Banking and finance

Norton Rose Fulbright

Client Satisfaction

Possessing ‘the strongest banking team in Calgary’, according to some, Norton Rose Fulbright’s sizeable national banking and finance practice also fields well-staffed groups in Montreal, Toronto, Quebec City and Vancouver. In Calgary, Rick Borden is highly sought after for his expertise in energy-related financings, which was recently showcased by his advice to Gibson Energy on the financing of its $1.1bn acquisition of South Texas Gateway Terminal. Marlow Gereluk and senior associate Joe Mooney are also noted in Calgary. The department additionally fields a deep bench in Montreal, which includes asset-based lending specialist Arnold Cohen; David Lemieux, who has a strong record in large-scale finance transactions; dual-qualified (Quebec/New York) Peter Wiazowski, who serves as national practice coordinator for banking and debt finance; and up-and-coming partner Michèle Friel. In Toronto, David Amato stands out for his thriving lender-side practice, while Tim Stewart heads the financial services and regulation unit.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

‘In my opinion, NRF has the strongest banking team in Calgary. It is highly knowledgeable and also practical. It is driving change in the market with its amendment checklist, which has helped to modernize many of the credit agreements that we are a party thereto.’
‘Rick Borden is someone that I speak to on a daily basis given the number of files that we work on together. He is very knowledgeable and at the same time highly practical and very efficient with his time. I've done an increasing amount of work with Joe Mooney, who I would view as a rising star in the group.’
‘Exceptional customer experience with lawyers that really care about my business. I couldn't ask for more from partners that go above and beyond. Best asset-based lending lawyers in Canada. Great advice.’
‘David Amato and his team are amazing to work with. Their knowledge base has helped us close very large credit facilities. Much of our success is based on their market knowledge of certain asset classes. They help us to navigate complex transactions.’
‘Strong partners, highly experienced, strong business acumen, practical approach, strong legal advice and access to network of experts. David Lemieux in Canada stands out for his ability to provide business advice in addition to legal advice and exceptional service level.’
‘Deep bench strength with great expertise in the banking practice with a strong cross-border debt financing team.’
‘Matthew Longstaff, Peter Wiazowski, Amy Yang are very attentive, polished and solution-oriented lawyers with a focus on pragmatism.’

Key clients

Alimentation Couche-Tard
Coliseum Capital Management
Brookfield Capital Partners
Norda Stelo
Bank of Montreal
Royal Bank of Canada
Gibson Energy
Canadian Tire

Work highlights

Advising the joint bookrunners on the financing of Alimentation Couche-Tard’s C$4.5bn acquisition of certain European retail assets from TotalEnergies, spanning Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg.
Advising Royal Bank of Canada on the £1.6bn acquisition, by its subsidiary RBC Wealth Management International, of British wealth management entity Brewin Dolphin Holdings.
Acting for the lead arrangers, administrative agent and lenders on $1.7bn of committed acquisition credit facilities to Baytex Energy Corp.