Canadian Law Practice Areas
Robert N. Black
Partner
Assistant
Diana Hobden, 416.941.5419Save or Print as PDF Email This Page
Biography
Robert Black is a partner in the Toronto office of Davis LLP. Mr. Black practises business law, with an emphasis on commercial transactions, corporate finance, private equity, corporate governance and mergers and acquisitions.
Mr. Black has acted for a variety of clients, such as corporations and their boards of directors with respect to commercial transactions, public and private financings, mergers and acquisitions and general corporate law matters. He also advises Canadian and U.S. investment dealers with respect to securities offerings, regulatory compliance, registration and trading issues. He represents pension funds, crown corporations and other institutions on investments, financings and regulatory matters and acts for Canadian and U.S. fund management and investment counselling companies on business and registration issues, new products and regulatory matters.
Prior to joining Davis as a partner in 2009, Mr. Black practised at another prominent national law firm for 15 years. Earlier in his legal career, Mr. Black was Senior Counsel and Vice-President with Merrill Lynch Canada and Manager, Listings, The Toronto Stock Exchange. He also worked as a Corporate Finance and International Markets lawyer at the Ontario Securities Commission.
Professional Experience
- Acted for Copperweld Corporation on its sale to Atlas Tube Inc. and Dofasco Inc.
- Acted on the take-over bid defense team for Clarington Corporation and its subsequent sale to Industrial Alliance.
- Acted for Public Sector Pension (PSP) Investment Board on private equity co-investment.
- Acted for Mackenzie Investment Management Inc. on its sale to Waddell & Reed Financial, Inc.
- Acted for Brick Brewing Co. Limited on numerous acquisitions, financings and business initiatives.
- Acted for Williams plc and its Canadian subsidiaries on the divestiture of various Canadian assets and the demerger of Williams plc into the separate companies Kidde plc and Chubb plc.
- Acted for Jascan Resources Inc. on its sale by way of plan of arrangement to Breakwater Resources Ltd.
- Acted for Falconbridge Limited on its investments in Baltic Resources Inc. and MCK Mining Corp.
- Acted for Bank of America Canada on offering of units linked to offshore investment company advised by Chesapeake Capital Corporation.
- Acted for BICC Phillips Inc. on its going private transaction.
- Acted for the special committee of the board of directors of Kerr Addison Mines Ltd. on the buyout by Noranda Inc.
- Acted for Minacs Worldwide Inc. on its initial public offering and listing on The Toronto Stock Exchange.
Professional Activities
- Author of "Another Round of CSA Proposals on Internal Controls" published in Canadian Securities Law News (August, 2008).
- Speaker on "The Supreme Court Decision in Danier Leather" at the Securities Law Conference presented by the Law Society of Upper Canada (May, 2008).
- Speaker on "Ontario's New Civil Liability Regime for Secondary Market Disclosure - Practical Steps for Public Companies" at the Securities Law Conference presented by The Law Society of Upper Canada (May, 2006).
- Speaker on "Major Continuous Disclosure Documents" at the Securities Law Conference presented by The Law Society of Upper Canada (January, 2005).
- Speaker on "The Regulation of Dealers" at the Securities Law Conference presented by The Law Society of Upper Canada (January, 2004).
- Chaired "Avoid The Pitfalls of Continuous Public Disclosure" conference presented by The Strategy Institute (June, 2000).
- Speaker on "Professional Liability in Financing Transactions" at the Due Diligence Best Practices Conference presented by Federated Press (May, 2000).
- Speaker at "The OSC Rules Course" presented by Insight Information (November, 1998).
- Special Lecturer on the Multijurisdictional Disclosure System for cross-border securities offerings - Faculty of Law, University of Western Ontario.
- Counsel, Corporate Governance Committee, Pension Investment Association of Canada.
- Past member, Securities Law Subcommittee, Canadian Bar Association - Ontario.
Volunteer Work
- Director of Moorelands, a charity that provides after-school programs and trips to summer camp for Toronto inner-city children.
- Director and past Chairman, The London Goodenough Association of Canada, a charitable foundation that provides scholarships for Canadian graduate students to study in England.
Education
- Mr. Black was called to the Ontario Bar in 1982. He received his B.A. and LL.B. from the University of Western Ontario and his LL.M. from the London School of Economics and Political Science.