Jeff Barnes, a well-known figure in North American business law circles, has joined Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, the firm’s Toronto office said Tuesday.
BLG’s managing partner, Sean Weir, says the firm is looking to tap into Barnes’ “extraordinary experience in M&A, corporate law, corporate and project finance, especially in the natural resources sector, and corporate governance.”
Learn the difference between corporate finance and project finance in this article.
Barnes has worked for many of North America’s major investment banks and multinational corporations. With strong cross-border credentials, he has been recognized as one of Canada’s top mergers and acquisitions lawyer by major Canadian and international legal publications.
Barnes headed rival Heenan Blaikie LLP’s national securities and corporate finance group before joining BLG. At Heenan, he was seen as “instrumental in guiding the firm’s domestic and international clients in all industry sectors” and advancing that firm’s relationships with clients in Canada, United States, and elsewhere.
On the policy end, Barnes has served on the securities advisory committee of the Ontario Securities Commission and currently serves as a senior adviser to the OSC’s chairman. Barnes is also a regular lecturer across Canada and the United States on securities, governance, crisis management, ethics, and law firm management.
“I’ve been fortunate in my career to work with many good people, and I’m happy to be able to add my experience and knowledge to a firm I have always admired, and to help build on an excellent practice,” says Barnes.
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In another annoucement today, Fasken Martineau LLP says Guy Giorno is coming back to the firm as a partner in its corporate governance practice in Ottawa and Toronto. Giorno's return to the firm coincides with the end of his two-and-a-half year term as chief of staff to Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
"We are pleased to welcome Guy back to our firm. With his experience in practical politics and his prior legal practice, he offers a unique point-of-view on the intersection between government, business and media," says David Corbett, Faskens' managing partner.
