Lexpert Roundup on the Business of Law
Lexpert identifies and reports on emerging business issues and practice areas in the business of law. Whether online, in our magazine or in the DealsWire e-newsletter, we chronicle deals and lawsuits of interest, and cover issues of broad concern to the legal profession and those who purchase legal services. We hope you enjoy this sampling of our latest content.
From the DealsWire: Soliciting dealer arrangements | Telecom deal surge | Scotiabank’s naming rights
The Lexpert DealsWire (subscribe here) documents facts, figures and key legal players behind recent deals. This week’s announced deal spotlight features the key players and figures in Alamos Gold’s $905-million deal to buy Richmont Mines.
In our closed deals section, we look at Adidas’ sale of CCM Hockey, as well as Fairfax closing its $190-million investment in AGT Food and Ingredients.
We also look at the players behind Rogers Sugar and Lantic acquiring L.B. Maple Treat Corp.; and Gibraltar Growth Corp. (SPAC) in its qualifying acquisition.
Flexibility Wins the Race
When it comes to cannabis, “joint” venture takes on a whole new meaning. Amid huge regulatory uncertainty – and the looming deadline next July – lawyers understood the need for flexibility when structuring the JV that established Pure SunFarms Corp.
Accounting Firms in Law: The Long Game
For the most part, the Big Four are maintaining a studied insistence that they’re not poaching on lawyers’ hallowed territory of high-end business law. But there’s plenty of evidence that their long-term goals reach well beyond the scope of what they have characterized as “complementary” legal services.
Artificial Intelligence: Due Diligence 3.0
Many associates are in a certain negative mood about the efficacy of manual due diligence. Lawyers, being human, get tired and cranky, with unfortunate implications for voluminous due diligence in M&A. The good news? Artificial intelligence may give junior lawyers their lives back. By automating labour-intensive, low-value tasks, artificial intelligence systems free up lawyers and other legal professionals to concentrate on complex, high-value projects.
Resource nationalism: do the riches outweigh the risks?
With a growing number of mining companies moving into higher-risk countries in recent years in the search of the next big deposit, they and their investors are increasingly grappling with a resurgence in resource nationalism that can badly buffet share prices.
Back to the Future
For anyone who spends considerable time in legal or academic pursuits, September is as much a marker of a new year as is January, writes Lexpert ‘s editor-in-chief, Jean Cumming. Lawyers take particular interest at this time of year in their CLE and other educational options, in part because the annual compulsory education deadline looms, but more generally because it’s an opportune moment to consider career and personal satisfaction.
The Dough Is in the Data
While software and hardware remain important In the digital world, data is fast taking centre stage, writes Technology columnist George Takach. Because there is now so much of it, and it can be analyzed (and therefore commercialized) very profitably, lawyers and others must increasingly consider the legal, contractual and regulatory implications of their data operations.
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