Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP is a premier corporate and M&A practice in Canada, leading on high-value complex cross-border and domestic deals across the country. The firm fields both a national private M&A team dedicated to private M&A transactions as well as a national public M&A team to handle public deals. In Toronto, Jeffrey Lloyd is a M&A heavyweight, having advised purchasers, targets and special committees on M&A transactions, negotiated and unsolicited transactions. Michael Gans represents special committees of boards in complex party transactions and internal investigations, practice co-head Cheryl Satin advises on a wide range of transactions and governance matters and Catherine Youdan leads  the capital markets and securities group in Toronto. Lastly in Toronto, Rory ffrench co-heads the corporate and commercial team handling multi-jurisdictional mergers and acquisitions, while Linda Tu is well-versed in public M&As. For the Calgary team, Jeff Bakker leads the practice alongside Chad Schneider, they are both well-versed in corporate transactions, with Schneider focusing on the energy sector. Ross Bentley aids primarily Canadian clients in equity and debt issues. In Vancouver, John-Paul Bogden chairs the practice and works with a mix of domestic, US and international clients on M&A transactions. Corporate experts Philippe Bourassa and Patrick Menda co-leads the Montréal practice handling a range of transactional issues.
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Profile

Profile

Work Department
Corporate & Commercial; Securities
Position

Michael is recognized as one of Canada’s leading M&A lawyers, having advised on many of Canada’s highest-profile merger and acquisition transactions as well as numerous middle market transactions. He acts for strategic and financial buyers, targets and significant shareholders on domestic and cross-border acquisition transactions. He has led transactions across many industries, including consumer, industrials, technology and healthcare, among others. Michael also has experience representing special committees in connection with M&A transactions, related party transactions and internal investigations. Michael is a member of Blakes’ Executive Committee, the former head of Blakes Toronto Capital Markets practice and one of the co-founders of Blakes New York office.

Career

Recent mandates include advising HanesBrands on its pending acquisition by Gildan Activewear and AstraZeneca in connection with its acquisition of Fusion Pharmaceuticals.

Memberships
Michael is a Governor of Branksome Hall, an independent girls school in Toronto, as well as a Governor of Branksome Hall Asia, an independent school in Jeju, South Korea.

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Key clients

  • Special Committee of Veren TC Energy Royal Bank of Canada South Bow Advent International BCE Enerplus Cleveland-Cliffs Ovintiv Pembina Pipeline Algonquin Power & Utilities AstraZeneca World Wide Technology Fission Uranium Equinox Gold . Biovectra / H.I.G. Capital G Mining Ventures SPX Enterprises CAMS Software

Work highlights

Advised TC Energy on its completed separation into two independent, investment-grade, publicly listed companies through the spinoff of TC Energy’s Liquids Pipelines business.
Advised BCE on the C$4.7bn sale of its ownership stake in Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) to Rogers Communications.
Advised Enerplus Corporation on its $11bn merger with Chord Energy Corporation.