Gary Litwack's practice focuses on public and private equity and debt financing, mergers and acquisitions and securities regulation, with special emphasis on transactions (financings, M&A and industry focused commercial arrangements) involving mining companies. He also advises independent committees of boards of directors regarding "related party" and significant material transactions and circumstances, and dealers and advisors on investment funds and registration compliance.
Major mining industry clients Mr. Litwack has recently represented include Companhia Vale do Rio Doce, Rio Tinto and Xstrata, as well as numerous underwriters and financial advisers in the industry.
Mr. Litwack's recent engagements include:
· Counsel to the underwriting syndicate for Baffinland Iron Mines Corporation's $193 million public equity offering;
· Counsel to Companhia Vale do Rio Doce on a C$162 million plan of arrangement under which it acquired a 50% interest in the assets of TEAL Exploration & Mining Incorporated and formed a 50:50 joint venture with African Rainbow Minerals Limited;
· Counsel to Rio Tinto plc in its transactions with Ivanhoe Mines Limited related to purchase and subsequent resale arrangements on a large portfolio of long lead time heavy mining equipment supply contracts;
· Counsel to Shear Minerals Ltd. in its acquisition of the Jericho Mine in Nunavut and the related equity financing and its recent diamond marketing and sales arrangements and loan facility with Taché;
· Counsel to Chesswood Income Fund for its conversion into a dividend paying corporation by way of plan of arrangement; and
· Counsel to Xstrata Copper for its acquisition (with Goldcorp) of an option to acquire the Agua Rica project in Argentina and related assets.
He is co-editor of the firm's mining industry periodical, Mining Prospects, and is included in the 2011 edition of The Best Lawyers in Canada for Natural Resources Law.
Mr. Litwack received his LLB from the University of Ottawa in 1988 and his LLM from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1992. He was called to the Ontario bar in 1990