Stikeman Elliott is recognized nationally and internationally as one of Canada's leading M&A firms. Our clients range from multinational corporations and boards of directors, to private companies and small businesses.

Over the years, we have been involved in a significant number of transactions concerning U.S. and other non-Canadian acquirors of Canadian targets and have been instrumental in the development of tax efficient acquisition structures, including those involving exchangeable shares and unlimited liability ("check-the-box") companies. The firm has earned particular respect for expertise in both offensive and defensive mandates in hostile take-over situations. We also have extensive experience with take-over bids, plans of arrangement, amalgamations, leveraged buy-outs and management buy-outs.

To better meet the needs of clients who are involved in either the purchase or the sale of a company or business unit, the M&A Group works closely with other practitioners throughout the firm to provide a full array of related services, such as private equity and venture capital, tax, competition, intellectual property, environmental, real estate, government relations, and employment and labour expertise.

Recognition for Our Work

• Top Corporate & Commercial Team in Canada (2008), as selected by World Finance magazine.
  
  
• #1 in Thomson Financial's Global M&A Legal Advisor Review with respect to value of announced Canadian transactions for 2006 and 2007.
  
  
• #1 in Mergermarket league tables for 2006 and 2007, with respect to value of announced Canadian transactions.
  
  
• #1 in Bloomberg 2007 league tables, with respect to domestic M&A deal value and market share.
  
  
• #1 Canadian firm in Mergermarket's league tables for 2007, with respect to North American Buyouts by volume.
  
  
• #1 Canadian firm in Mergerstat Review's league tables of Top U.S. Legal Advisors for 2006 and 2007, with respect to number and value of U.S. deals.
  
  
• Ranked as "top tier" in Corporate/M&A by UK-based Chambers Global 2008.
  
  
• Ranked as "top tier" in M&A in the 2008 edition of IFLR 1000, The Guide to the World's Leading Law Firms.
  
  
• #1 nationally in 2007 for Lexpert ranked lawyers in M&A, Corporate Finance, Corporate Commercial, Asset Securitization and Derivatives.
  
  
• The practice and its attorneys are also regularly cited in Global Counsel 3000 (Practical Law Co.), A Guide to the World's Leading M&A Lawyers (Euromoney) and the International Who's Who of M&A Lawyers (Law Business Research).
  
  
• Ranked #1 in Best Lawyers 2008 among Canadian law firms for M&A.

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Representative Experience

Recently, Stikeman Elliott has worked on a number of significant Canadian and cross-border transactions, including acting for:

• Dubai-based Istithmar World Capital and Nakheel in their acquisition of a 20 per cent interest in Cirque du Soleil.

• Aurelian Resources Inc. in connection with $1.2 billion acquisition offer from Kinross Gold Corporation.

• Teck Cominco Ltd. in its $14.1 billion acquisition of Fording Canadian Coal Trust.

• Yara International ASA in its Cdn. $1.6 billion acquisition of Canadian nitrogen producer Saskferco.

• Alcoa Inc. in the US$2.7 billion sale of its packaging and consumer business to Rank Group Limited.

•  NRDC Equity Partners in its acquisition of Hudson's Bay Company.

• BCE Inc. in connection with the $51.7 billion bid by Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, Providence Equity Partners and Madison Dearborn Partners, the largest buyout in Canadian history.
  

For a complete list of our M&A experience please click here.

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Recent Group Activities

Montreal lawyer quoted in M&A article
John Leopold, co-chair of Stikeman Elliott's M&A group, is quoted in a recent Montreal Gazette article on the current state of the M&A market. The article also notes the Montreal office's recent participation in LS Power Equity Partners and Global Infrastructure Partners' proposed acquisition of TransAlta Corp.

Private equity article
Sophie Lamonde authored the article "The Canadian Private Equity Outlook for 2008" in Lexpert's Guide to the Leading US/Canada Cross-border Corporate Lawyers in Canada.

Toronto partners author M&A review
William Braithwaite and John Ciardullo wrote the article "Another record year for M&A" which assesses Canada's M&A market as a special supplement for IFLR.

Ottawa lawyer authors chapter on Merger Control
Susan Hutton has written the chapter in Global Competition Review's "The Asia-Pacific Antitrust Review" on Merger Control in Canada.

#1 M&A firm: American Lawyer
Stikeman Elliott was the top Canadian firm in American Lawyer's 2007 ranking of M&A advisors for deals involving a U.S. principal.

World Finance Legal Awards
Stikeman Elliott was honoured as the 2008 Best Corporate & Commercial Team in Canada by World Finance magazine, a leading UK financial magazine produced by World News Media.

IFLR Americas Deals of the Year
Stikeman Elliott has been nominated in 3 categories for the International Financial Law Review's Americas Deals of the Year: the M&A Deal of the Year for work on the Thomson-Reuters merger, the Private Equity Deal of the Year for work on the Harbinger-Calpine deal and the Project Finance Deal of the Year for work on the St. Clair Power deal.

Canada's M&A Landscape
Partner William Braithwaite has authored an article on the state of Canada's M&A market for the Managing Partner Canada Report, February 2008 issue.

#1 in M&A: Globe & Mail
Stikeman Elliott was the top-ranked legal advisor in the Globe & Mail's 2007 review of Canadian M&A, acting on over $130 billion in deals, and seven of the top 24 transactions of the year.

Paper Available on Consent Agreement Protocol
Toronto associate Debbie Salzberger authored a paper entitled "Less than you bargained for: the Canadian Competition Bureau's Consent Agreement Protocol for Merger Remedies" commenting on the Bureau's recent consent agreement template, which is the starting point for the negotiation of remedies (i.e. divestitures) in the context of proposed mergers that  raise competition concerns. Click here to request a copy.

#1 in M&A and Corporate Finance in 2007
Stikeman Elliott was ranked #1 in year-end M&A league tables from Thomson Financial and Mergermarket, and #1 in Corporate Finance league tables from Bloomberg.

CBA provides views on merger notification filing fees
Debbie Salzberger and Jennifer MacArthur,  on behalf of the Canadian Bar Association Mergers Committee, have authored a submission  to the Competition Bureau providing recommendations regarding the current merger notification filing fee structure.

Partner authors paper on Competition and Investment Review
Shawn Neylan wrote an overview on the "Application of the Competition Act and the Investment Canada Act to Mergers and Acquisitions in Canada".  Request a copy of the paper.

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