Darrell Podowski* is a partner in the Securities and Mining Groups at Cassels. Darrell advises mining, industrial, entertainment, technology, and biotechnology companies on going public transactions, corporate finance, merger and acquisition transactions and general corporate commercial matters in Canada and internationally. He also provides advice with respect to continuous disclosure obligations and governance matters. As a result of Darrell’s seven years of experience as an exploration geophysicist with Amoco Canada Petroleum Company and four years of experience as in-house corporate counsel to Teck Resources Limited, Darrell possesses a particularly strong understanding of the practical commercial needs of his clients. Darrell has developed a strong expertise in negotiating complex purchase and sale transactions, international earn-in and farm out transactions, property option agreements, royalty agreements, strategic alliances, off-take and concentrate sale agreements, joint venture transactions and joint operating agreements.
In addition, Darrell has a great deal of experience with Latin America-related transactions and has extensive offshore experience having spent two-and-a-half years working in Bermuda with a large offshore law firm.
Some of Darrell’s representative transactions include acting for:
- Antofagasta plc on its acquisition of 50% (plus operatorship) of the Zaldivar Copper Mine located in Chile from Barrick Gold Corporation for US$1.005 billion; and its acquisition of Duluth Metals Limited by way of a plan of arrangement, and on the acquisition of Duluth’s outstanding convertible debentures, for a total transaction cost of approximately $96 million
- Antofagasta Minerals S.A. on mineral earn-in and joint venture transactions and strategic alliances worldwide, including the initial joint venture transaction with Duluth Metals Limited in connection with a copper-nickel PGM project in Minnesota, USA
- Freeport-McMoRan Inc. on numerous option and joint venture transactions for copper projects in various jurisdictions including Canada, Australia, Serbia, Africa and South America
- Goldcorp Inc. in the sale of the Camino Rojo Project located in Mexico to Orla Mining Ltd. For 31.9 million common shares of Orla, a 2% net smelter royalty on the property and an option to acquire up to a 70% interest to develop a sulphide project on the property.
- Teck Resources Limited and Fronteer Development Group Inc. in the sale of 100% of the jointly held Agi Dagi and Kirazli gold projects located in Turkey to Alamos Gold Inc. for US$90 million
Darrell is recognized as a leader in mining law by such authorities as Chambers Global, Chambers Canada, the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, and Best Lawyers in Canada. Who’s Who Legal identifies Darrell as a ‘Thought Leader’ in the area and Latinvex regularly includes Darrell as one of Latin America’s ‘Top 100 Lawyers.’
*denotes Law Corporation
