Financial services

The financial services industry is complex and competitive. We can help you navigate the legal and regulatory hurdles and mitigate the risks.

You need a legal partner who has deep experience in banking and financial services. Our lawyers regularly advise on complex financial transactions, develop and implement financial strategies and advise on strategic opportunities to best serve your business objectives. We give you practical, creative business and legal advice on all types of banking, restructuring and regulatory matters.

A partner to major industry players

Clients of ours include domestic, cross-border and international:

Banks
Lenders
Borrowers
Investors
Insurance companies
Investment and private equity funds

What we do

Our advice to financial services companies includes:

Acquisition financing
Implement financing strategies
Restructuring and insolvency matters
Project finance
Regulatory matters
Loan transactions

As a full-service firm, we can also advise you in other specialist areas of law – litigation and dispute resolution, mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, and employment.

What our clients say

"Highly responsive, supportive of our business objectives, manages negotiations and details well." – Legal 500 2022

Practice areas

Representative work

Tidewater Renewables $150 million public offering

Counsel to a syndicate of underwriters led by CIBC in Tidewater Renewables Ltd.'s initial public offering of 10,000,000 common shares for gross proceeds of $150 million.

WestBlock Capital Inc. acquisition by LUXXFOLIO Holdings Inc.

Counsel to WestBlock Capital Inc., a cryptocurrency mining company, in its acquisition by LUXXFOLIO Holdings Inc., a digital infrastructure provider based in Canada for an undisclosed sum.

Alaris Equity Partners Income Trust $95 million financing

Counsel to Alaris Equity Partners Income Trust in a bought deal financing of 5,909,375 trust units for gross proceeds of $94,550,000.

Clarke Inc.'s acquisition of Holloway Lodging Corporation

Counsel to Clarke Inc. and the special committee of Clarke's board of directors in Clarke's acquisition of the 49% of Holloway Lodging Corporation that it did not already own. The acquisition was completed by plan of arrangement.

Alaris Royalty Corp. $100 million financing

Counsel to Alaris Royalty Corp. on its $100,000,000 financing of 5.5% senior unsecured subordinated debentures.

Successful defense of an ASC application from a dissident shareholder

Successful defense of an application brought by a dissident shareholder seeking public interest orders under the Alberta Securities Act relating to proxy solicitation processes utilized in a hostile proxy contest. (PointNorth Capital Inc., 2017 ABASC 121).

FirstEnergy Capital Corp.'s acquisition by GMP Capital Inc.

Counsel to FirstEnergy Capital Corp. in its $99 million acquisition by GMP Capital Inc..

$1 billion financing for Canadian Natural Resources Limited

Counsel to the underwriters in Canadian Natural Resources Limited's $1 billion offering of 3.31% medium term notes.

Freehold Royalties Ltd.'s royalty and land acquisition

Counsel to Freehold Royalties Ltd. in the $165 million acquisition of royalty production and lands from Husky Energy Inc.

Heritage Capital Corporation's successful appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada

Successful leave applications and appeal to Supreme Court of Canada concerning the proper interpretation of the right to payments arising under an Incentive Agreement registered by caveat on title to land for a designated heritage building and the proper statutory interpretation as to priority of interest governed by the Personal Property Security Act, R.S.A. 2000 c. P-7. (Heritage Capital Corp. v. Equitable Trust Co., 2016 SCC 19).

Freehold Royalties Ltd.'s $373 million public offering

Counsel to Freehold Royalties Ltd.in its $373 million public offering of 20,700,000 common shares and the $33 million private placement of 1,833,334 common shares.

Freehold Royalties Ltd. $321 million royalties' acquisition

Counsel to Freehold Royalties Ltd. in the $321 million acquisition of two royalty packages from Penn West Petroleum Ltd.

Toscana Energy Income Corporation's acquisition of Toscana Financial Income Trust

Independent counsel to the special committee of independent directors of Toscana Financial Income Trust in the $34.3 million acquisition and related party transaction by Toscana Energy Income Corporation completed by a plan of arrangement.

Dispute regarding breach of duties

Counsel to current and former boards of directors of a chartered bank in a derivative action for breach of duties arising out of an FX manipulation lawsuit

Triwest Capital Partners acquisition of NCSG Crane & Heavy Haul Corporation

Counsel to Triwest Capital Partners and Alberta Teachers’ Retirement Fund in connection with the acquisition of a majority interest in NCSG Crane & Heavy Haul Corporation.

