Cassels

Canadian Corporate Law Firm

Dalhousie University

Maria Constantine

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Maria Constantine (she/her/hers) is a partner in Employment & Labour Group at Cassels. Maria helps employers navigate employment relationships, litigation, and corporate transactions to comply with applicable employment laws and mitigate potentially significant financial, regulatory, and reputational risk.

In particular, Maria advises on employee hiring, discipline and dismissal, employment standards compliance, disability management and accommodation, workplace investigations, and human rights issues. She regularly represents employers in litigation matters and has appeared as counsel at all levels of court in Ontario and at a variety of administrative tribunals, including the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario and Ontario Labour Relations Board. Maria has particular expertise in written advocacy and extensive experience drafting complex employment contracts and workplace policies. She also provides strategic advice on employment issues arising in complex corporate reorganizations, mergers, and acquisitions.

Maria has written extensively on topics relating to employment and human rights law and is a frequent speaker at employment law seminars and conferences.

For her work, Maria has been recognized as a leader in her field by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch.

Maria is also a member of Cassels’ Corporate Responsibility Committee and Co-Chair of the Pro Bono Subcommittee. She volunteers with Pro Bono Ontario’s Free Legal Advice Hotline and Toronto Metropolitan University’s Law & Business Clinic.

Jonathan J. Chandler

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Jonathan Chandler* is a partner in the Capital Markets Group at Cassels. Jonathan is also an active member of the firm’s Mining and Mergers & Acquisitions Groups. His practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance in the mining industry. Jonathan specializes in the representation of public mining companies in a variety of domestic and cross-border transactions, including M&A transactions, business combination transactions, public offerings and other finance transactions. He also has extensive experience advising on a range of commercial agreements for mining clients, including earn-in agreements, property option agreements, shareholder agreements and royalty agreements.

In addition, Jonathan is a trusted advisor to many mining clients at every stage of development, including exploration and development companies, early-stage junior mining clients and established senior producers, in connection with their day-to-day securities law matters, including continuous disclosure obligations, corporate governance and regulatory compliance.

Jonathan has been involved in numerous industry-leading transactions in the mining industry, including acting for:

  • Yamana Gold Inc. on its US$4.8 billion acquisition by Pan American Silver Corp. and Agnico Eagle Mines Limited and on its US$6.7 billion proposed acquisition by Gold Fields Limited
  • Kirkland Lake Gold Ltd. on its business combination with Agnico Eagle Mines Limited, creating a senior gold producer with a market capitalization of US$22.4 billion and on its $4.9 billion acquisition of Detour Gold Corporation
  • Goldcorp Inc. on its US$10 billion acquisition by Newmont Mining Corporation
  • Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. on its renewal of its US$300 million at-the-market equity program
  • Sandstorm Gold Ltd. on its launch of its US$140 million at-the-market equity program and its subsequent renewal and on its US$92 million bought deal financing
  • Orla Mining Ltd. on its $242 million acquisition of Gold Standard Ventures Corp.
  • Filo Corp. on its $100 million strategic investment by an affiliate of BHP Group Limited and its $130 million private placement
  • NGEx Minerals Ltd. on its $85.7 million private placement
  • Consolidated Uranium Inc. on its $32.2 million acquisition of Virginia Energy Resources Inc.
  • Latitude Uranium Inc. on its $43 million acquisition of the Angilak Property from ValOre Metals Corp.
  • Freeport-McMoRan Inc. on numerous option and joint venture transactions for copper projects in various jurisdictions including Canada, Australia, Serbia, Africa, and South America
  • Antofagasta Minerals S.A. on numerous earn-in and joint venture transactions worldwide

Jonathan has been recognized for his excellence in the fields of mergers and acquisitions laws and securities laws by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch.

*Services provided through a Law Corporation

André Boivin

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André Boivin is a partner in the Capital Markets Group at Cassels. André’s practice focuses on corporate and securities law, primarily acting for public mining companies and offers extensive experience with equity financing transactions. André advises many public companies on a daily basis with respect to regulatory compliance and governance matters and is one of the firm’s top experts on National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. He frequently leads teams involved in mergers and acquisitions and other significant strategic transactions.

Kate Byers

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Kate Byers is a partner in the Litigation Group at Cassels. Kate has a broad commercial litigation practice, with a focus on securities and franchise litigation and class actions. In her practice, Kate strives to bring a practical, results-oriented approach to achieve strategic resolutions to complex litigation.

Kate has acted for public and private corporations, directors and officers, shareholders, and investment funds in litigation arising from shareholder disputes, oppression claims, proxy fights, and class actions, including primary and secondary market liability claims and claims in systemic negligence. Kate regularly acts for franchisors in disputes arising out of provincial franchise legislation, including rescission claims. Kate has also acted in a wide range of commercial litigation matters involving contract disputes, real estate (including disputes over the early redemption or discharge of a mortgage), and the granting of extraordinary relief such as Mareva injunctions and Norwich orders.

Kate has appeared before every level of court in Ontario and before the Supreme Court of Canada. Kate also has significant arbitration experience before single and panel arbitrators.

Recent examples of Kate’s representative work include:

  • Acting for public issuers and individual directors and officers in defending securities class actions involving allegations of misleading or inaccurate financial, operational, and technical disclosure
  • Representing shareholders, directors and officers, and corporations in oppression and breach of contract proceedings
  • Acting for franchisors in proceedings alleging rescission claims, other breaches of the Arthur Wishart Act (Franchise Disclosure), 2004, and breaches of franchise agreements, including pursuing injunctive relief in order to enforce restrictive covenants
  • Enforcing guarantees of franchisee obligations under franchise agreements
  • Acting for mining companies in litigation or arbitration arising out of the interpretation of a royalty or net profits interest agreement
  • Investigating matters relating to allegations of corporate misconduct, including internal and external investigations

Kate is a frequent contributor to firm publications on franchise and securities litigation topics. She regularly volunteers for Pro Bono Law Ontario’s free legal advice hotline. She is a member of the Young Leaders Council, a philanthropic board sub-committee of The WoodGreen Foundation, which raises funds in support of WoodGreen Community Services Inc., one of Toronto’s largest social services agencies.

Graham Brown

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Graham Brown is a partner, and co-chair of the Construction and Infrastructure Law practice group, at Cassels. Graham represents clients from across the construction industry, including public and private owners, developers, contractors, subtrades, suppliers and consultants. He offers particular expertise advising clients on contract disputes, procurement issues, lien claims, breach of trust claims, delay claims and other litigation matters. Graham has represented clients at all levels of court in Ontario and in arbitration proceedings.

In addition to his litigation practice, Graham provides advice to construction industry participants on project strategy, procurement and tendering, contract drafting, and Competition Act compliance.

Graham is active in the construction industry, having led the Construction Law course at George Brown College and guest lectured at construction industry certification courses. He is also an avid writer and public speaker on topics related to the construction industry.

Graham has been ranked as a leader in his field by Lexpert and Chambers Canada with clients highlighting that he provides “excellent service” and has “strength in handling contentious issues.”  Graham was also named an Acritas Star Lawyer (now known as Thomson Reuters Stand-Out Lawyers) on multiple occasions.