Anita Banicevic is a partner in the Competition & Foreign Investment Review practice. She advises domestic and international clients on many aspects of Canadian competition and foreign investment review law, including mergers, criminal and civil investigations and other pricing, distribution and general compliance matters.

Anita has experience advising clients in a wide variety of industries, including airlines, building materials, consumer products, financial institutions, natural resources, pharmaceuticals, real estate, retail and transportation. She has obtained Competition Act and Investment Canada Act clearance for numerous transactions involving domestic and international businesses.

Anita has also represented clients in a number of abuse of dominance and criminal price-fixing investigations by the Competition Bureau. She has experience with contested proceedings, negotiated resolutions, and where available, immunity or leniency agreements.

Anita is currently the Vice-Chair of the Legislation and Policy Committee of the Competition Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association. She is also a non-governmental adviser to the International Competition Network, an organization of international competition law authorities devoted to improving worldwide co-operation and convergence.

Representative Work

• Acted for Barzel Industries in a coordinated Canada/U.S. bankruptcy proceeding enterprise restructuring commenced in September 2009 and involving the negotiation of debtor-in-possession financing and a "stalking horse" bid, a joint cross-border auction process, and the November 2009 sale of Barzel's assets to affiliates of Metco Industries for US$75 million.
• Acted for U.S.-based private investment firm Mill Road Capital, L.P. in its acquisition of Cossette Inc. in a deal valued at approximately $135 million.
• Acting as counsel to global packaging manufacturer, Amcor Limited, in its offer to acquire a portion of the packaging assets of Alcan Packaging for slightly more than US$2 billion from Rio Tinto. The acquisition will establish Amcor as one of the world's leading packaging companies.
• Acting for FortisOntario Inc., a subsidiary of Fortis Inc., in its pending acquisition of the Great Lakes Power electric distribution business from Brookfield Renewable Power Inc. for a purchase price of approximately $68 million.
• Acted for a target in the criminal investigation brought by the Commissioner of Competition into an alleged conspiracy in the Canadian carbonless papers industry. 
• Acted for the purchaser in the acquisition of Legacy Hotels Real Estate Investment Trust, a deal valued at approximately $2.5 billion
• Involved in complex competition litigation matters heard by the Competition Tribunal and Federal Court of Appeal, including the Canada Pipe case.

Recognition

• Cited in the PLC Which lawyer? Yearbook as a recognized lawyer in competition/antitrust.

Articles and Publications

Anita is a member of the editorial board of Competition Law of Canada (Juris Publishing). She has published several papers on competition law and international business law, as well as articles in the Globe and Mail, the American Bar Association's International Antitrust Bulletin, the American Bar Association's Antitrust Magazine, Advocates Quarterly, Canadian Competition Record, Competition Law Insight and Canadian International Lawyer.

Teaching Engagements

Anita has been a guest lecturer in competition law at Queen's University Law School.

Speaking Engagements

Anita has spoken at the Canadian Bar Association’s National Competition Law Conference and events organized by the British Institute for International and Comparative Law.

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