Banking and Financial Services

McInnes Cooper provides a broad range of banking and financial legal services to Canadian and foreign banks and other financial institutions. We also assist many local, national and international businesses, including US enterprises that carry on business in Canada using Nova Scotia unlimited liability companies, with their debt financing and other legal requirements in Atlantic Canada.

Our Banking and Financial Services Group regularly structures, negotiates and completes complex transactions for lenders and borrowers involving syndicated loans, asset-based financings, acquisition and project lending, real estate and personal property secured loans, and unsecured credit transactions. We have significant experience in wind farm, ship, oil rig and first nations’ debt financings. Canada/US cross-border financings and related corporate reorganizations and tax work also form a significant part of our work.

Our integrated offices located in all major urban centers throughout Atlantic Canada enable us to provide clients with seamless, prompt service across our region. This provides clients with single point of contact for all cross-provincial work required in Atlantic Canada and single, all-inclusive Atlantic Canadian legal opinions for transactional work.

The depth of experience of our Banking and Financial Services lawyers and their team approach in serving clients across Atlantic Canada enables us to provide timely, efficient service, backed by our firm’s Client Satisfaction Guarantee. Our Banking and Financial Services Group is supported by our Corporate Services Department staffed by law clerks and professional assistants throughout Atlantic Canada.

Our representation of numerous borrowers, guarantors and other participants in the lending process provides us with constant feedback on market terms and conditions, knowledge that assists all our clients.

We are thoroughly familiar with all forms of security documents available for both personal and real property, and the mechanics and legal effects of various securitization procedures. Our legal assistants have access to and are expert at using electronic filing services; where paper registrations are required, our offices are conveniently located to minimize filing time.  This enables us to expedite closing time-sensitive transactions which in turn enables our clients to better serve their customers.

We also have a robust insolvency and restructuring practice throughout the Atlantic Region, and other Canadian and foreign jurisdictions. We have acted for creditors and debtors in all aspects of bankruptcies, proposals, receiverships, interim receiverships and CCAA proceedings. Our international work encompasses filings under Chapter 15 of the US Bankruptcy Code, proceedings and transactions in the Caribbean, and recognition of foreign insolvency proceedings in many other foreign jurisdictions.

Understanding how lending and security structures can be tested in insolvency situations allows us to design stronger legal frameworks to protect lenders.

Many of our Banking and Financial Services lawyers have been repeatedly recognized by the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory and Best Lawyers as the leading practitioners in banking and financial services and corporate law in Atlantic Canada.