John Emanoilidis > Torys > Toronto, Canada > Lawyer Profile

Torys
79 WELLINGTON STREET WEST, SUITE 3000
BOX 270, TD CENTRE
TORONTO, ONTARIO
Canada

Work Department

Corporate, M&A

Position

Advising on mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance transactions and other significant corporate matters across industries, John is co-head of the firm’s M&A Practice and is widely recognized as one of Canada’s leading corporate and securities lawyers, with deep deal acumen and strong technical skill to advance clients’ business strategies.

John has a broad range of experience in complex M&A, transactional, securities, private equity, regulatory, governance, activism and compliance matters. With an international range of clients, John represents domestic and foreign acquirors, private equity sponsors, targets, special committees, boards of directors and investment banks in all aspects of M&A (both public and private), including hostile takeover bids, strategic review processes, proxy contests, going-private transactions, private equity transactions and negotiated acquisitions.

John regularly advises companies, directors and shareholders on corporate governance, crisis management, activism, compliance and other critical situations. He also has extensive experience in corporate finance transactions, representing issuers, underwriters and investors in domestic and international debt and equity public offerings and private placements.

Career

Ontario Bar, 1999

Memberships

John has been elected to the American College of Governance Counsel 2021 Class of Fellows for his outstanding work in advising boards, officers and shareholders on best governance practices and helping businesses navigate major governance issues.

John is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto Law School, and has also taught as a guest lecturer at Queen’s University Law School. He is a past member of the Toronto Stock Exchange Listing Advisory Committee.

John was the Editor-In-Chief of the Canadian Institute’s M&A/Corporate Financing Journal and a Contributing Editor of Federated Press’ Corporate Financing Journal and Merger and Acquisitions Journal. In addition, he was a co-editor of the 15th edition of the Consolidated Bank Act and Regulations (Carswell, 2003) and of the seventh edition of the Consolidated Trust and Loans Companies Act and Regulations (Carswell, 2002).

Lawyer Rankings

Canada > Corporate and M&A

(Hall of Fame)

John EmanoilidisTorys

The corporate and M&A practice at Torys marshals the combined experience of teams in Toronto, Montreal, Halifax, Calgary and New York, to advise major corporates and financial institutions (including Scotiabank and BNP Paribas) involved in cross-border transactions at the domestic and international levels. The group’s client roster spans such sectors as telecoms, financial services, cannabis, utilities and energy. The group is jointly led in Toronto by John Emanoilidis, Karrin Powys-Lybbe and Michael Amm, all of whom bring expertise to complex M&A, securities, private equity and corporate governance matters. Other key figures include Adrienne DiPaolo in Toronto, who, in addition to public and private M&A, acts for bidders and targets in both negotiated and contested transactions; Janan Paskaran in Calgary, a specialist in securities compliance matters and corporate finance; and Jennifer Baugh (also in Calgary) who was promoted to partner in January 2023. Another key figure is senior associate Daniel Masliyah in Toronto.

Canada > International expertise

A key part of Torys‘ international work is underpinned by its longstanding relationships with major institutional investors, including private equity funds, pension funds and other financial services clients. Additionally, its dominant energy, projects and life sciences practices also translate into a significant volume of cross-border mandates. The firm maintains a sizeable New York platform, which has been led by corporate and securities partner David Chaikof since 2019. Other key names in New York include PPP specialist Tara Mackay and Jared Fontaine, whose practice has an emphasis on institutional investing for clients such as pension and sovereign wealth funds, private equity funds and global corporations. In Toronto, M&A specialists John Emanoilidis, Michael Amm and former New York office managing partner Karrin Powys-Lybbe are noted for their experience in high-profile, cross-border transactions.