Seventeen MLT Aikins lawyers recognized in 2026 Lexpert Special Editions: Finance and Mergers and Acquisitions
This year, seventeen MLT Aikins lawyers have been recognized for their leading work by Lexpert in their 2026 Special Edition: Finance and Special Edition: Mergers and Acquisitions rankings. Lexpert’s directories and rankings serve as a benchmark for legal professionals everywhere, encouraging lawyers to maintain high standards of practice.
Please join us in extending congratulations to:
Samer Awadh (Finance, Mergers and Acquisitions)
Samer Awadh advises clients in Western Canada and abroad on matters involving mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and securities, commercial lending, governance and other corporate and commercial matters. Samer previously co-led the firm’s Agribusiness and Food group and continues to advise clients across the agribusiness value chain. He is the Co-Chair of the firm’s Innovation Committee.
Richmond Bayes (Finance)
Richmond practises in areas of corporate finance/securities law and mergers and acquisitions. Richmond holds an ICD.D designation and provides legal advice to corporate boards and board committees and issuers in furtherance of their fulfillment of their legal duties and mandates, including in connection with mergers and acquisitions, public offerings, private placements, going private transactions, issuer bids, insider bids, business combinations and related party transactions.
Erin Bokshowan (Mergers and Acquisitions)
Erin has acted as the practice group coordinator of the firm’s Saskatoon commercial group since 2020. Erin’s practice focuses on the areas of taxation, corporate governance, commercial transactions, business succession planning and estate planning. She works regularly with privately held companies, high net worth individuals and regulated professionals. She also has experience dealing with the establishment and governance of not-for-profit entities and registered charities.
Melissa Cattini (Lawyer to Watch – Mergers and Acquisitions)
Melissa practises primarily in areas of corporate and commercial law, including mergers and acquisitions, private equity buy-outs, asset and share purchase transactions, business combinations, owner-operated enterprises, buy-sell agreements and transactions, corporate governance, commercial leasing and commercial financing. Melissa also focuses on franchise law and related regulatory compliance matters and is the head of the firm’s Franchise Practice Group.
Erin Eccleston (Mergers and Acquisitions)
Erin practises in the areas of finance and mergers and acquisitions. In the energy industry, Erin advises Canadian and international companies on a variety of matters, including acquisitions and dispositions of mineral projects. Erin’s practice includes significant experience in the aviation sector. In the mergers and acquisitions context, Erin has particular experience advising purchasers and investors in Canadian aviation operations.
David Filmon, K.C. (Finance)
David practises in the area of mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and securities law, with an emphasis on public company and large private company transactions, advice to boards and special committees and corporate governance.
Ryan Hallman (Finance, Mergers and Acquisitions)
Ryan is a partner in the firm’s Saskatoon corporate/commercial practice group. His practice is primarily focused on mergers and acquisitions with significant experience advising both sellers and buyers across various industries and sectors. Ryan also acts for lenders and borrowers in complex commercial lending arrangements.
Pamela Hilderman (Mergers and Acquisitions)
Pamela practises primarily in the areas of corporate and commercial law and securities law, including a focus on mergers and acquisitions advising both sellers and buyers across various industries, and matters involving transaction structuring, corporate finance, private equity and venture capital, amalgamations, corporate governance, shareholder and partnership agreements, corporate-planning advisory services, secured transactions, technology, commercial real estate and startups.
Brian Lerner (Mergers and Acquisitions)
Brian practises corporate and commercial law, advising clients on mergers, acquisitions and divestitures of businesses, leveraged buyouts, cross-border transactions, corporate finance, secured lending and corporate governance. His practice also includes advising on complex commercial real estate development projects and infrastructure financing.
Adam Levene (Mergers and Acquisitions)
Adam was named Chair of the firm in 2022 and has acted as co-practice group coordinator of the firm’s Winnipeg commercial practice group since 2017. Adam’s practice is national in scope, acting for individuals and private and public companies with a focus on the area of taxation, mergers and acquisitions and corporate governance with a particular focus on groups consolidating businesses, professionals and business succession.
