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Robel Sahlu
Robel Sahlu Associate | Calgary, Toronto

About Robel

Robel maintains a practice involving advisory and advocacy work on matters related to business crimes, investigations and compliance, competition/antitrust, foreign investment, competition litigation, and commercial litigation.

Prior to joining Blakes, Robel practised competition and foreign investment law at a national law firm in Toronto.  As an articling student, he worked at a leading western Canadian law firm and completed a secondment to the Court of Appeal for Saskatchewan where he was a seconding clerk to three justices, including the chief justice.

Select Experience

Representative matters in which Robel has been involved include:

Business Crimes

  • Conducting testing and assessments of industry-leading bribery and corruption compliance programs

  • Conducting anti-bribery and corruption risk assessments for global resource mining companies

  • Conducting internal investigations into potential violations of domestic bribery laws and company policies

  • Conducting internal investigations into potential violations of bribery laws relating to First Nations officials

  • Responding to RCMP investigations into alleged violations of the Corruption of Foreign Public Officials Act

  • Advising clients on transactional due diligence and contractual obligations related to anti-bribery and corruption, sanctions, and anti-money laundering risks

Competition/Antitrust & Foreign Investment

  • Advising a foreign state-owned investment company with respect to various acquisitions

  • Advising a global transportation company on the sale of its logistics division

  • Advising a major Canadian telecommunications company on the acquisition of a wholesale-based internet service provider

  • Advising a public U.S.-based energy and electricity infrastructure company on several acquisitions

  • Advising a private equity firm on a US$400-million acquisition of an industrial supply company

  • Advising a conglomerate on the sale of its security equipment assets

  • Advising a global industrial group on the acquisition of a multinational utility company

  • Advising a U.K.-based global insurance brokerage, as its Canadian counsel, on its now terminated US$30-billion proposed acquisition of another leading global insurance brokerage

  • Advising the special committee of a seafood supplier in respect of a proposed acquisition of another global seafood supplier by a 50-50 joint venture for a transaction valued at approximately C$1-billion

  • Advising a global manufacturer of automated teller machines (ATMs) on its acquisition of another ATM-services provider in a transaction valued over US$2-billion

  • Advising a global supplier of building material on its combination with a North American cement manufacturer to create an industry-leading joint venture

  • Advising a leading online travel search aggregator in its defence of a Canadian class action alleging deceptive marketing practices and violations of provincial consumer protection statutes

  • Obtaining various Investment Canada Act clearances of high-valued foreign investments, including with respect to state-owned entities and national security matters

  • Obtaining various Canada Transportation Act clearances with respect to acquisitions of transportation undertakings

Commercial Litigation

  • Representing an international railway in litigation related to a train car derailment

  • Representing a grain dryer manufacturer with respect to product liability claims

  • Representing a global electronics and consumer goods manufacturer with respect to product recalls and liability claims

  • Representing an oil and gas company with respect to breach of contract, negligence, and defamation claims

Professional Activities

Robel is a member of the Canadian Bar Association Competition Law Section, the American Bar Association Antitrust Law Section and the Canadian Association of Black Lawyers.

He is currently a vice chair of the Criminal Matters Committee of the National Competition Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association and a coordinator of the young lawyer representative/young economist representative program for the American Bar Association's Antitrust Law Section.

Robel is also a member of the Teaching Team for the Lawyer as a Negotiator course at Osgoode Hall Law School.

Publications
Professional Appearances
Education
Admitted to the Alberta Bar – 2021
Admitted to the Ontario Bar – 2020
Admitted to the Saskatchewan Bar – 2020
JD, Osgoode Hall Law School – 2019
BBA (Management), University of Regina – 2014
Certificate in Economics, University of Regina – 2014
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