Detailed Bio
Summary
Kip offers his clients: (i) sound legal and strategic judgment, which he has honed during his many years on Bay Street; (ii) a successful track record of recruiting and leading engaged teams, whether for a specific deal or the long term support of a client's commercial needs; and (iii) the ability to draw on his network, in multiple sectors and geographies, to connect with the right people to help his clients resolve commercial or legal issues. Kip's philosophy is that the best lawyers cut through the "noise" to identify their clients' key legal and commercial concerns and then propose and implement creative and efficient solutions.
A somewhat unconventional career trajectory has equipped Kip to offer clients a range of services and perspectives in English, French, Italian and Spanish. Schooled in both the Common Law (Queen's) and Civil Law (Laval) legal traditions, Kip is a member of both the Ontario and Quebec bars. He learned the fundamentals of litigation while completing his Ontario articles at a respected litigation boutique in Ottawa (Cooligan Ryan). He acquired a solid grounding in corporate law while completing his Quebec articles at one of that province's leading corporate law firms (Stikeman Elliott) and, subsequently, by working as an associate in the corporate law group of a prominent Toronto firm (Torys). Kip was then invited to be the ninth lawyer in the newly opened Toronto office of a respected Montreal firm (Heenan Blaikie), a move which allowed Kip to maintain a closer connection with Quebec. Twenty-two years later, his partners from across the country elected Kip national Co-Managing Partner of the firm, which by then had nearly 500 lawyers and an office in Paris.
When Kip first moved to Heenan Blaikie, he was part of a small team charged with building the footprint of Toronto's "new legal kid on the block". This allowed Kip to develop a broad skillset along with a corporate commercial practice of mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, the drafting of commercial agreements, the regulation of financial institutions, solicitor support of corporate litigation and providing clients overall strategic advice. Owing to his fluency in Italian, Kip was seconded for four months a financial quarter to the Milan office of a law firm that was part of an international accounting firm. Several years later, Kip expanded his focus to include Latin America. At Dentons Canada, Kip was chair of that firm's Latin American Desk, where he was instrumental in building solid connections between Canada and the firm's broad network in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Over the years Kip's practice grew to include clients active in Private Equity. Kip has acted for a Quebec based Private Equity fund on both an Ontario and Quebec acquisition. He has represented a Canadian Private Equity fund in connection with its investments in the Caribbean and Latin America and a European family office that completed an equity investment in Quebec.
Kip has also played a key role in the resolution of high stakes conflicts for an American based financial institution.
Kip's skillset and judgment has also been further honed by decades of community service. Kip completed the legal work required to relaunch a stagnant not-for-profit corporation and to create, from whole cloth, four other not-for-profit corporations. Kip has been a director, officer and President of several community based organizations. He has participated in Canada's democratic process by serving multiple mandates as President of a federal riding association and as an advisor/worker on multiple political campaigns, including several leadership bids.
Previous Legal Experience
Daechsel Law and Mediation and Founders (Current)
Dentons Canada (5 years)
McMillan (4 years)
Heenan Blaikie (24 years)
Torys (3 years)
Baker & McKenzie (2 years)
Stikeman Elliott (Quebec Articles)
Cooligan Ryan (Ontario Articles)
Federal Department of Justice (two summers)
Education
Universidad de Salamanca (Spain), Diploma de Especialización en Derecho (Contratos y Daños)
University of Toronto, Department of Italian Studies (part-time studies over a 5 year period)
Université Laval, LLB, Civil Law
Queen's University, LLB, Common Law
Queen's University, BA, Political Studies
Languages + Citizenship
English, French, Italian and Spanish
Canadian and European (Italian)
Representative Engagements
Corporate Counsel / Transaction Counsel
Corporate counsel to leading Canadian business media company / lead transaction counsel to the management leverage buyout of the company.
Corporate counsel to Canadian subsidiary of one of China's largest private companies / lead transaction counsel on the contested sale of principal Canadian asset / ongoing solicitor support for related corporate litigation.
Lead transaction counsel to the subsidiary of a private Chinese company in connection with the acquisition of technology assets from a Canadian company.
Lead transaction counsel to a foreign bank in connection with the issuance of $1 billion in public debt instruments.
Lead transaction counsel to a South American company in connection with the restructuring of a complex cross border pledge of shares of a Canadian publicly traded entity.
Lead transaction counsel to a Canadian businessman in connection with a series of investments in an innovative tailings recovery technology in Colombia.
Lead transaction counsel to a Quebec based private equity fund in connection with a major acquisition in Ontario and follow-on acquisition in Quebec.
Lead transaction counsel to a Canadian private equity fund in connection with an investment in a Caribbean financial institution.
Lead transaction counsel to a Canadian private equity fund in connection with an investment in the food sector in Colombia.
Lead counsel to a special committee of a portfolio company of a Canadian private equity fund in connection with an acquisition in Argentina.
Lead transaction counsel to a European family office investing in a company in Quebec.
Lead transaction counsel to an American Fortune 500 American corporation in connection with the acquisition of the Canadian subsidiary of a major Dutch corporation.
