Toronto (Canada) – Leading Canadian law firm Fasken surged to the No. 1 spot in several benchmark M&A league tables for 2020, capping an exceptional year for the firm’s deal advisory team.
Mergermarket, Refinitiv (formerly Thompson Reuters) and Bloomberg all placed Fasken at the forefront of M&A legal advisors in a half-dozen key categories:
- Mergermarket ranked Fasken No. 1 for Canadian M&A by deal count for 2020.
- Refinitiv ranked Fasken No. 1 for both announced deals and completed deals with any Canadian involvement, based on number of deals. It also placed Fasken among the top 25 law firms in their Global Ranking.
- Fasken took the No. 1 spot in three Bloomberg league tables that measure by deal count: Canadian announced deals, Canadian mid-market deals up to US$500 million, and Canadian mid-market deals up to US$250 million.
The rankings come after a banner year for Fasken’s M&A group. Among Fasken’s recent noteworthy deals, the firm represented:
- Aphria Inc. in its industry changing acquisition of Tilray Inc. creating the world’s largest Cannabis company
- SmartSweets on its sale of a majority stake in the company to TPG Growth, also fourth ACG British Columbia Dealmakers of the Year Award win in a row for Fasken
- Mountain Equipment Co-op, acquisition by US Private Equity of iconic Canadian outdoor brand retailer
- Guyana Goldfields Inc. on its acquisition by Zijin Mining Group Co., Ltd.
- Nuvei Corporation’s acquisition of Smart2Pay, and the largest Tech IPO in TSX history
- MDC Capital Partners in its transaction with Stagwell Group creating a leading world wide marketing company
- Transat A.T. in its acquisition by Air Canada
- Novacap in its investment in GroupAssur Inc., a Canadian managing general agent specializing in property and casualty insurance lines, and in its investment in AGA Financial Group Inc., one of Quebec’s leading employee benefits advisory firms and third-party administrators of group insurance and retirement plans
Fasken’s M&A team is among Canada’s largest, with more than 200 lawyers, and another 500 available to step in with advice on tax strategies, competition and foreign investment laws, acquisition financing, labour and employment, corporate finance, intellectual property, foreign corrupt practices and government relations.
“Despite a year of unprecedented challenges from the global pandemic and economic crises, Fasken has continued to provide stellar M&A and private equity counsel to clients on their transactions across a wide range of industries around the globe,” said John Turner, head of the firm’s M&A practice. “Fasken’s M&A group is among the world’s finest, with inter-disciplinary teams, an agile structure, and a depth of experience that allows us to complete large and complex deals within Canada and across borders.”
Mr. Turner says that while the early part of 2020 saw a decline in M&A due to the emergence of Covid-19 globally, deals picked up dramatically for the firm as the year progressed, resulting in Fasken’s strongest year ever for M&A deals. He expects M&A will continue to be strong in 2021. “With the arrival of vaccines and a resurging global economy, we will likely see more M&A activity in sectors such as tech, renewable energy, mining, cannabis, and healthcare, among others, in Canada and internationally.”
About Fasken
Fasken is a leading international law firm with more than 750 lawyers and 10 offices on four continents. Clients rely on us for practical, innovative and cost-effective legal services. We solve the most complex business and litigation challenges, providing exceptional value. For additional information, please visit the Firm’s website at fasken.com.
