Jeff has a broad corporate and commercial practice. He advises clients on mergers and acquisitions, reorganizations, commercial arrangements, commercial agreements and corporate governance.
Jeff is a key member of BLG’s national veterinary law practice, which provides dedicated legal services to veterinary professionals across Canada, including companion-animal, farm animal and other large-animal practices. Jeff authors a quarterly article in Canadian Vet Practice magazine.
He advises veterinarians on matters including:
- the purchase and sale of veterinary clinics
- incorporation
- employment law matters, including employment contracts and wrongful dismissal
- risk management strategies
- governance, including shareholder and partnership agreements
- professional complaints, professional misconduct matters and discipline defence
- defense against lawsuits
He also advises on regulatory and professional responsibility matters, including investigations, complaints, discipline and allegations of professional misconduct. This work regularly engages issues arising under the Veterinarians Act, the Veterinary Professionals Act, and related guidance from the College of Veterinarians of Ontario, the Ontario Veterinary Medical Association, and the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association.
Additionally, Jeff provides legal services to other regulated health professionals, including (but not limited to) doctors, physiotherapists and acupuncturists. He assists with matters ranging from incorporation and corporate maintenance to the purchase and sale of their businesses and disciplinary proceedings.
Experience
- Advised and acted for a number of veterinarians in connection with the sale of their veterinary clinics, pet clinics and animal hospital practices across Canada to consolidators such as VetStrategy, NVA, VetCor, P3 Veterinary Partners and others in over $500M worth of deals.
- Advised and acted for numerous individual purchasers and vendors in connection with the acquisition and sale of veterinary clinics and vet clinic practices across Canada.
- Advising and acting for a national veterinary consolidator in connection with the acquisition of veterinary clinic locations across Canada.
- Advised on non-traditional ownership structures for veterinary clinics and veterinary clinic groups, while maintaining compliance with applicable provincial veterinary regulations (including College of Veterinarians of Ontario requirements where relevant).
- Provided U.S. entities with advice on tax efficient mechanisms to carry out business in Canada.
- Advised on the establishment of telemedicine arrangements for major institutions and their associated veterinarians and veterinary clinics, supporting continuity of veterinary care and pet health.
- Advised veterinary and agribusiness clients on commercial arrangements supporting farm animals and food-animal operations, including advising large-animal veterinarians and Prairie livestock veterinarians.
- Advised on the establishment of pharmaceutical arrangements for corporations looking to enter the space.
- Advised and acted for physicians in the sale of their professional corporations.
- Advised and acted for a multinational corporation’s spin-off of its printing and packaging supply business.
- Advised and acted on the transition from the Corporations Act to the Ontario Not-for-Profit Corporations Act for numerous not-for-profit corporations.
- Advised and acted on the merger of major Canadian not-for-profit corporations.
- Advised and acted for multinationals on the establishment of businesses in Canada.
- Reviewed and revised the constitution, governance structure, and strategic planning for academic institutions.
- Advised and acted for a number of veterinarians in connection with the sale of their veterinary clinics, pet clinics and animal hospital practices across Canada to consolidators such as VetStrategy, NVA, VetCor, P3 Veterinary Partners and others in over $500M worth of deals.
- Advised and acted for numerous individual purchasers and vendors in connection with the acquisition and sale of veterinary clinics and vet clinic practices across Canada.
- Advising and acting for a national veterinary consolidator in connection with the acquisition of veterinary clinic locations across Canada.
- Advised on non-traditional ownership structures for veterinary clinics and veterinary clinic groups, while maintaining compliance with applicable provincial veterinary regulations (including College of Veterinarians of Ontario requirements where relevant).
- Provided U.S. entities with advice on tax efficient mechanisms to carry out business in Canada.
- Advised on the establishment of telemedicine arrangements for major institutions and their associated veterinarians and veterinary clinics, supporting continuity of veterinary care and pet health.
- Advised veterinary and agribusiness clients on commercial arrangements supporting farm animals and food-animal operations, including advising large-animal veterinarians and Prairie livestock veterinarians.
- Advised on the establishment of pharmaceutical arrangements for corporations looking to enter the space.
- Advised and acted for physicians in the sale of their professional corporations.
- Advised and acted for a multinational corporation’s spin-off of its printing and packaging supply business.
- Advised and acted on the transition from the Corporations Act to the Ontario Not-for-Profit Corporations Act for numerous not-for-profit corporations.
- Advised and acted on the merger of major Canadian not-for-profit corporations.
- Advised and acted for multinationals on the establishment of businesses in Canada.
- Reviewed and revised the constitution, governance structure, and strategic planning for academic institutions.