ATCO Group's $2 billion increase in credit facilities

Counsel to Royal Bank of Canada and the Bank of Montreal regarding the approximately $2 billion syndicated unsecured credit facilities provided to various members of the ATCO Group.

Advising Deans Knight on a tax dispute

Counsel to Deans Knight Income Corporation in a case that involves whether the deduction of tax attributes can be properly denied by the CRA on the basis of the general anti-avoidance rule in the Income Tax Act (Canada). (Deans Knight Income Corporation v. Her Majesty the Queen)

Dispute regarding the misuse of confidential information

Counsel to a corporation that obtained an ex-parte Anton Piller Order against a former employee who—days before he resigned—had downloaded an entire database of confidential client lists and other documents, and had surreptitiously taken 11 boxes of confidential information out of the office while everybody else was at the corporation's Christmas Party. As a result of the Anton Piller Order, the client got its client lists and other confidential information back from the former employee. (Peters & Co Limited. v. Ward, 2014 ABQB 488 and 2015 ABCA 6)

Acquisition of interests in a joint venture project

Counsel to a Calgary based diversified income trust in connection with its acquisition of all of the interests of an unincorporated joint venture carrying on the business of creating and managing investment vehicles for offering to the public for investment purposes.

US $550 million credit facility from the Royal Bank of Canada

Counsel to the Royal Bank of Canada, as administrative agent for a syndicate of 13 lenders, providing a US$550 million senior secured credit facility to Precision Drilling Corporation and secured against Canadian and US assets.

Mill City Capital, LP's $60 million credit facilities

Counsel to Royal Bank of Canada and Alberta Treasury Branches in connection with syndicated credit facilities provided to Mill City Capital, LP in the aggregate principal amount of $60 million to assist with its going private acquisition of Bonnett's Energy Corp.

Landmark Cinemas Canada's credit facilities

Counsel to Alberta Treasury Branches in connection with credit facilities provided to Landmark Cinemas Canada Limited Partnership in the amount of $49 million and the financing of Landmark Cinemas Canada Limited Partnership's acquisition of certain theatres located in Ontario and the Western Canadian provinces from Empire Theatres Limited and ECL Western Holdings Limited.

Seven Generations Energy Ltd.'s $748 million public offering

Counsel to the underwriters in Seven Generations Energy Ltd.'s public offering of 30,705,000 subscriptions receipts for approximately $748 million.

Suncor Energy Inc.'s multi-billion credit facilities

Counsel to the agent and syndicate of lenders for the $4 billion and US $2 billion unsecured credit facilities to Suncor Energy Inc.

Project finance for six power plants in Alberta

Counsel for the facility, led by Royal Bank of Scotland, in the financing for the acquisition of three existing power plants and completion of construction of an additional three power plants in Alberta by ATCO Power Limited Partnership.

International credit facilities for Vermillion Resources Ltd.

Counsel to The Toronto-Dominion Bank as agent for a syndicate of ten lenders providing international credit facilities to Vermillion Resources Ltd. aggregating $800 million on a senior secured basis.

Citadel Group of Funds contested unitholder meetings

Counsel to the independent director and the chairman in his administration of a series of contested unitholder meetings organized by the Citadel Fund Administrator.

CCAA proceedings concerning the disposition of a partially completed power project

Counsel to a bank in connection with the CCAA proceedings concerning Earth First Canada Inc. and the related asset disposition of a partially completed 144 MW wind-power project.

Canadian Pacific Railway's shareholder proxy contest

Alberta counsel to Pershing Square in a successful proxy contest initiated by Pershing to replace a number of directors of Canadian Pacific. This proxy contest was settled resulting in the departure of Canadian Pacific Railway's CEO and five board members and the election of Pershing's nominees.

Canadian Pacific Railway Company's $1.165 billion credit facility

Counsel to Royal Bank of Canada and a syndicate of lenders in connection with a $1.165 billion revolving credit facility provided to Canadian Pacific Railway Company.

TriWest Capital Partners investment in Northern Mat & Bridge Ltd.

Counsel to TriWest Capital Partners, one of Canada's leading private equity firms, in connection with its equity investment in Northern Mat & Bridge Ltd.

Credit facilities for TransCanada PipeLines Limited

Counsel to the agent and lending syndicate in connection with credit facilities provided to TransCanada PipeLines Limited in the amounts of $3 billion and US$2 billion.