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Lexpert Roundup on the business of law
Lexpert identifies and reports on emerging business issues and practice areas in the business of law. Whether online, in our magazine or in the DealsWire e-newsletter, we chronicle deals and lawsuits of interest, and cover issues of broad concern to the legal profession and those who purchase legal services. We hope you enjoy this sample of our latest content.
From the DealsWire: Linamar buys from France, Barrick sells to China
The Lexpert DealsWire (subscribe here) documents facts, figures and key legal players behind recent deals. This week's announced deal spotlight features the key players and figures in Linamar Corp.'s acquisition of French auto-parts maker Montupet.
In our closed deals section, we look at the sale of Shred-it to Stericycle as well as Sun Life Financial acquiring Bentall Kennedy Group, a real estate management company.
We also look at the players behind Barrick Gold's sale of an interest in its Porgera project to Chinese mining group Zijin. Finally, we give you the legal teams on Euronet Worldwide's purchase of XE.com, a specialist in foreign exchange tools and services.
Ruling allows forced bankruptcy
Creditors facing prioritization concerns can take comfort from the Ontario Court of Appeal's recent decision in Grant Forest Products v. Toronto-Dominion, which confirms that a judge presiding over a Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act proceeding can permit a creditor to bankrupt the debtor company even when it results in a loss to pensioners.
Report underscores fund dealer conflict of interest
Lawyers advising mutual fund dealers are bracing for more regulatory change in the wake of a report commissioned by Canada's securities regulators that points to widespread conflict of interest that may come at the expense of clients.
How best to defend global class-action lawsuits
Where bad behaviour is alleged, class-action lawsuits can't be far behind. And when that bad behaviour crosses borders, increasingly often, the litigation does as well. As technology makes the legal and business worlds smaller, many who manage the legal affairs of companies that do business outside Canada are concerned the spectre of global lawsuits is getting bigger.
Top 10 New Client Legal Needs in Canada
Lexpert compiled the "Top 10" growing client legal needs, as set out in interviews with business law firms from Atlantic Canada to Vancouver and in multiple practices. If there is a common theme that pervades the selections, it is the interconnected nature of client needs, both on domestic and global mandates, all but eclipsing the traditional silo model that legal services traditionally took.
IP disputes can block spin-off attempts
If the rationale for tech divestiture is usually straightforward, the commercial, legal and contractual dynamics of the spin-out deal can be quite complex, writes George Takach in this month's legal tech column. First, there's the difficult exercise of separating the intellectual property.
Marijuana Headache
Policy, politics and pot are inextricably intertwined. While battles rage in the courts (and the court of public opinion) about the merits of decriminalizing recreational marijuana, some difficult ethical questions for lawyers are stumping experts, writes Paul Paton in his Last Word column.
Why You Get Stuck
In this month's legal marketing column, business development coach Donna Wannop offers a rundown of common stumbling blocks that stand in the way of promoting the legal work, and how to deal with them.
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