Sheldon Plener* is a partner in the Business Law Group at Cassels. Sheldon has extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, reorganizations, joint ventures and other commercial transactions in Canada and elsewhere. Sheldon has been lead counsel to public and private clients in a broad range of industries including mining, transportation, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, cosmetics, toy and advertising industries and professional sports.
Sheldon was the primary lawyer involved in negotiating the terms of the Toronto Raptors’ expansion agreement with the NBA and was the Founding Secretary of the Raptors. Sheldon was the Chairman, Governor and a director of the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and Canadian Tire Centre. Further, he was also Chairman, Governor and a director of the Belleville Senators, an AHL hockey club. He is currently a director of the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club.
Previously he was the Governor of the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He was also the Secretary and lead outside counsel for Toronto’s bid for the 2015 Pan American Games and was a member of the Steering Committee for the 2011 Mastercard Memorial Cup. Sheldon is ranked as a leading sports law practitioner and mergers and acquisitions practitioner by the Best Lawyers in Canada.
A few of his other notable projects include:
- Acquisition of Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Co. Limited
- Sale of Polo Ralph Lauren brands in Canada
- Bids for casinos in Ontario, including representing Trump Corporation and Sheraton Hotels
- Acquisition and sale of the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and Canadian Tire Centre
- Assisting private equity in various strategic transactions and divestitures
Sheldon has experience as a director of major public companies. He was a director of Biovail Corporation (now Bausch Health Companies Inc.), the largest publicly traded pharmaceutical company in Canada at the time and was also Chair of its Risk and Compliance Committee. Prior to its privatization, Sheldon was a director of Novelis Inc., which was also listed on the New York and Toronto Stock Exchanges and he was a member of its Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.
Sheldon has been with the firm since it numbered only 20 lawyers and has played an instrumental role in its expansion, including serving as Chairman of the firm’s Executive Committee, Chairman of its Audit Committee, and Deputy Managing Partner.
*Services provided through a Professional Corporation
