Date: May 25, 2016
Lawrence D. Wilder
lwilder@casselsbrock.com
t: 416 869 5750
f: 416 350 6904
Toronto
Suite 2100, Scotia Plaza
40 King Street West
Toronto, ON
Canada
M5H 3C2
Lawrence (Lawrie) Wilder* is a member of the firm’s Securities Group who focuses on representing public
issuers and assisting them in achieving their growth objectives. He handles all aspects of the development
curve, from initial public offerings to mergers and acquisitions.
Lawrie has developed an active practice (acting for issuers, underwriters, advisors and strategic partners)
advising public issuers in a variety of financings and merger and acquisition transactions for public issuers with
a focus on non-resource issuers such as financial institutions, real estate investment trusts, technology
companies and retailers. He also has a busy private equity practice, acting for numerous prominent
international and Canadian private equity funds including Manulife Financial, Blackstone Capital Partners,
Starwood Capital and Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and institutional investors and their investee companies, in a
variety of industries.
Lawrie's representative transactions include acting for:
True North Apartment REIT in its sale to Northern Property REIT and concurrent transactions with PSP
Investments and Starlight Investments in a $3 billion transaction creating Canada’s third largest multi-family
REIT, Northview Apartment REIT – this was the largest public apartment transaction in Canadian history
and largest REIT deal in 2015
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.
Equitable Group Inc., in its initial public offering and in various public equity and debt offerings directly and
through its subsidiary, Equitable Bank
Starlight Investments Ltd., in its $2.3 billion acquisition of TransGlobe Apartment Real Estate Investment
Trust
Starwood Capital Group, in connection with its acquisition of 5 Westin hotel properties across Canada
True North Apartment REIT, in connection with its formation and public financings
True North Commercial REIT, in connection with its formation and public financings
Blackstone Capital Partners, in connection with certain of its Canadian equity investments
Lone Star Real Estate Fund LP, on its sale of its $1 billion commercial real estate portfolio and the
concurrent initial public offering of Dundee International REIT (now DREAM Global REIT) and subsequent
secondary offerings
Maxam Opportunities Fund LP and Pender Growth Fund, in connection with the going-private transaction
involving their TSX-listed investee, Radiant Communications Inc.
SKOR Food Group Inc. in its sale to Colabor Group Inc. by way of take-over bid
Gibralt Capital Group, in its acquisition of Skyservice Airline Inc's charter airline business and subsequent
restructuring
Certicom Corp., in its hostile take-over bid defence and subsequent acquisition by Research In Motion
Limited (now Blackberry)
Chalk Media Corp., in its acquisition by Research in Motion Limited, (now Blackberry)
Lawrie is a former Chair of the Board and past President of the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre in
Toronto and is a member of the Board of Governors of The Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto and the Friends of
Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies, (Canada). He has 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 about corporate governance and
corporate finance matters. Lawrie has been involved in webinars addressing matters of corporate governance
and corporate finance. He is recognized as a leading lawyer byBest Lawyers and the Canadian Legal Lexpert
Directory.
*denotes Professional Corporation
Achievements
The Best Lawyers in Canada 2014–2016 (Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law)
Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory 2012–2015 (Corporate Finance & Securities; Corporate Mid-Market)
Ranked as a leading lawyer by Martindale-Hubbell
The 2007 Lexpert/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada (Top 40 Repeatedly
Recommended Canadian Corporate Mid-Market Lawyers)
Call to the bar
Ontario, 1987
Associations
Canadian Bar Association
Ontario Bar Association
Expertise
Hospitality & Tourism
Mergers & Acquisitions
Private Equity
Real Estate Investment Trusts
Securities