Jim Reid is a partner with a diverse corporate and securities law practice with an emphasis on mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance.  He has had a significant role on a broad range of transactions, including the sale and acquisition of public and private companies, public offerings of equity and debt, private placements, bank financings and securitizations.  Jim also provides advice on securities law matters to a number of significant public companies on an ongoing basis.

Jim recently acted for West Face Capital in connection with its acquisition of 13 million units of Jazz Air Income Fund from ACE Aviation Holdings for $97 million.  He also acted for Fortis in connection with its US$49 million investment in Caribbean Utilities and its US$90 million acquisition of two electric utilities in the Turks & Caicos Islands.  Jim also represented PetroKazakhstan in connection with its acquisition by CNPC International for US$4.2 billion and Agnico-Eagle Mines in connection with its US$125 million acquisition of Riddarhyttan Resources. 

Jim's M&A experience also includes Barrick Gold's share subscription and strategic partnership with Highland Gold, the defence by PetroKazakhstan of the hostile take-over bid by Central Asian Industrial Holdings, the $1.2 billion acquisition by Shaw Communications of Moffat Communications, the $2 billion asset swap between Shaw Communications and Rogers Communications, and Barrick's $525 million acquisition of Sutton Resources.

Jim has acted for the Fortis group of companies on numerous public offerings, including a $1.15 billion offering of subscription receipts by Fortis in March 2007 to finance its acquisition of Terasen from Kinder Morgan, a $150 million offering of common shares by Fortis in January 2007 and initial public offerings of debentures by FortisBC and FortisAlberta in 2004.  Jim's bank financing experience includes the $200 million project financing of Barrick's Bulyanhulu mine in Tanzania and the $1.2 billion financing of Sobey's acquisition of the Oshawa Group.

Jim teaches advanced business law workshops in M&A and corporate finance offered by Osgoode Hall Law School.  He is also the co-chair of the firm's Student Committee, which is responsible for the recruitment, development and evaluation of summer and articling students at the firm.  In 2002, Jim completed a six-month secondment to the Corporate Finance Branch of the Ontario Securities Commission.

Jim received a B.A. in Political Science from McGill University in 1992 and an LL.B. from the University of British Columbia in 1996.  Jim became a partner in 2000.

Top of Page