Lexpert has conducted an expansive peer survey to find out the leading mergers and acquisitions lawyers in British Columbia. The results are unveiled below. 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 commercial law firm Lawson Lundell LLP. He specializes in mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and securities law. Allard boasts extensive experience in advising private and public companies on transactional and general commercial matters, corporate governance issues and corporate reorganizations and restructurings. His major representative transactional work includes sale and purchase of large-scale manufacturing and processing operations and businesses, multijurisdictional structured sale transactions, private equity and venture capital investments, convertible debt financings, early stage financings and corporate restructuring transactions and proceedings. Allard is recognized as one of the top mergers and acquisitions lawyers in the country. He is also a regular lecturer on business law matters and 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 Toronto and Vancouver offices. He devotes his practice to corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions. Belsher’s 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. He also represents pension fund and private equity clients. Belsher is considered among the leading mergers and acquisitions lawyers in Canada. His firm specializes in business law.
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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 full-service business law firm FARRIS. He boasts an extensive corporate and securities practice with an emphasis on complex transactions, including complex real estate matters, corporate finance, reorganizations and mergers and acquisitions. Gropper has acted for purchasers and sellers in M&A transactions and advised boards of directors and special committees. He has also been involved in going-private and related-party transactions. Gropper has advised clients on financial reorganizations and debt restructurings. He was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1990 and is known as one of the best mergers and acquisitions lawyers in Canada.
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. His practice focuses on corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions. Wooder advises public and private companies and financial institutions. He has extensive expertise in advising on takeover and issuer bids, private equity financings and as independent counsel to boards of directors. Wooder is considered as one of the country’s top mergers and acquisitions lawyers. His firm specializes in all aspects of business law.
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Consistently recommended mergers and acquisitions lawyers
John-Paul Bogden
Law firm: Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1999 (MB); 2000 (BC)
John-Paul Bogden is a partner at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP, where he also co-heads the private equity group. He specializes in mergers and acquisitions, private equity transactions, infrastructure and projects work and general corporate law. Bogden’s clients range from startups and venture-financed businesses to large, publicly traded corporations. A significant portion of his practice involves working with private equity funds and their portfolio companies in investment, add-on, recapitalization and exit transactions. He also advises 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 recognized as one of the best mergers and acquisitions lawyers in the country.
Gordon R. Chambers
Law firm: Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1987
Gordon R. Chambers is a partner at full-service business law firm Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP. He advises clients on all aspects of securities law, including mergers and acquisitions, public and private offerings of securities, continuous disclosure and other ongoing regulatory requirements applicable to public companies. Chambers also advises special committees of boards of directors and assists in proxy contests. He acts for a wide range of clients in diverse industries, with a focus on mining companies, including dual-listed issuers. Chambers is recognized as among the leading mergers and acquisitions lawyers in the country.
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Robin Mahood
Law firm: McCarthy Tétrault LLP
Year called to the Bar: 2006 (BC); 2004 (New York)
Robin Mahood is a partner at McCarthy Tétrault LLP’s business law group in Vancouver. He advises public and private corporations in a wide range of industries regarding mergers and acquisitions and securities offerings. Mahood also advises clients with respect to day-to-day governance matters, continuous disclosure obligations and commercial matters. His recent transactional experience includes advising Canadian and international acquirers and targets in 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 is considered as one of Canada’s top mergers and acquisitions lawyers.
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Denise Nawata
Law firm: FARRIS
Year called to the Bar: 2006
Denise Nawata is a corporate-commercial partner at FARRIS. She specializes in corporate finance and securities, cross-border mergers and acquisitions and corporate governance law. Nawata also devotes a significant part of her practice to complex business transactions, for both public and private companies, at various stages of their corporate growth. She acts for clients in a wide range of industries, including natural resources, technology and life sciences. Nawata boasts extensive experience in mining and oil and gas transactions. She is recognized as among the leading mergers and acquisitions lawyers in the country.
Bradley A. Newby
Law firm: FARRIS
Year called to the Bar: 1995
Bradley A. Newby is a partner at FARRIS. He focuses on corporate and commercial, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and securities and corporate governance law. Newby has extensive experience advising corporations, private equity firms, professional managers, and entrepreneurs on a wide range of complex business transactions. He is considered as among the top mergers and acquisitions lawyers in the country.
Peter J. O’Callaghan
Law firm: Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1985
Peter J. O’Callaghan is a managing partner at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP. His practice encompasses all types of mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance transactions, including public and private equity financings, takeover and issuer bids, independent counsel to investment dealers and boards of directors and all regulatory and stock exchange compliance work. O’Callaghan also has extensive experience in share and asset acquisitions and divestitures, shareholders’ and joint venture agreements. He has acted for issuers and underwriters in many mining transactions in Canada, the US, South America, Africa, China and Australia. O’Callaghan is consistently ranked as among the best mergers and acquisitions lawyers in the country.
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Fred R. Pletcher
Law firm: Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG)
Year called to the Bar: 1993
Fred R. Pletcher is a partner and the national leader of Borden Ladner Gervais LLP’s mining group. He advises clients on all aspects of mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, commercial transactions, corporate governance, continuous disclosure and shareholder activism, with a focus on the mining industry. Pletcher also boasts considerable experience with Canadian and international mining joint ventures, project development and construction, tenure issues, royalties and commodity sales. His clients include public and private companies, boards of directors, special committees, underwriters, investment funds and real estate investment trusts. Pletcher is recognized as one of the top mergers and acquisitions lawyers in Canada.