CLIH Cross border Issues

14 www.canadianlawyermag.com/inhouse FEATURE Practical advice: Top 10 Corporate Boutiques CORPORATE LAW boutiques are in high demand in today's evolving marketplace, as businesses of all sizes and industries seek expertise for their unique business needs. Uncertainty driven by the pandemic has given rise to significant merger and acquisition activity, strategic investments and financing transactions, creating a heightened demand for experts to handle these complex transac- tions, as well as day-to-day corporate matters. Many organizations turn to corpo- rate boutiques for their personalized service, attention to detail and competitive pricing. Named among the Top 10 Corporate Boutiques, MEP Business Counsel serves many kinds of clients, including serial entrepreneurs, growth companies, private equity investors and multinational corpora- tions, across multiple industries. "They know our industry very well, and it's a very specific industry," says Elyot Waller, SVP, business affairs and general counsel at Vancouver, BC-based Mainframe Studios, a computer animation company. Mainframe has been a client of MEP since the firm launched in 2014, primarily seeking help with entertain- ment law, entertainment finance and matters such as performer and writer agreements. "Compared to any of the other entertain- ment firms, they have this very good corporate group — which means that when we're making decisions in terms of our entertainment projects and entertainment business, they are able to advise us on how that builds value for the company," says Waller. Also named among the top 10, Wildeboer Dellelce LLP works across all industries, including agribusiness, food and beverage, automotive, cannabis, financial services, fintech, mining, technology and energy and natural resources. Among its many clients, CI Financial Corp. has retained Wildeboer for several Canadian M&A transactions, strategic investments and some investment fund work over the past five years. "Being a smaller firm in terms of personnel, they tend to be quite efficient — particularly for smaller transactions — where larger firms have a hard time being cost-effective," says Ted Kelterborn, EVP and chief legal officer at CI Financial. "They are very practical, very business-oriented and very detail-oriented." Another client of Wildeboer, auto parts manufacturer Martinrea, has been calling on the Toronto-based firm for over 20 years, mainly for corporate securities and tax matters. "They are great people, and they don't run up huge legal bills," says Kerri Pope, general counsel and corporate secretary at Martinrea. "Any time you ask them a question, they just get straight to the point, and they are very reliable and trustworthy." DuMoulin Black is also on our top 10 list. Based in Vancouver, the firm consists of 20 lawyers and 16 support staff and students. Both public and private sector clients call on DuMoulin Black to structure and coordinate their corporate finance and M&A deals, from early to complex international transactions. "They are efficient and get good results," says Bruce Scott, VP and general counsel at Seabridge Gold Inc. — a client of DuMoulin Black for over 20 years. "They are very capable lawyers," he adds. "You can go to some big firms and not get such capable lawyers [but] pay more for the delivery of services." Clients favour cost-effective, business-oriented service from these leading firms "Being a smaller firm in terms of personnel, they tend to be quite efficient — particularly for smaller transactions, where larger firms have a hard time being cost-effective." Ted Kelterborn, CI Financial Corp. (a client of Wildeboer Dellelce LLP)

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