Business Law

For over 40 years, we've been in the business of helping Okanagan businesses succeed.

We are in the business of helping business succeed. For over 40 years we have been assisting businesses of all sizes achieve their objectives. We do so by gaining a deep understanding of our client’s business and then working hard to help clients grow and succeed.

Our clients include emerging businesses and well established corporations across most sectors of the economy. Whether it is a routine transaction such as a business registration or an innovative approach to corporate restructuring, we deal with virtually all aspects of business law including:

Corporate Services

• Business Registrations
• Federal, Provincial, Extra-Provincial and Cross Border Incorporations, Unlimited Liability Incorporations, Corporate Agency
• Minute Book Maintenance, Annual Filings and Corporate Governance
• Registered Records Office
• Regulatory Compliance including Securities Compliance

Commercial Advisory Services

• Business Mergers, Acquisitions and Sales
• Business Formation, Limited Partnerships, Joint Ventures, Societies including non-profit and charitable, Bare Trusts, Unit and Investment Trusts, Co-ops
• Corporate Restructuring, Amalgamations, Freezes, and other Tax Motivated Transactions
• Financing Arrangements including all forms of Debt and Equity Transactions, Real Property and Personal Property Security, Equipment Financing
• Partnership and Shareholder Agreements, Voting Trusts, Contracts, Leasing, Contractor Agreements, Escrow Agreements and Escrow Agent Services

We also provide specialized business law services which are detailed in separate practice profiles:

• Bankruptcy and Insolvency
• Commercial Litigation
• Franchising
• Intellectual Property
• Securities
• Tax

Some brief summaries of selected transactions or continuing client relationships. Inclusion in the list has been authorized by our clients:

• Represented a family owned company in its buy-out of family members, including negotiation of the terms of transaction.
• Acted as British Columbia counsel to a Western-Canadian pharmacy chain in its recent financing.
• Represented a brewery in its reverse take-over of a publicly listed beer company.
• Completed a cross-border merger of a private Canadian software company with a private American company.
• Represent a local start-up technology company, including assisting the company with its incorporation, extra-provincial registration and initial financing rounds.
• Represented a Canadian mining company in the sale of its gold mine interests to a public American mining company.
• Assisted with both the purchase and sale of ski resorts and with negotiations for Master Development Agreements with the Crown for ski resorts.
• Assisted with the sales of privately owned utilities.
• Acted for a private British Columbia software company in a merger with a Bermuda based software company.
• Represented a British Columbia mining company in the acquisition and disposition of foreign mining interests.
• Act as counsel to post secondary institutions in the Okanagan Valley.
• Assisted area golf courses and ski resorts with their financings.
• Completed transaction involving the purchase, sale, leasing and financing of commercial aircraft.
• Corporate counsel to BC division of a national media organization with numerous media outlets in BC.
• Act as counsel for various parties in the fruit growing and wine industries, including land owners, wineries, fruit processing, marketing and packing facilities.
• Act as corporate and franchise counsel for national retail franchisor with over 200 franchise locations across Canada.
• Acted for potential purchaser of partnership interest of NHL team.
• Acted for insurance solution software firm in complex licensing agreement with large US insurance firm.
• Acted for large northern BC timber product manufacturer in negotiating and finalizing agreements with international lumber company.
• Act as corporate counsel for a Western-Canadian oil and gas company with projects across BC, Alberta and Saskatchewan.
• Represented a developer in the completion and registration of an air space subdivision plan that resulted in the first air space parcel for a residential /commercial project in Kelowna.

Our business lawyers draw on the specialized knowledge of other firm lawyers to provide comprehensive advice for each client’s unique circumstances. If litigation is necessary our commercial litigation lawyers step in to defend our clients’ interests.

We can assist you. Please do not hesitate to contact one of our business lawyers for more information or a confidential consultation.

Practice Members