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 sampling of our latest content.
From the DealsWire: IPO revival | Canada and mega-deals | Global network referrals
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 the sale of Landmark Cinemas Canada to Belgian entertainment company Kinepolis Group.
In our closed deals section, we look at three recent high-tech deals: Hytera Communications acquiring Norsat International, Shutterstock acquiring FlashStock Technology, as well as Semtech acquiring AptoVision Technologies.
And in the commercial real estate sector, we look at the players behind the sale of 20 VIC Management to Cushman & Wakefield.
The enthusiastic excitement, on the one hand, and naysaying on the other, that arose when Dentons launched its Nextlaw Global Referral Network in October 2016 speaks volumes about the evolution and relevance of the many-headed beast known as a legal network. The initiative made Dentons the first global firm to establish its own referral network, and at the time it was quickly dismissed by competitors. But Nextlaw is free and it is huge – the largest legal referral network in the world by number of member firms and lawyers.
Although Canada was virtually unscathed by recent international ransomware attacks, it nevertheless caught the attention of the boards of directors. Faced with the chilling reality that no company is immune from such an attack, an increasing number of Canadian organizations are purchasing insurance to cover or mitigate losses caused by a breach.
Lexpert publishes its annual Global Mining Special Edition
Mining is a global business and Canada is at its financial hub. The Lexpert Leading Canadian Lawyers in Global Mining features articles on current trends and events in the industry and profiles Lexpert-ranked lawyers who provide services to the mining sector. This year's articles include:
Mining companies are starting to learn that climate change will undermine their own operations. Many are working now to save themselves from enormous future costs.
Geopolitical uncertainty has given a boost to gold markets and Canadian miners. Exploration work and financings are back on the table, and foreign investors are taking notice.
In a depressed market for commodities, mining companies will have to rely on government funding, P3s and the ambition of local communities to get their projects off the ground.
The Mother of Invention With only a tentative recovery in mining, junior explorers are resorting to creative structures like streaming in order to stay in business. Majors, meanwhile, seem content to play the waiting game.
Tired of bad news? Here's reason for hope. Initial public offerings, deader than disco just a year ago, have sprung back to life. Three quarters into the year, is it safe to pronounce Canada's IPO market back in business? Yes, say lawyers in the field.
Over the past 15 years, the US M&A environment has experienced a seismic shift: market players have been deluged by multiple market booms; sophisticated deal shops have changed the way deals are done. The US market has clearly tackled these new realities, while Canadian lawyers watch and learn, and decide whether to adopt, writes guest columnist Mark Adkins of McCarthy Tetrault in New York.
Rebels have a passion for what they do and want to make an organization better, writes Marketing columnist Heather Suttie. Marketing and business development professionals would do well to assert themselves in setting firm priorities; frustration over not having a say could well be a factor in continuing legal marketing and business-development talent churn.
There are three steps to evaluating the performance of law firms, writes Law Departments columnist Richard Stock. The first is to forecast the demand for legal services, including the volume of hours and matters by legal specialty for each business unit in each jurisdiction. The second is to choose key performance indicators, or KPIs. And the third step solicits feedback from the law firm by the legal team.
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