Cassels

Canadian Corporate Law Firm

Dalhousie University

Nicole Teehan

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Nicole Teehan (she/her/hers) is the Director of Professional Resources, Learning & Development at Cassels. In this role, Nicole is responsible for administering the firm’s national training and development program for associates and students. Nicole is passionate about professional development and lifelong learning. She completed a Master of Laws at Dalhousie University, focusing her research on administrative law and alternative dispute resolution processes. For almost a decade, she has taught the theory and practice of negotiation as an adjunct faculty member at her alma mater, Osgoode Hall Law School.

Nicole summered and articled with a large full-service Bay Street law firm. Following her call to the Bar in 2010, she returned to firm’s litigation and dispute resolution group. Since 2012, she has focused her career on legal professional development, skills training and adult education.

Jonathan Shepherd

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Jonathan Shepherd is an associate in the Litigation Group at Cassels. He is a creative and thoughtful litigator. Jonathan acts for individuals, corporations, and institutional clients across a range of practice areas, and has worked on complex estate matters, bankruptcy and insolvency proceedings, and contractual and commercial disputes.

Jonathan has appeared at every level of court in Ontario. He has experience in arguing complicated motions, including obtaining injunctive relief, and also has trial experience.

Jonathan obtained his J.D. from the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University. In his spare time, Jonathan spends his time with his family. He enjoys telemark / backcountry cross-country skiing, climbing, running, surfskiing, and long-distance swimming.

William Rand

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William (Bill) Rand serves as a Senior Business Advisor at Cassels. In this role, Bill leverages his considerable experience in organizing and managing public resource companies. Bill joined Cassels following a 25-year career practising securities law and establishing a private company, Rand Edgar Investment Corp., to pursue private investment activities.

Bill has served on the board of numerous natural resource, technology and retail companies as well as on the board of a number of educational and charitable institutions. His current board memberships include:

  • Lead Director, Member of Audit Committee and Member of Human Resources & Compensation Committee – Lundin Mining Corporation
  • Director and Member of Compensation Committee – Denison Mines Corp.
  • Lead Director – New West Energy Services Inc.
  • Chairman of the Board, Chair of Audit Committee and Chair of Compensation Committee – NGEx Minerals Ltd.

Danielle Maréchal

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Danielle Maréchal is a partner in the Restructuring & Insolvency Group at Cassels. Danielle routinely acts for lenders, court-appointed officials (receivers, monitors, trustees), landlords, purchasers, debtors, secured and unsecured creditors, directors, trustees, receivers and monitors. She advises clients on corporate reorganizations, bankruptcies, receiverships, foreclosures, lease realizations and loan workouts. She is also experienced in secured and unsecured financings, including interim and takeout financing within insolvency proceedings, and securitization within forbearance arrangements. Danielle brings a practical, proactive and strategic approach to the resolution of complicated disputes.

Danielle’s representative work includes acting as counsel for:

  • The Receiver of Redwater Energy Corporation, including in the landmark Supreme Court of Canada decision
  • The Monitor in CCAA proceedings of Lutheran Church–Canada, the Alberta-British Columbia District and related entities
  • An interim lender in the CCAA proceedings of Canada North Group, including in a precedent setting decision regarding the priority of CCAA charges relative to CRA deemed trust claim
  • The Receiver of Big Eagle Group

Danielle received her J.D. from Dalhousie University and completed her B.Sc. in biological science and her M.Sc. in cancer biology at the University of Calgary. While in law school, Danielle participated in the 2013 Corporate Securities Moot and worked as a teaching assistant for undergraduate biology courses at Dalhousie University. Prior to joining Cassels, Danielle was an associate and completed her articles at an international firm.

Dr. Alison R. Manzer

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Alison Manzer is a partner in the Banking & Specialty Finance Group and Business Law practice at Cassels. Alison has developed expertise in a wide range of practice areas combining skills to work effectively in most corporate/ commercial practice areas, with a focus on financial services and structured transactions. Her recent experience includes block chain and fintech applications. Her cross-border expertise has led to several leadership roles in the leading United States business law organizations such as the American College of Commercial Finance Lawyers and the American Bar Association. Alison has written many books on legal topics, primarily in areas of banking and specialized finance, and routinely lectures and speaks on a wide range of topics. She has undertaken extensive formal education in areas key to her practice, holding degrees including a DBA, MBA, LLM, and MSc., and certificates in the advanced Canadian Securities Institute programs. Alison holds her Doctorate of Business Administration from the Henley Business School. She is also an adjunct professor at Osgoode Hall Law School teaching the LLM International Finance program, and has been practicing in the field of commercial law since 1979.

