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Bob is a creative and solutions-oriented securities and public M&A lawyer
Robert (Bob) Richardson is a partner in our mergers and acquisitions (M&A), capital markets and financial services groups in Toronto. In addition, he is a leader of our firm-wide multidisciplinary Critical Situations & Activism team and our firm-wide multidisciplinary ESG & Sustainability team.
A seasoned securities lawyer and former senior banking and investment banking executive, Bob leverages his knowledge, experience, creativity and judgment to identify and implement legal solutions to business challenges, achieving clients' business objectives in a way that appropriately balances risks and rewards.
Mr. Richardson’s practice is focused on M&A transactions, corporate governance and crisis remediation. He acts for public companies, private equity sponsors, special committees, financing providers and financial advisors in connection with a broad range of matters, including contested and distressed transactions. During his 30-year legal career, Bob has worked closely on many prominent and complex transactions, including:
- Canada’s largest successful unsolicited and contested take-over bid, Brookfield Infrastructure’s $8.6 billion acquisition of Inter Pipeline Ltd.,
- Canada’s largest insolvency restructuring, the restructuring of Canada’s $32 billion non-bank asset-backed commercial paper (ABCP) market,
- Canada’s largest equity offering and first use of the integrated cornerstone investor deal structure, CIBC’s $3 billion offering at the onset of the Global Financial Crisis,
- Constellation Brands' $5.1 billion strategic “PIPE” equity investment in, and joint venture with, Canopy Growth Corporation,
- CIBC’s $6.8 billion cross-border share exchange acquisition of Chicago-based PrivateBancorp, Inc., a Nasdaq-listed commercial and retail bank, and
- Maple Group’s (a consortium of 13 of Canada’s largest financial institutions and pension funds) $3.8 billion contested acquisition of TMX Group (the owner of Canada’s largest stock exchange), Canadian Depository for Securities and Alpha ATS, an alternative trading system and exchange.
Prior to rejoining McCarthy Tétrault in 2018, Bob was the Senior Vice President and General Counsel (Canada) at Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce and a Managing Director at CIBC World Markets Inc., CIBC’s principal investment banking subsidiary. While at CIBC, he led a talented team of more than a hundred professionals located in Canada, Europe, the Caribbean, the United States and the Asia-Pacific Region, while directing the legal aspects of almost all of CIBC’s strategic transactions globally and advising CIBC World Markets in connection with countless IPOs, bought deals and M&A advisory engagements. Mr. Richardson also spent a year as special counsel at the Ontario Securities Commission, while on loan from McCarthys, where he worked on contested M&A transactions and policy reformulation.
While completing his undergraduate studies, Bob completed the Canadian Army’s RESO Armour Officer training program. Following almost 13 years of service, Bob retired as a Captain. He is a proud recipient of the Canadian Forces decoration (CD) and the Canadian 125th Anniversary Medal.
Bob is a graduate of Trent University (BA), Osgoode Hall Law School (LLB and LLM) and the Canadian Army’s RESO program is an adjunct professor of at Western University’s Faculty of Law, where he teaches Corporate Finance and Crisis Management at the JD level, and has been an adjunct professor at Osgoode Hall Law School, where he has taught Corporate Finance and M&A Transactions at the LL.M level.
Bob is a member of the Veterans’ Mental Health Advisory Committee at the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine and has served on the Canada Committee of RefuSHE, a Chicago-based NGO providing sanctuary, schooling, vocational training and outplacement to young women and children in Africa.
Prix et distinctions
The Legal 500 – Canada
Recommended: Corporate and M&A
Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory
Leading Lawyer: Mergers & Acquisitions
Lexpert
Top 500 Lawyers in Canada
Lexpert
Top 40 under 40
Lexpert Special Edition: Finance and M&A
Leading Lawyer
Canadian General Counsel Awards
Finalist, Deal Making