ENABLING YOUR BUSINESS

Ottawa Business Lawyers

Connolly, Nichols, Allan & Snelling LLP is a premier business law firm in the west end of Ottawa and Kanata enabling business. We are the business lawyer Ottawa firm of choice for many small and medium-sized family, technology and not-for-profit operations that demand immediate clarity and penetrating insight from their legal counsel. Over the years, we have honed our skills and broadened our perspective to ensure our business clients benefit from competitive, high-quality, situation- and task-appropriate counsel and services. We deliver by taking the time to develop a full understanding of your business’s history, mission, values, products and services.

Representative Work: Our Ottawa business lawyers have represented clients located in Ottawa, Kanata and from other jurisdictions in Canada, the United States, Great Britain and France on matters relating to business law including:

• represented the majority shareholders in the acquisition of a Canadian owned multi-national technology and service provider to the oil and gas industry with wholly owned operating subsidiaries in Singapore, England and the United States of America. The transaction required negotiation, capital restructuring, due diligence questions in respect of worldwide operations and coordinating approvals required of governmental authorities and contracting parties, addressing the interests of minority shareholders and employees and coordinating legal opinions in respect of foreign subsidiaries and operating compliance with the laws of foreign jurisdictions.
• represented a mid-sized Ottawa manufacturing business with significant dispute between founders to resolve corporate governance issues that threatened future plans and implemented succession strategy.
• represented an Ottawa based pharmaceutical distributor with exclusive rights in Canada in connection with the disposition of rights and assets to a US based multi-national represented by top tier Canadian and US legal counsel. The transaction required extensive negotiation, responding to highly technical due diligence, and addressing employment issues.
• represented many physicians, dental surgeons and other medical professions through the structuring of their professional practices.
• represented a foreign corporation in its acquisition of all the assets and business of an operating division of a Canadian subsidiary of a US public corporation. The assets included contracts with military entities of foreign governments that had been partially performed and partially paid for at the time of closing. Negotiation of adequate representations and warranties to ensure performance and payment coincided was essential to the purchaser and proved critical in a subsequent claim for damages.
• represented dental professionals in both the purchase and the sale of their professional practices including the negotiation of sufficient representations and warranties, addressing employment issues and working with tax advisors to achieve favorable tax treatment for the proceeds of sale.
• represented founders, non institutional early investors and employee shareholders in a dispute when a strategic investor attempted to acquire the assets of the company with assistance from special shareholders. Advised independent directors with respect to their obligations to shareholders and their right to solicit additional third party offers that overrode contractual constraints. Sale was concluded with third party buyer and all shareholders received a return when none was contemplated in the disputed arrangement.
• represented shareholders of junior technology corporations in a financial corporate restructurings and subsequent sale of assets and businesses as a going concern.
• represented a Canadian corporation in its bond financing and acquisition of a US flag vessels for continued operation in US waters;
• represented selling shareholders of junior technology corporations to public corporations wherein shareholder compensation was the issue of shares and advised with respect of subsequent sale of the shares on the public market.
• represented start up airline with its fleet acquisition and financing of foreign owned aircraft.
• represented junior technology companies exclusively in numerous convertible debt/equity issues to early stage investors, venture funds, financial institutions and strategic investors in financings.
• represented corporate interests in the negotiation and implementation of joint ventures with a Crown corporation for the establishment of an international service. The joint venture took two years to negotiate and acquire requisite permits for operation, equity and debt financing, acquisition of assets required for the operation of the joint venture and to negotiate and implement arrangements with unions.
• represented junior technology companies in the negotiation of joint technical development agreements.
• successfully represented founders, employees and non institutional investors in shareholder rights and oppression claims with venture capital and institutional investors over the right to participate in the proceeds of sale of the business and restrictions thereon.
• successfully represented founders, employees and non institutional investors when venture capital investors have asserted their rights to “cram down” other shareholders.
• successfully represented numerous minority shareholders in private companies on applications for preservation of shareholder rights and relief of oppression.