Alison’s range of commercial practice includes financial institution regulation, corporate and commercial lending, asset-based financing, securitization and structured finance, private equity, project finance, asset finance and leasing, business reorganization, syndicated lending, fund formation and governance, fintech and blockchain applications and related areas. A significant part of her practice involves multi-jurisdiction transactions where she has expertise in the structuring requirements to solve taxation, conflicts of laws, document structure, currency and rate issues, among others. Alison also has well-recognized expertise in transaction structuring using special purpose entities such as partnerships, limited partnerships and trusts.

Alison has been president of the Association of Commercial Finance Attorneys, a continuing legal education organization based in New York, is a regent of The American College of Commercial Finance Lawyers and a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. Those involvements reflect the multinational nature of her practice. She fills several leaderships roles with the Business Law Section of the American Bar Association, including chairing committees.

She has lectured and written extensively on legal matters, particularly dealing with financial institution and partnership issues. Alison has authored several text books, including Canada–U.S. Commercial Law Guide, Asset Based Lending in Canada, Project Finance in Canada, Real Estate Finance in Canada, Law and International Finance, Halsburys Laws of Canada – Banking and Finance, A Practical Guide to Canadian Partnership Law, Banking and Credit Relationships, and Law of Banking and Payment in Canada, among others. Her list of published articles includes over 300 titles written for a wide range of publishers in areas including partnership, financial institution regulation, commercial finance, asset-based lending, block chain and fintech, international and cross-border finance and specialty finance products, among others.

Some of Alison’s publications include:

  • “Guarantee & Indemnity,” Halsbury’s Laws of Canada (LexisNexis), 2022 Reissue
  • Real Estate Finance in Canada (LexisNexis)
  • The Consumer Finance Law Review, 2nd ed (2018) and 3rd ed (2019) (Law Business Research)
  • Expert Guides Banking, Finance and Transactional Law (Legal Media Group)
  • Getting the Deal Through – Project Finance (Law Business Research)
  • Project Finance in Canada (Thomson Reuters)
  • “Banking and Finance,” Halsbury’s Laws of Canada (LexisNexis)
  • Law in International Finance (Thomson Carswell), 2009 (with annual updates to date)
  • Asset Based Lending in Canada (LexisNexis), 2008 (rewritten and issued in 2015)
  • Canada-US Commercial Law Guide (Thomson Carswell), 2005 (with annual updates to date)
  • A Guide to Canadian Money Laundering (Canada Law Book), 2002 (and updated versions)
  • The Corporate Counsel Guide to Banking & Credit Relationships (Canada Law Book), 1999 (rewritten and issued 2015)
  • Canadian Partnership Law (Canada Law Book), 1994 (with annual updates to date)
  • Annotated Bank Act and Bank Act Legislation and Commentary (Butterworths/LexisNexis)

Alison has been a director of several financial institutions, including a Schedule II bank, insurance companies, leasing finance companies, securitization trusts and other financial services industry corporations. She was awarded the inaugural Lexpert Zenith award, honouring senior women lawyers who have made outstanding contributions to the practice and business of law. Alison has been repeatedly recognized in all of the major peer based legal rankings in several areas including banking, asset finance and government contracts.

Mickey Lungu

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Mickey Lungu is a partner in the Business Law Group at Cassels and leads the Independent Sponsor initiative within the firm’s Private Equity Group. Mickey’s practice is focused on counselling buyers, sellers and targets in respect of M&A, corporate finance, and strategic corporate and commercial law matters across the private capital ecosystem. In this capacity, he regularly advises private equity funds and their portfolio companies on domestic and cross-border transactions. Mickey has experience across a variety of industries, including technology, real estate, franchising, hospitality, mining, cannabis, food and beverage, specialty manufacturing and consumer products.

Examples of Mickey’s recent work in these areas include representing:

  • Goldman Sachs in connection with its investment into Solink Corp.
  • Veritas Capital in connection with the acquisition by Epiq Solutions of Xiphos Systems Corporation
  • Wavecrest Growth Partners in connection with its acquisition of CarData Consultants Inc.
  • Alcorn Partners in connection with its acquisition of an Ontario based manufacturing company
  • Peloton Capital Management in connection with its acquisition of Billyard Insurance Group
  • TA Associates in connection with the acquisition by Netwrix Corporation of Flo Partners Inc.
  • Wynnchurch Capital in connection with its sale of Carson Air Ltd. to Exchange Income Corporation
  • Cinespace Film Studios in connection with its sale to TPG Capital
  • Integrated Technology Limited in connection with its sale to a portfolio company of HCI Equity Partners
  • Starwood Capital Group in connection with its sale of five Westin branded hotels throughout Canada
  • GNI Management Group Inc., through the receiver of its parent company, in connection with its sale to Ironbridge Equity Partners