Lexpert Special Editions

Special Edition on Corporate 2018

The Lexpert Special Editions profiles selected Lexpert-ranked lawyers whose focus is in Corporate, Infrastructure, Energy and Litigation law and relevant practices. It also includes feature articles on legal aspects of Canadian business issues.

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6 LEXPERT | 2018 | WWW.LEXPERT.CA Biringer, Monica E. Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP (416) 862-6830 mbiringer@osler.com Ms. Biringer is Co-Chair of Osler's Tax Group. Her practice includes both tax planning and tax disputes. Her experience includes advising on inbound cross-border M&A, corporate finance, lease financing and financial restructuring. In the disputes context she has deep experience on matters involving the general anti-avoidance rule. Binder, Joel E. Stikeman Elliott LLP (416) 869-5233 jbinder@stikeman.com Mr. Binder is a partner in the Corporate Finance, Securities and M&A Groups in Toronto. He has a broad practice with significant experience in complex corporate finance, private equity, public and private M&A and transactional work. He represents public issuers, boards of directors, investment dealers, private equity funds, and strategic bidders. He sits on the TSX Advisory Committee. Belovich, Donald G. Stikeman Elliott LLP (416) 869-5605 dbelovich@stikeman.com Mr. Belovich is a partner in the Capital Markets, Securities and M&A Groups. He focuses on M&A, public financings and complex corporate reorganizations. He advises issuers and underwriters on numerous IPOs and other public offerings and private placements. He is a member of the Law Society of Ontario and ABA — business law section, and the co-founder of "100 Guys Who Care Oakville". Bélanger, Carl Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP (514) 397-4332 cbelanger@fasken.com Mr. Bélanger is a partner & co-president of the Corporate/Commercial Law group. He is based in Montréal and his practice focuses on commercial transactions and corporate structures, including mergers, acquisitions, venture capital and private sector-funding. He has been especially active in transactions involving private equity funds and business successions through management and other buyouts. Barbeau, Marc B. Stikeman Elliott LLP (514) 397-3212 mbarbeau@stikeman.com Partner and a member of the firm's Partnership Board. He practises in the areas of M&A, reorganizations, corporate finance and securities, and corporate governance, including advice to directors and senior management. He has been a panelist at a number of conferences, and lectures as an Adjunct Professor at McGill's Faculty of Law where he received the James A. Robb Prize for his volunteer work. Baldwin, Chris G. Lawson Lundell LLP (604) 631-9151 cbaldwin@lawsonlundell.com Mr. Baldwin advises on mine development, construction, operation and mining M&A in Canada and the world. Practice includes mining contracts with foreign governments, IBAs with Aboriginal groups, JVs, royalties, strategic alliances and partnerships. He has experience as an expert witness in mining-related litigation and arbitration. LEXPERT-RANKED LAWYERS hear — for example, giving them the heads up about a development that could significantly im- pact their business." AI is coming to law firms across practice areas, not strictly in M&A, and certain firms are seiz- ing the day and getting involved in development and testing. Lawyers in different practice areas are learning from each other's experiences. René Branchaud of Lavery, de Billy, L.L.P. says, "With the creation of our Lavery Legal Lab on Artifi- cial Intelligence a year ago, we started rapidly in- troducing AI tools in some of our practice areas. More specifically, we are using AI with translation tools for patents and technical documents." Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP's Monica Bir- inger says the firm has been involved in early beta testing for soware programs in Tax and in Em- ployment and Labour. In the case of Tax, they've "rolled it out more broadly." Several lawyers told us, as did John Emanoilidis of Torys LLP, that they are using AI "particularly in repetitive tasks like Due Diligence that can be enhanced through predictive analytics." Cam- eron Belsher at McCarthy Tétrault LLP puts an estimated quantum on that: "In measuring our AI Due Diligence offerings, we have seen savings of around 60 per cent, with greater cost predict- ability, efficiency and accuracy." Companies' data is increasingly voluminous and much of it unstructured. To the first part, many AI developers argue that AI tools are more effective at reviewing those volumes than are students or junior associates who may not be well instructed in what they are looking for, not to mention the fact that they may be sleep- deprived or bored. M&A lawyers in Canada would call that an exaggeration but generally suggest the optimal route is to have lawyers working with computerized tools to handle the volume, while adding their judgment in ways that machines do not possess. As to the matter of training, law schools are starting to take note: "HAVING ACCESS TOMARKET AND COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE TOOLS THAT EMPLOY AI TECHNOLOGIES ALLOWS ME TO STAY IN THE KNOW AND TURN THAT INSIGHT INTO SOMETHING THE CLIENT NEEDS TO HEAR — FOR EXAMPLE, GIVING THEM THE HEADS UP ABOUT A DEVELOPMENT THAT COULD SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACT THEIR BUSINESS." - JENNIFER TRAUB; CASSELS BROCK & BLACKWELL LLP

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