
Law firm: Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1983
Brock W. Gibson is the chair of Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP. He practises in the area of corporate and commercial law, with a focus on mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and private equity transactions. His clients include leading issuers, financial institutions, investment dealers, energy and service companies. Gibson's recent M&A and corporate finance experience includes acting as lead counsel on more than 170 M&A, reorganizations, and public equity and debt offerings. As one of Canada’s leading mergers and acquisitions lawyers, Gibson has advised on some of the largest commercial transactions. He is also a member of the advisory board of the Canadian General Counsel Awards.
Brent W. Kraus
Law firm: Bennett Jones LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1999
Brent W. Kraus is a partner at Bennett Jones LLP, where he also co-heads the corporate department. He advises international and domestic clients on mergers and acquisitions, shareholder activism, special committee mandates, capital markets, private equity and governance matters. Kraus’ practice focuses on the acquisition and sale of public and private entities through takeover bids, plans of arrangement, amalgamations, share and asset sales, joint ventures and reorganizations. He represents issuers and underwriters on initial and secondary public offerings and private placements of debt and equity. He also represents sponsors and management teams on significant equity investments and liquidity events. Kraus acts for clients in the energy, energy services, private equity, financial, industrial, consumer products and other industry sectors. He is considered as among Canada’s top mergers and acquisitions lawyers. His firm specializes in business law and one of the country’s largest.
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Patrick T. Maguire
Law firm: Bennett Jones LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1992
Patrick T. Maguire is one of Canada’s leading international energy, commercial transactions and mergers and acquisitions lawyers. He is the managing partner of Bennett Jones LLP’s Calgary office. Maguire acts for domestic and international energy companies on a range of transactions, including purchases, sales, joint ventures, energy project development, project financing, and energy commodity transportation and sales. He also assists borrowers and lenders in structuring and negotiating full and limited recourse financing arrangements for oil, gas and electricity companies. His considerable experience is complemented by his MBA in risk management and financing of international energy projects. Maguire has co-authored papers for several legal publications and has taught oil and gas law at the University of Calgary. He is a former president of the Canadian Energy Law Foundation and a member of the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators.