James practises largely in the areas of corporate commercial and securities law, mergers and acquisitions of corporations and assets, including public offerings and exempt placements, power utility contracts including wind power generation contracts, joint venture and transaction structuring, corporate finance, leveraged buyouts, takeovers, cross-border transactions, amalgamations, commodities futures and options trading, corporate governance, shareholder and partnership agreements, corporate-planning advisory services, secured transactions, asset securitizations and franchising agreements.
- Sale of ARxIUM’s Panasonic Pouch Packaging Business to TCGRx
- Merger and consolidation of Canada’s credit union businesses – Credential Financial Inc., Qtrade Canada Inc. and NEI Investments to form Aviso Wealth one of Canada’s largest independent wealth management firms, averaging more than $55 billion in client assets under administration and management.
- Merger, acquisition and securities transactions involving national and international businesses
- Manitoba Hydro – 138MW Power Purchase Transaction for wind generated power with Pattern Energy
- Manitoba Hydro – Secured Loan transaction to Pattern Energy
- TruServ Canada Inc. – Merger transaction with RONA Inc.
- Manitoba Hydro – 300MW RFP for wind generated power
- Winnipeg Airport Authority – Airport Financing, Bond Offering
- Old Dutch Foods Ltd. takeover bid for Humpty Dumpty Snack Foods Inc.
- Demutualization of TruServ Canada Cooperative Inc.
- New Flyer Industries Inc. – IDS Offering
- First National Alarmcap Income Fund – Plan of Arrangement and TSX Listing
- Management representation in acquisition of Vansco Electronics Ltd.
- Wind Power Purchase negotiations by Manitoba Hydro
- Acquisition of Winnipeg Hydro by Manitoba Hydro
- Sale and capital Restructuring of New Flyer Industries Limited
- Demutualization of the Winnipeg Commodity Exchange
- Structuring and initial public offering for ENSIS Growth Fund Inc.
- Privatization and initial public offering of Manitoba Telecom Services (MTS)
- Privatization and initial public offering of United Grain Growers Limited (now Viterra)
- Sale of Centra Gas (Manitoba) to Manitoba Hydro
- Initial public offerings, and debt and equity private placements
- Shareholder buyouts pursuant to shotgun buy-sell provisions in shareholder/partnership agreements
- Organization and restructuring of several provincial and national not for profit associations
- Corporate governance review and restructuring of Federal and Provincial Crown Corporations
- Formation and development of technology company
- Parrish & Heimbecker Limited takeover bid for Thirdcoast Limited
- Acquisition of Carlson Engineered Composites by Carfair Composites (a subsidiary of New Flyer Industries)
- Acquisition of AmerisourceBergen Technology Group by Intelligent Hospital Systems Inc., creating new company named ARxIUM
- Acquisition of HiQual Engineered Structures Ltd. (livestock handling systems division) by Sioux Steel Company
- Acquisition of Searcy Trucking Ltd. by Bison Transport
- Acquisition of Renold’s Transport Ltd. by Searcy Trucking Ltd.
- Acquisition of Scott’s Express Inc. and Scott’s Transportation Services Inc. by Bison Transport
- Acquisition of The Property Registry (TPR) from the Government of Manitoba by Teranet
- Acquisition of CareVacations USA Inc. by ScootAround, Inc.
- Sale of equity stake of ScootAround, Inc. to WHILL, Inc.
- Sale of Fresh Hemp Foods Ltd. to Compass Diversified Holdings (through its subsidiary Compass Group Diversified Holdings LLC)
- Sale of Jodale Perry Corporation (now called TerraCab) to Argus Industries
- Sale by The Whitwell Group Inc. of Hudson Cement to Holcim (Canada) Inc.
- Sale of Intelligent Hospital Systems Ltd. to Intelligent Hospital Systems Inc.
- Sale of Dunn-Rite Food Products Ltd. to Sunrise Poultry Processors Ltd.
- Sale of Custom Helicopters Ltd. to Exchange Income Corporation
- Sale of equity stake of HyLife Group Holdings Ltd. to ITOCHU Corporation
- Sale of shares of National Leasing Group Inc. held by The Megill-Stephenson Company Limited to Canadian Western Bank
- Sale of Fine Line Communications Ltd. to Stericycle Communications Solutions, ULC
- Chair (2009-2016), Member (2002-2016), Aikins Executive Board
- Co-Chair, Aikins Business Law Department (2000-present)
- Bencher (1994-1996), Equity Committee, Co-chair (1995-1996), Discipline Committee (1995-1996), Conflict Investigations Committee (1994-1995), Admissions and Education Committees (1994-1995), The Law Society of Manitoba
- Former Chair, Health Law Subsection, Canadian Bar Association/Manitoba Bar Association
- Former Member, Bar Council, Canadian Bar Association/Manitoba Bar Association
- Member, The Law Society of British Columbia
- Chair and Director, Pan Am Clinic Foundation
- Past Member of Board of Governors and Executive Committee, St. John’s-Ravenscourt School
- Past Co-Chair, Foundations for Health (Joint Children’s Hospital of Winnipeg Research Foundation, Health Sciences Centre Foundation, and John Buhler Research Centre)
- Past Commodore, Zig Zag Yacht Club
- Past Chairman and Honorary Director, Health Sciences Centre Foundation
- Past Trustee, Our Lady of Victory School
- Lecturer, Bar Admission Course, The Law Society of Manitoba (1985-2003)
- Lecturer, Faculty of Law, University of Manitoba (1983-1993)
- Recognized in Lexpert Special Edition as one of Canada’s Leading Lawyers in Energy (2017)
- Named in Best Lawyers as Lawyer of the Year for Mergers & Acquisitions Law (Winnipeg, 2017)
- Awarded by Martindale-Hubbell for having the highest rating (AV) for professional excellence in peer reviewed ratings (2016-2017)
- Ranked by Chambers and Partners (Global) as top lawyer in General Business Law in Manitoba (since 2016)
- A leading practitioner, Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, Corporate Commercial, Corporate Finance, Corporate Mid-Market
- Named in Canadian Lexpert Directory as a leading lawyer (2013-2017)
- Designated by LexisNexis/Martindale-Hubbell as having the highest rating (AV) for legal standards and legal ability in peer review ratings
- Recognized by Best Lawyers for Corporate Governance Practice, Corporate Law, Mergers & Acquisitions Law and Securities Law (since 2006)
- Named in Lexpert/American Lawyer Guide as one of leading 500 lawyers in Canada (2006-2012)
- Named in Best Lawyers as the Lawyer of the Year for Corporate Law (2011)