William Cortis is a partner in the Banking and Financial Services Group and the Business Law Group of Miller Thomson in Toronto. Mr. Cortis' corporate and commercial practice focuses on the financial services sector, including banking, lending, corporate finance, and transactions involving insurance companies and other regulated corporations. In addition, he also provides corporate and commercial clients with advice in respect of commercial, financing, investment, joint venture, project finance, clean tech and public/private infrastructure projects. Mr. Cortis has extensive experience structuring and negotiating commercial, trans-border and syndicated loans to borrowers in the automotive, cable and mining industries, as well as project financing transactions involving oil and gas infrastructure projects and green power generation in the wind, solar and biomass sectors. Representative Work Mr. Cortis has acted as counsel for: · a developer in connection with the establishment, financing and construction of a 10 megawatt solar farm · a developer in connection with the sale of wind energy assets · an integrated oil and gas company in connection with an international gas infrastructure project · a Schedule I bank in connection with various syndicated and asset-based loans · a Schedule I bank in connection with a transborder syndicated loan to an international automobile company · a Schedule II bank in connection with various construction and real estate financings · a Schedule II bank in connection with an acquisition of a portfolio of loans · a foreign bank in connection with an acquisition of a portfolio of loans · a foreign bank in connection with the establishment of a Canadian bank subsidiary · a foreign insurer in connection with the establishment of a Canadian insurance subsidiary · a Canadian insurer in connection with its demutualization and subsequent merger · an insurance company in connection with the matter of business process outsourcing · a foreign insurer in connection with an acquisition of a Canadian insurance company and various insurance assets · a national sports league in connection with the establishment of a sports franchise · a gold mining company in connection with an international syndicated gold loan · a gold mining company in connection with the acquisition of a mining company · a cable company in connection with an initial public offering of equity and the issuance of debentures in the United States · a P3 partnership in connection with the redevelopment of public real estate assets · a crown agency in connection with syndicated loans and a public issue of debentures Directorships · NXP Semiconductors Canada Inc. · Former Chair and member of the Executive and Board of Directors of the Hincks-Dellcrest Institute and Treatment Centre for Children · Former Director of Microsoft Canada · Various private corporations Community Involvement · Speaker and Presenter at various seminars, including Insight · Touchstone Youth Centre · Mental Health Program Services of Metropolitan Toronto Memberships · Member, Cambridge Club · Member, Granite Club · Member, Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association · Member, International Insurance Society · Member, Canadian Bar Association Publications & Presentations · "The Introduction of Regulation into the Canadian Air Transport Industry, 1938-1944" (The University of Toronto/York University Joint Program in Transportation), 1981 · "What We Should Have Learned: The Tumultuous History of Corporate Governance", Partners (Fall, 2005), pp.58-60 Faculty Experience · Instructor, Bar Admission Courses · Instructor, various Osgoode Hall Law School Programs · Instructor, general European survey history course, University of Western Ontario · Instructor, introductory business economics, MBA program, Schulich School of Business, York University Industry Expertise Banking and Financial Services Electricity Generation, Transmission and Distribution Areas of Focus Banking and Financial Institutions Green Energy |