Practice Expertise

  • Corporate Finance
  • Corporate Governance
  • Mergers & Acquisitions
  • Securities

Areas of Practice

  • Corporate Finance
  • Corporate Governance
  • Mergers & Acquisitions
  • Securities
  • Venture Capital
  • View More

WSG Practice Industries

WSG Leadership

  • WSG Coronavirus Task Force Group - Member

Profile

Michael practices primarily in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, securities and private equity and venture capital transactions. He has extensive experience working with entrepreneurs, emerging companies and venture capital funds in the technology, clean technology and life sciences sectors, including on matters relating to company formation and structuring, financing, and commercial agreements.

Michael’s transactional experience includes: public and private equity and debt financings; acquisitions and dispositions of shares and business assets; plans of arrangement, take-over bids; and corporate reorganizations. He also regularly advises public and private companies with regards to ongoing corporate and securities law compliance and corporate governance matters.

Bar Admissions
British Columbia (2008)

Education
Dalhousie University (LL.B., 2007)
University of British Columbia (B.A., 2003) (First Class)

Areas of Practice

  • Corporate Finance
  • Corporate Governance
  • Mergers & Acquisitions
  • Securities
  • Venture Capital

Professional Career

Significant Accomplishments
Venture Capital Financing Transactions:

Acted for a Canadian venture capital firm in Series D financing of a California-based marketing technology company.
Acted for a syndicate of Canadian and U.S.-based investors in Series C financing of a Toronto-based digital media company.
Acted for Vancouver-based SaaS provider in connection with a Series Seed financing with foreign and Canadian venture capital firms.
Acted for Toronto-based SaaS provider in connection with a Series C financing with U.S. and foreign venture capital firms.
Acted for a Toronto-based SaaS provider in connection with a convertible bridge note financing with existing investors.
Acted for virtual reality gaming company in connection with convertible note financing with angel investors.
Acted for a privately-held clean technology company with respect to a cross-border strategic investment.
Acted for investors in the acquisition of shares of a venture capital backed technology company in a secondary offering by early investors.
Acted for a foreign venture capital fund in its investment in a Series B financing of a Vancouver-based software as a service provider.
Regularly act for companies in connection with seed, angel and venture- backed investment rounds.

Capital Markets Financing Transactions:

Acted for underwriters’ syndicate in connection with the concurrent Canadian public offering and listing and public offering on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
Acted for numerous issuers in brokered and non-brokered private placements for both public and private companies.
Acted for issuers and underwriters’ syndicates in various prospectus financing transactions.
Acted for issuers in connection with IPOs and listings via reverse take-over.

M&A Transactions:

Acted for TSX-listed technology company with respect to the acquisition of a TSX Venture Exchange-listed SaaS and telematics provider by way of a plan of arrangement.
Acted for a TSX-listed geomatics technology company with respect to the disposition of its avionics business unit.
Member of team that acted for the special committee of a TSX-listed company in relation to a hostile take-over bid and eventual conclusion of a friendly transaction.
Acted for a TSX-listed company in the spin-out and listing of its wholly-owned subsidiary.
Represented a private equity buyer in the acquisition of a BC-based retail chain.
Acted for both acquiring and target companies in connection with acquisitions of public and private company targets in the technology, life sciences, natural resources and consumer products industries.

Commercial Agreements and Transactions:

Acted for a TSX and NYSE listed royalty and streaming company in negotiating and drafting a precious metals streaming agreement valued at US$1 billion.
Regularly draft and negotiate various commercial agreements, including licensing agreements, software as a service agreements, subscription agreements, commercial sales agreements, service contracts, joint venture and strategic partnership agreements, mineral rights option agreements, royalty agreements, finder’s fee agreements and investor relations agreements.

Professional Associations
Professional Activities
*Canadian Bar Association, Member

Seminars/ Presentation
“Why and How Top Silicon Valley VCs Invest in Canadian Startups”, Palo Alto, Calfornia (April 2015), Panelist

“Advanced Topics in Startup Financing”, British Columbia Venture Acceleration Program Webinar (November 2014), Presenter

"How can you Prepare your Start-up for Success?", Accelerate Okanagan (March 2013), Co-Presenter

“Access to Finance: Positioning Your Start-up to Come Out on Top", Startup Canada (September 2012), Co-Presenter

“Canadian Electricity Contracts for Non-Lawyers", Electric Utility Consultants, Inc. (UCI) course (March 2012), Co-Instructor

“Clean Energy Perspectives & Insights from the Mining Industry”, GreenTech Exchange seminar (February 2012), Moderator


Articles

Additional Articles"Benefits of Different Financing Strategies", Business in Vancouver (December 2012), Co-author

Blogs

North of 60 Blog

Our North of 60 Blog provides commentary on current legal trends and developments, and legislative updates affecting businesses in Northern Canada.

Pensions and Employee Benefits Law Blog

Lawson Lundell's Pension and Employee Benefits Law Blog provides updates on the most recent legal developments impacting pension and employee benefit plans. We cover a range of topics, including recent case law and changes to relevant provincial and federal legislation.

Privacy & Data Management Blog

This blog is authored by members of the Privacy & Data Management Department. We follow new and interesting issues emerging in the legal and business communities. We follow emerging issues, legal developments, and new technology as they impact privacy and data management. We will focus on how organizations can protect, manage and innovate with information considering the various risks, regulatory and governance requirements.

The Business Law Blog

This blog is authored by members of the Litigation and Dispute Resolution Department. We intend to follow new and interesting issues emerging in the legal and business communities. The wide range of experience among the members of our litigation group will provide a diverse and insightful examination of current legal trends and topics. Our goal is to provide a source of valuable information and insight on a wide variety of matters for our readers.

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