Michael Gans is a co-founder of our New York office and co-head of the Firm's Private Equity Group. Michael's practice focuses on Canada/U.S. cross-border merger and acquisition transactions. He has acted for offerors and targets on public domestic and cross-border take-over bids and other acquisition transactions, as well as purchasers and vendors in connection with asset and share purchase transactions. He also frequently acts for financial sponsors in leveraged transactions.

Michael has acted as counsel to issuers, underwriters and selling shareholders in domestic and cross-border equity, fixed income and structured product offerings, including offerings for participants in the Canadian utilities, telecommunications, Internet and technology, financial services and manufacturing industries.

Recent examples of Michael's experience include:

• Leading Blakes team advising Roark Capital on its C$143.7-million buyout of Pet Valu Inc.
• Advising Suncor on its C$43-billion merger with Petro-Canada
• Advising Palo Alto Investors in its proxy contest with Canadian Superior Energy
• Advising Jefferies & Co. in connection with its role as financial adviser in the going-private transaction of Q9 Networks
• Leading Blakes team advising Evraz Group S.A. in connection with its US$4.03-billion acquisition of IPSCO Tubulars from SSAB Svenskt Stal AB
• Leading Blakes team advising First Reserve Corporation on its US$3.7-billion buyout of CHC Helicopter Corporation (Winner of the 2008 Financial Times-Mergermarket Private Equity Deal of the Year Canada Award)
• Advising Credit Suisse in connection with its role as financial adviser in the going-private transaction of SkyPower Wind Energy
• Leading Blakes team advising Caxton-Iseman Capital, Inc. in connection with its C$800-million leveraged buyout of KCP Income Fund
• Leading Blakes team advising American Sugar Refining, Inc. in connection with its acquisition of Redpath Sugar
• Leading Blakes team advising H.I.G. Capital in connection with its leveraged acquisition and subsequent disposition of two operating divisions of a Canadian public company
• Advising Lafarge S.A. in connection with Canadian aspects of its US$3.5-billion acquisition of the minority interests in Lafarge North America and Lafarge Canada
• Advising Harris Corporation in connection with its US$450-million acquisition of Leitch Technology Corporation

Michael is a former member of the Mergers and Acquisitions and the Securities Regulation Committees of the New York City Bar Association. He was one of the lawyers named in the "Top 40 Under 40" in Canada by Lexpert magazine in September 2002 and again in November 2006. He was also one of the "40 Corporate Lawyers to Watch" in The 2006 Lexpert/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada and The 2006 Lexpert-Thomson West Guide to the 100 Most Creative Lawyers in Canada. Michael is recognized as a leading Canadian private equity lawyer and recommended in the area of corporate/M&A in the PLC Which Lawyer? and is listed as one of the world's leading capital markets lawyers in Law Business Research's The International Who's Who of Capital Markets Lawyers.