Special counsel to a major Canadian transportation company in connection with the sale of a significant part of its operations to an American acquirer.
Counsel to a Canadian trust company in the sale of a division to a major Canadian bank.
Lead transaction counsel to a major Canadian bank in the sale of a division to another Canadian bank.
Lead transaction counsel to one of Canada's largest private corporations in connection with an acquisition in Quebec and other engagements.
Lead transaction counsel to a specialised Canadian metal fabricator in connection with a sale of its assets to an American corporation.
Lead transaction counsel to an Italian corporation in connection with its acquisition of a pharmaceutical manufacturer located in Quebec.
Lead transaction counsel to a French language community organisation in connection with its merger with another organisation.
Financial Institution Engagements
Incorporated the Canadian Lenders Association and served as a director, corporate secretary and corporate counsel.
Counsel to private Canadian bank in connection with resolving impediments to windup.
Lead Canadian counsel to the world's largest financial guaranty insurer.
Canadian counsel to the Association of Financial Guaranty Insurers.
Obtained numerous favourable decisions from the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions.
Incorporated a Quebec insurance company.
Dissolved a Quebec insurance company.
Divestures of trust operations for two major Canadian financial institutions.
Strategic Advisory
Developed and implemented an innovative strategy for the subsidary of one of Europe's oldest companies to maintain its commercial interest in a federal infrastructure facility located in Quebec.
Developed and implemented an innovative strategy for an American financial institution which was the largest creditor in one of Europe's largest infrastructure insolvencies.
Developed and implemented an innovative strategy to protect the interests of a credit enhancer in the context of a windup of a future flow securitization of outbound payments emanating from Central Asia.
Developed and implemented an innovative strategy to protect the interests of the principal shareholder of a large European oil corporation following an expropriation of its assets.
Participated in the development and implementation of a strategy to successfully permit the founder of a public corporation to take back control of the corporation by way of a proxy fight over the incumbent board's opposition.
Led team to assist leading Canadian private equity fund in securing investors in Saudi Arabia.
Assembled legal team to support a major investment by a Montreal based industrial manufacturer in North Africa.
Corporate Governance
(Past) Corporate counsel, director and corporate secretary to the Canadian Council for the Americas.
(Past) Incorporator, corporate counsel, director and corporate secretary to the Canadian Lenders Association (Fintech).
Incorporator, (past) corporate counsel to the France Canada Chamber of Commerce (Ontario).
Incorporator, corporate counsel, director and President of La Maison de la Francophonie de Toronto.
Incorporator, (past) corporate counsel to la Fédération des gens d'affaires francophones de l'Ontario.
Incorporator of a French-language broadcasting corporation.
Review of, and recommendations on, the governance structure of a specialised law firm.
Preparation of Shareholder Agreements for multiple private companies.
Commercial Agreements
Preparation of sui generis agreements for a special public service endowment fund.
Preparation of sui generis agreement to govern financial allocation within a team of investment professionals.
Shared Facilities and Co-operation Agreements for multiple French language school boards.
Conflict Resolution
Developed and implemented a strategy to resolve litigation between an American financial institution and four French banks (part of a group of 18 American and foreign bank litigants).
Developed and implemented a strategy to resolve litigation between an American Financial Institution and a major Canadian bank.
Resolved Canadian litigation on behalf of multiple Italian companies.
Awards and Recognition
King Charles III Coronation Medal for community service
Queen's University, Faculty of Law - Highest Standing in Jurisprudence (Legal theory)
Selected for Queen's Law team for National Jessup Moot competition
Directorships & Community Involvement (Past or Current)
Judge for the bilingual national Laskin Moot Court Competition (for multiple years)
Director, Corporate Secretary of the Canadian Council of the Americas
Director and Corporate Secretary of the Canadian Lenders Association (a not-for-profit organisation that represents the interests of the Fintech community)
Founding President of La Maison de la Francophonie de Toronto
Director (and member of the Audit Committee) of Groupe Media TFO
President of le Club Canadien de Toronto (the Francophone Canadian Club)
President (two mandates) of Le Petit Chaperon Rouge (a non-profit Francophone daycare)
Vice-President of Le Centre Francophone du Grand Toronto (a Francophone Community Health, Legal and Social Services Clinic)
Vice-President of Le Théâtre français de Toronto (a Francophone Theater)
Board Member of L'Alliance Française de Toronto
President and Executive member of the Executive (several mandates) of Parkdale - High Park Federal Liberal Riding Association
Executive member of Parkdale - High Park Provincial Liberal Riding Association
Strategic and legal advisor to multiple political campaigns at provincial and federal levels
Pro-Bono Legal Work
Corporate Counsel to the Canadian Council for the Americas
Corporate Counsel to La Maison de la Francophonie de Toronto
Corporate Counsel to the Canadian Lenders Association
Corporate Counsel to the France Canada Chamber of Commerce (Ontario)
Election Counsel to multiple campaigns at the Federal and provincial levels
Professional Accreditation
Law Society of Ontario
Le Barreau du Québec