Overview
Lawrence Wilder’s practice focuses on representing public and private entrepreneurs and assisting them in successfully growing their businesses. Lawrence handles all aspects of the development curve, from initial equity funding to IPO’s. His merger and acquisition practice encompasses private and public M&A transactions (both friendly and contested). Lawrence has also acted in connection with various special committee mandates where he advises special committees on all aspects of corporate governance in the context of complex public transactions.
Over the past few years, Lawrence has acted in connection with many of Canada’s leading transactions in the REIT and Hospitality space. In 2017, he acted for a vendor client in connection with the first special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) qualifying acquisition to be completed in Canada. He also has a busy international private equity practice, acting for numerous leading international and Canadian private equity funds as well as institutional investors and their investee companies, in a wide variety of industries.
Lawrence has had active involvement with numerous charitable organizations in Toronto. He has also participated in the faculty programs at each of Toronto’s leading business schools, the Schulich School of Business (York University) and the Rotman School of Business (University of Toronto) where he has spoken on corporate governance and corporate finance matters.
Lawrence is also active on a number of early stage financings for blockchain companies and is the Firm’s relationship contact with the Global Legal Blockchain Consortium.
He also has been very active in the Canada’s emerging market for public cannabis business financings, specializing in U.S. and international cannabis businesses seeking to enter the Canadian capital markets.
Lawrence is Chambers ranked (Nationwide-Canada, REITs), and recognized as a leading lawyer by Best Lawyers (Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law), and the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory (Corporate Mid-Market/Corporate Finance and Securities)
Professional achievements & leadership
- The Best Lawyers in Canada - Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law, 2014 - 2023; Corporate Law, 2022-2025; Mergers and Acquisitions Law, 2022-2025; Securities Law, 2024-2025
- Chambers Canada, REITs, 2017 - 2024
- Who’s Who Legal, Canada Guide - Global Leader, Capital Markets - Debt & Equity, 2023 ; Capital Markets - Structured Finance, 2023
- Who’s Who Legal, Canada Guide – National Leader; Canada - Capital Markets, 2022
- The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory - Corporate Finance & Securities, 2019 - 2024; Corporate Mid-Market, 2012 - 2024; Mergers & Acquisitions, 2019 - 2024; Private Equity, 2021, 2023-2024
- Ranked as a leading lawyer by Martindale-Hubbell
- Lexpert/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada (Top 40 Repeatedly Recommended Canadian Corporate Mid-Market Lawyers), 2007
Notable matters
- Counsel to Apollo Health & Beauty Care Partnership in its acquisition in January 2017 by Acasta Enterprises Inc., representing one of the largest successful Qualifying Acquisitions by a Canadian Special Purpose Acquisition Corporation
- Canadian counsel to French hotel chain Accor on its US$2.9 billion purchase of the company that owns the Fairmont, Raffles and Swissotel hotel lines
- Counsel to Berkshire Hathaway Inc. in connection with its $3 billion preferred equity investment to facilitate the reorganization and merger of Tim Hortons and Burger King Worldwide Inc.
- Counsel to Blackstone Capital Partners in connection with certain of its oil and gas investments
- Counsel to Maxam Opportunities Fund LP and Pender Growth Fund in connection with the going-private transaction involving their TSXV-listed investee Radiant Communications Inc.
- Counsel to Starlight Investments Ltd. in connection with the formation of a consortium consisting of Starlight, PSP Investments, Canadian Apartment REIT, and Timbercreek Asset Management in order to facilitate a $2.3 billion acquisition and privatization of TSX listed TransGlobe Apartment Real Estate Investment Trust
- Counsel to LSF REIT Holdings S.à.r.l., an affiliate of Lone Star Real Estate Fund (U.S.) L.P, in the sale of its $1 billion German real estate portfolio to Dundee International REIT (now Dream Global REIT) in connection with Dundee's IPO, the first IPO of a REIT in Canada with exclusively foreign assets
- Counsel to SKOR Food Group Inc. in its sale to Colabor Group Inc. by way of a take-over bid
- Counsel to Certicom Corp. in its hostile take-over bid defence and subsequent acquisition by Research in Motion Limited (now Blackberry)
- Counsel to Gibralt Capital Group in its acquisition of a majority interest in the charter airline business of Skyservice Airlines Inc.
- Counsel to Starwood Capital Group in connection with its acquisition of five Westin hotel properties across Canada and its subsequent disposition of two of such properties
- Counsel to TSX - listed True North Apartment REIT in connection with its formation, public financings and 2015 merger with Northern Property REIT to form Northview Apartment REIT, one of Canada’s largest apartment REITs
- Counsel to TSX - listed True North Commercial REIT in connection with its formation and public financings of equity and debt
- Counsel to TSX - listed Firm Capital Mortgage Investment Corporation, one of Canada’s largest TSX listed mortgage investment corporations, in connection with its public financings of equity and debt
- Counsel to TSXV - listed Firm Capital American Realty Partners in connection with its reorganization, debt restructuring and subsequent public financings of equity and debt
- Counsel to TSXV - listed Firm Capital Property Trust in connection with its financings
Thought leadership
- Speaker, Lexpert Interview, Lexpert, 2019
- Speaker, M&A and Raising Money, The Entrepreneurship Society, October 15, 2017
Community involvement
- Member of the Board of Governors of The Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto
- Member of the Board of Governors of the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies (Canada)
- Past Chairman of the Board and President of the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre in Toronto
Bar admissions & education
- Ontario, 1987
- LL.B., Osgoode Hall Law School, 1985
