Practice Profile
Mining
Cassels Brock has one of the largest and most experienced mining groups of any major Canadian law firm and is recognized by Lexpert, a Canadian legal directory, as a leader in the mining and natural resources sector. As well, a number of our lawyers are listed in Lexpert, The Best Lawyers in America and Who's Who as leading mining practitioners. We are attuned to the economic cycles in the mining sector and are always at the forefront to help our clients take advantage of opportunities and overcome challenges.
We represent two of the five largest North American gold producers, the largest Canadian gold producer in Brazil and leading investment banks in the sector. We have acted on transactions involving mining projects in North, Central and South America, Africa, Australia, Europe and Asia. Our clients explore, build and operate gold, silver, copper, nickel, iron ore and diamond mineral projects throughout the world.
Our advice extends to:
Mergers and Acquisitions
- Takeover bids
- Business combinations
- Asset acquisitions and dispositions
Financings and stock exchange listings
- Initial public offerings
- Bought deals
- Private placements
- Project finance and corporate debt
- TSX and TSX-V listings
- Reverse takeovers
Exploration and Development
- Joint venture agreements
- Option and farm-in agreements
- Royalty arrangements
- Environmental compliance, occupational health and safety and other regulatory issues
- Dispute resolution and litigation
Operation and Shutdown
- Offtake agreements
- Hedging arrangements
- Tax advice including property, income, mining and commodity
- Labour issues
- Aboriginal issues and claims
- Mine closures, decommissioning and reclamation, and collateral financial assurances
- Dispute resolution including administrative tribunals, arbitration and litigation
Compliance and Regulatory Matters
- Corporate governance
- Related party transactions
- Director and Officer liability
- Disclosure for mineral projects under National Instrument 43-101
Our experience includes:
- Acting for a large Canadian gold mining company in its US$1.6 billion acquisition of mining assets from a leading international gold mining company in connection with a takeover bid of another leading mining company
- Acting for an international nickel concentrate producer in the proposed acquisition of assets from a leading international copper and nickel company
- Acting for several mining companies to raise capital through the early exercise of listed share purchase warrants
- Acting on the merger of three mining companies to create the 7th largest gold mining company in the world
- Acting for one of the leading intermediate gold producers in acquisitions of mines and mineral projects in Brazil, Argentina, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama valued at more than US$1 billion.
- Acting for one of the world's lowest cost and fastest growing multimillion ounce gold producers, in its acquisition of an advanced exploration stage gold project in the James Bay region of Quebec for US$420 million
- Acting on the construction and development of the first diamond mine ever discovered and constructed in Nunavut, Canada