Ahmed Malik (Mergers and Acquisitions)
Ahmed maintains a corporate/commercial law practice with particular focus on mergers and acquisitions, commercial real estate and financing. Ahmed regularly acts for a broad range of clients including owner-managed companies, regulated professionals, automotive dealerships, franchises, developers, municipalities and institutions. In the area of mergers and acquisitions, Ahmed provides services on matters relating to deal structuring, legal due diligence and the negotiation of letters of intent, offers to purchase and agreements for share and asset purchase transactions. He has advised on acquisitions, mergers, takeovers, divestitures, reorganizations and leveraged and management buyouts.
Stathy Markatos (Finance, Mergers and Acquisitions)
Stathy advises clients on general corporate and commercial matters, with a focus on mergers and acquisitions and securities law. He has experience with public offerings, private placements, continuous disclosure and corporate governance matters. He also has acted for buyers, sellers and target companies on numerous mergers and acquisition transactions, including transactions in the agribusiness, manufacturing, equipment sales, financial services and energy services sectors, by way of asset sales, share sales and plan of arrangement.
Garnet Matsuba, K.C. (Finance)
Garnet practises broadly in the area of taxation which includes corporate tax planning, corporate reorganizations, tax-efficient business structuring, business succession planning, and estate planning and administration. Garnet’s clients range from small-to mid-size owner managed businesses to private and public multinational enterprises, spanning a wide variety of industry sectors.
Todd Rosenberg, K.C., FCPA, FCA (Finance, Mergers and Acquisitions)
Todd advises corporations, partnerships, pensions and individuals on tax efficient ownership structures, real estate transactions, tax loss utilization transactions, complex trust and estate planning, and the tax implications of mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, financing and corporate restructuring.
Aaron Runge (Mergers and Acquisitions)
Aaron has served as Managing Partner of the firm since 2020. In his legal practice he has he acted for buyers, sellers and target companies on several significant domestic and international M&A transactions. He has acted for providers of venture and private capital on transactions involving investees in Saskatchewan and abroad, and for several investors and investment funds on the design and implementation of innovative acquisition structures to allow foreign investors to participate in Saskatchewan farmland.
Mahdi Shams (Mergers and Acquisitions)
Mahdi practises primarily corporate and securities law, including capital markets, mergers and acquisitions and finance transactions. Mahdi regularly acts for both public and private companies and registered securities dealers with a particular focus on technology, mining, life sciences and cannabis. Mahdi has represented a number of clients on a broad range of domestic and international transactions, including IPOs, debt and equity financings, public and private mergers and acquisitions, commercial sale agreements and corporate reorganizations.
Grant Vogel (Finance)
Grant has extensive experience advising institutional and private mortgage lenders, banks and asset-based lenders, with a focus on complex mortgage lending of multifamily, office, industrial and retail properties. He represents owners and developers of real estate in development, acquisitions and dispositions of all classes of real estate. Grant is also experienced in representing publicly traded and privately owned oil field service businesses in both domestic and cross-border transactions.
About the Corporate Finance and Securities group
The MLT Aikins Corporate Finance and Securities practice group holds a wealth of knowledge in corporate finance and securities includes initial and secondary public offerings of securities, debt and equity restructurings, private placements, rights offerings, takeover bids and mergers and acquisitions. We have experience assisting enterprises – from start-ups to publicly-traded international corporations – in a wide range of industry sectors, including financial services, natural resources, agribusiness, manufacturing and technology. We have participated in cross-border equity and debt offerings by several senior issuers, as well as initial listing applications on both Canadian and U.S. stock exchanges. Our team also has experience with listing applications on overseas stock exchanges, including the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and the Australian Stock Exchange.
About the Mergers and Acquisitions group
The MLT Aikins Mergers and Acquisitions practice group regularly advises business clients in a manner that covers the entire cycle of business transactions. Our services include structuring, legal due diligence and the negotiation of letters of intent, offers to purchase and agreements of purchase and sale. We have provided legal advice on acquisitions, mergers, takeovers, divestitures, reorganizations, leveraged and management buy-outs and hostile takeover bids.
