Lisa Damiani is a partner practising in the areas of mergers and acquisitions and corporate and securities law.  In addition to extensive experience in the mining sector, Lisa has represented clients in both friendly and unsolicited public acquisition transactions, as well as private acquisitions and dispositions across a diverse group of industries including aerospace, logistics, manufacturing and entertainment. 

Lisa's recent mergers and acquisitions transactions include her significant role in Barrick Gold Corporation's successful US$10.4 billion acquisition of Placer Dome Inc. in January 2006. The transaction ranked as the largest unsolicited take-over bid in Canadian history when it was launched in October 2005, and involved the purchase by Barrick of shares listed on six stock exchanges and compliance with take-over bid regimes in a number of international jurisdictions. The transaction also involved the completion of an agreement between Barrick and Goldcorp Inc. to sell approximately US$1.6 billion of Placer Dome’s assets to Goldcorp contingent upon the successful completion of the Placer Dome acquisition.  Lisa also spearheaded the completion of that sale of assets in May 2006.

Lisa also acted for Barrick in its US$1.7 billion unsolicited bid in July 2006 for NovaGold Resources and its friendly take-over bid for Pioneer Metals, also announced in July 2006.  In addition, Lisa is advising Zinifex Limited in connection with its take-over bid for Wolfden Resources Inc., announced in March 2007.

Other public and private mergers and acquisitions in which Lisa has been involved include Barrick's US$2.25 billion acquisition of Homestake Mining Company, the acquisition of Celsius Aerospace by Reliance Aerotech Inc., the sale by Barrick of its interest in the Bousquet Mine to Agnico-Eagle Mines and the acquisition by Celestica Inc. of two manufacturing facilities in Italy.  Lisa also acted for a strategic buyer in the proposed acquisition of the Famous Players chain of movie theatres (who lost the auction in the final round of bidding to the successful buyer, Cineplex Galaxy Cinemas). 

Lisa has worked on public offerings of securities, joint venture transactions, restructurings and other corporate matters, including the negotiation and settlement of master trading agreements for gold and silver forward sales, Barrick's minority investment in and proposed Russian joint venture with Celtic Resources Holdings plc, the establishment and initial public offering of units of SFK Pulp Fund, representing the underwriters in connection with the issuance by Inco Limited of US$230 million 20-year notes and US$400 million 10-year notes, representing TD Capital in the reorganization of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd., the company that operates the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Raptors sports franchises and the Air Canada Centre, and representing Barrick and its subsidiary Barrick Gold Finance Company in connection with the public offering of an aggregate of US$750 million of 10-year and 30-year notes.

Lisa also provides advice to a number of publicly listed companies in connection with compliance with their ongoing securities law obligations, including in relation to continuous disclosure requirements, corporate governance and corporate policies.

Lisa received a B.A. in Economics (with High Distinction) from St. Michael's College at the University of Toronto in 1992 and both an LL.B. and an M.B.A. from the University of Toronto in 1996. She was named to the Dean's Honour List at the Faculty of Law in 1996 and to the Graduation Dean's Honour List (with Distinction) at the Faculty of Management. Lisa was called to the Ontario Bar in 1998 and was awarded the Law Society Third Prize. She became a partner in 2001.

Lisa speaks conversational Italian.

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