Heenan Blaikie’s International Business group truly operates on a global scale. From North America, Europe and the Middle East to the emerging markets of Africa, Brazil, China and India, our practice group exports the knowledge of its lawyers by delivering first-rate legal services from the world’s metropolitan centers to the most remote of areas.
Our international network of relationships, which was built over decades, enables us to answer the particular needs of a wide range of domestic and international clients in both the private and public sectors, including:
- foreign governments
- banks and financial institutions
- energy and resources companies
- insurers
- engineering firms and construction companies
- equipment suppliers
- transportation businesses
Services Overview
Heenan Blaikie’s International Business group provides advice in connection with:
- Corporate and commercial issues – ownership and management structures (ex.: offshore corporations, partnerships, limited liability companies, joint ventures, investment funds); cross-border mergers and acquisitions; cross-border private equity investments, international joint ventures, corporate governance
- Natural resources (mining and oil and gas) – project and structured finance; exploration, development and operations of mining projects; foreign mining and oil and gas as well as environmental laws and regulations; Aboriginal relations; licensing and royalty agreements
- Energy – global climate change, international energy projects, environmental assessments, international due diligence, regulatory compliance, negotiations with Aboriginal communities, participation agreements (farmin and farmout)
- Infrastructure and public-private partnerships – assessment of risk transfer to the private sector, fiscal accounting and reporting standards, special purpose vehicles (SPV) for infrastructure financing, transparency issues, project risk analysis including construction, financial, performance, demand and residual value risks
- Construction – international construction contracts, management of major infrastructure projects, competitive bidding provisions and requirements, risk insurance, green buildings, local legislation, ethics concerns
- International project finance
- Ethics and anti-corruption laws
- Competition/antitrust and foreign investment – federal and provincial restrictions on foreign ownership in Canada; merger and cartel investigations; analysis of antitrust laws in foreign countries; administration and implementation of licensing and distribution systems; antitrust and competition litigation; compliance with Competition Act provisions such as distribution, marketing and pricing practices
- Trade – proceedings before the Canadian International Trade Tribunal, NAFTA Chapter 19 Binational Panel and the Federal Court of Canada; trade remedies (ex.: anti-dumping, subsidies, safeguard investigations); export controls; interpretation of bilateral and multilateral trade agreements; unfair trade practices; consumer protection
- Procurement – “buy national” policies and closed bidding; contract awarding rules in different jurisdictions; anti-corruption legislation; procurement provisions in international treaties such as NAFTA and WTO; best practices; state of public procurement regimes
- Tax, trusts and estates – offshore business trusts, international tax planning, non-resident corporations, trust and estate administration, inherited wealth, trust and estates dispute resolution, double tax treaty provisions, estate and succession planning
- Transportation – strategies to minimize the cost of moving products to foreign markets and reduce liabilities, private contractual arrangements, applicable national laws and international treaties, warehouse agreements, cross-border movement of hazardous substances
- Forestry – tropical forests and climate change, deforestation and sustainable forestry practices, international disputes and agreements such as softwood lumber, international conventions (ex.: Convention on Biological Diversity, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), privatization of forestry companies
- Labour and employment law – international labour relations matters, foreign employment laws, immigration, workers’ compensation, collective bargaining, occupational health and safety, discrimination
- International arbitration and dispute resolution – cross-border litigation and dispute resolution (including dispute resolution panels), arbitration proceedings both ad hoc and institutional (ex.: LCIA, International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), International Court of Justice, and WTO’s Dispute Settlement Body), arbitration of investor/State disputes (ex.: International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes), bankruptcy and insolvency disputes
Our International Business group has among its members, a number of prominent individuals who have made their mark in the international arena. These include, The Right Honourable Jean Chrétien, P.C., C.C., O.M., Q.C., former Prime Minister of Canada, Pierre Marc Johnson, G.O.Q., FRSC, former Premier of the Province of Québec, the Honourable Donald J. Johnston, P.C., O.C., Q.C., a co-founder of the firm, who was Secretary-General of the Paris-based Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and Jacques Lamarre, O.C., former President and CEO of the world-renowned engineering and construction firm, SNC-Lavalin. Through their numerous achievements and their esteemed international reputations, these individuals have facilitated the growth of Heenan Blaikie’s unparalleled transnational network of contacts in commercial, political and diplomatic circles.
In addition, Heenan Blaikie’s International Business group collaborates closely with Heenan Blaikie Consulting, which is a consulting firm affiliated with Heenan Blaikie, in providing solutions to client problems. Servicing clients in the corporate, governmental, organizational, and institutional sectors, Heenan Blaikie Consulting draws from the experience of accomplished business professionals, industry specialists and government leaders.