Norton Rose Fulbright wins two gold awards at 2021 Canadian Law Awards

Canada | Press release - Recognition | May 2021

Global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright was named the gold winner of both the 2021 Infrastructure and Projects Deal of Year and the 2021 Insolvency and Restructuring Deal of the Year at the annual Lexpert Canadian Law Awards.

The awards for our landmark deals were announced at a virtual gala on May 20.

Infrastructure and Projects Deal of Year – TC Energy’s multi-billion dollar coastal GasLink Pipeline – Gold winner

Our Calgary, Vancouver and Washington, D.C., offices advised Royal Bank of Canada as the joint lead arranger and joint bookrunner in connection with the C$6.6 bn financing of the construction of TC Energy's multi-billion dollar Coastal GasLink Pipeline. The project is considered to be the largest project financing in Canadian history that was signed and closed, and initial funding occurred over the course of the COVID 19 pandemic.

The team consisted of Rick Borden, Matthew Longstaff, Jennifer Kennedy, Marlow Gereluk, Ray Chartier, Matthew Keen, Max Collett, Joe Mooney, Katrijn Thys, Amy Yang, Hailey Boutin, Emily Chan and Noam Ayali.

Insolvency and Restructuring Deal of the Year – CCAA restructuring of Cirque du Soleil – Gold winner

Our Montréal office acted as counsel to Investissement Québec (IQ) in providing a rescue package to Cirque du Soleil and its Canadian and US affiliates (CDS Group) through a stalking-horse bid in the context of its filing for protection under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA).

The team included Steve Malas, Luc Morin, Nicolas Labrecque, Vincent Filiatrault, Martin Thériault, Guillaume Michaud, Nikita Stepin, Marc-Simon Duquette, Charles St-Pierre, Audrey Levesque, and William Provencher-Campeau.

Additionally, Norton Rose Fulbright was named Excellence Award Recipients in the following categories:

Deal awards

Capital Markets Deal of the Year – Cornerstone Investors provide C$3.2bn financing in support of Intact’s proposed acquisition of RSA
Insolvency & Restructuring Deal of the Year – Nemaska Lithium Inc.’s restructuring under the CCAA
Insolvency & Restructuring Deal of the Year – Recapitalization of Calfrac Well Services Ltd. and its affiliates
Mid- Market Deal of the Year – NordStar Capital acquires Torstar

Firm awards

Best Use of Technology in a Law Firm – Norton Rose Fulbright

Legal Profession awards

Diversity Initiative of the Year – Race equity strategy
Pro-bono Initiative of the Year – Norton Rose Fulbright and Zú partner to support growing businesses in Quebec’s entertainment industry
Female Trailblazer – Allison Kuntz

In-House Awards

Law Department Leader of the Year (in house) – Beneva (La Capitale Insurance and Financial Services and SSQ Insurance) – Pierre Marc Bellavance, LL.M., ASC

The second annual Canadian Law Awards presented by Lexpert and supported by Canadian Lawyer and InHouse recognize the nation’s leading law firms, in-house legal teams and lawyers across the region. To view the full list of winners and finalists visit the Canadian Law Awards site.