Richard is a trusted advisor who helps his clients navigate significant situations across a variety of sectors and circumstances.
He draws on more than 15 years of experience practicing tax and corporate law at BLG, and serving on a variety of Boards, to bring a unique perspective to complex situations, such as generational shift in private companies, mergers & acquisitions, cross-border investment, disputes and business growth strategies.
Richard is commonly retained in the context of the following:
- Private company restructuring and succession planning;
- Major purchase, sale and takeover transactions;
- General corporate and commercial matters;
- Shareholder agreements, partnership agreements and joint venture agreements;
- Optimizing transaction and financing structures, including investment funds, debt and equity financings, spin-outs, inbound and outbound structures, captive insurance and restructuring insolvent companies;
- Executive and employee compensation plans;
- Estate planning, including family trusts, Wills, life insurance and international planning;
- Charitable registration for charitable organizations;
- Tax advice, due diligence and opinions on a variety of matters;
- Dispute resolution on a broad range of matters.
Richard also acts as a director or trustee of several corporations and/or trusts.
Prior to working at BLG, Richard worked for an international sport and entertainment management firm, ran his own consulting business and worked in a variety of other industries (including technology, telecom, retail, pharmaceuticals, grocery, sales and restaurants) where he learned how businesses operate. This has been instrumental in his ability to provide practical legal advice, with the client’s interests in mind.
Richard has been involved with a variety of registered charities and non-profit organizations. Among other things, he has served as a director of Tails of Help (2016-2019) and the Canadian Petroleum Tax Society (2018-2020). Richard is currently a Trustee of The Campbell McLaurin Foundation for Hearing Deficiencies (2022-present) and a director of the Nathan Louis Healing Foundation (2023-present).
Richard is a Registered Trust and Estate Practitioner and has completed Levels I to III of the CPA Canada, In-Depth Tax Course.
Richard is a member of BLG’s Partnership Board, the firm’s governing body (2023-present). He has also been a member of BLG’s Calgary regional compensation committee (2020-2023) and won a BLG Eminence Award for Mentorship in 2019.
Richard provides legal services through a Law Corporation.