Jeffrey Lloyd > Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP > Toronto, Canada > Lawyer Profile

Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP’s capital markets group is particularly dominant in equity work, where it acts for issuers and managers on a steady stream of high-value offerings. The department additionally houses a prominent debt practice, which saw Calgary partners Jeff Bakker and Kristopher Simard recently pair up to advise Coastal GasLink Pipeline on its C$7.1bn private placement of notes in Canada, the US and certain other international jurisdictions; this notably represented the largest Canadian dollar-denominated corporate bond offering to date. Ross Bentley is also a key contact in Calgary. Recommended names in Toronto include Tim Andison, Chris Hewat, Michael Hickey, Eric Moncik, London managing partner Jeffrey Lloyd (who splits his practice between Canada and the UK), and national practice head Catherine Youdan — all of whom maintain broad securities and M&A practices. Pascal de Guise is noted in Montreal.

Frequently involved in both inbound and outbound transactions, Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP’s cross-border offering benefits from its ability to leverage international offices in New York and London. The firm’s premier dispute resolution practice additionally marks it as a popular choice for transnational disputes, including arbitrations. High-profile M&A specialist Jeffrey Lloyd manages the London office, and also routinely works from Toronto. In a $9bn deal, Lloyd recently acted for the Special Committee of Teck Resources in connection with the sale of a majority stake in its steelmaking coal business to Glencore and a minority stake to Nippon Steel. The London office also draws on corporate and capital markets partner Jennifer Maxwell. In New York, office managing partner Kevin Rusli is highly regarded for his private equity expertise.

The powerhouse practice at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP remains a market leader, leveraging the bench strength of national offices in Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, Montreal and Ottawa and abroad in London and New York, to advise major domestic and multinational corporates and financial institutions involved in high-value public and private M&A. The practice is led by a trio of M&A experts in Toronto: Rory ffrench, who specializes in such sectors as healthcare, infrastructure and tech; Cheryl Satin, who also brings expertise to divestitures, private equity investments, joint ventures and corporate reorganizations; and Catherine Youdan, who advises on complex capital markets matters. Ross Bentley continues to be a key figure in Calgary, bringing experience to advising clients in the aviation, energy and agribusiness sectors, on such matters as domestic and international mergers, takeover bids and plans of arrangement. Michael Gans draws on over 25 years of practice to manage complex M&A, related party transactions and internal investigations. Jeffrey Lloyd brings authority to major negotiated and unsolicited transactions involving clients in industries ranging from real estate and media to telecoms and financial services. Linda Tu acts for a broad base of public and private companies, boards of directors, special committees and underwriters across the retail, tech, renewables, agriculture and cannabis spaces. All lawyers, unless noted, work in the Toronto office.