Simon Romano: Partner, Stikeman Elliott
Simon Romano is a partner in the Toronto office of Stikeman Elliott and a member of the Toronto Management Committee of the Firm. He practises principally in securities, public and private mergers and acquisitions, and corporate finance. He also advises investment funds, alternative trading systems, income trusts and private equity funds. He carries out work for public companies, financial institutions, underwriters, and regulatory and self-regulatory organizations, and also advises on corporate governance matters.
Mr. Romano has previously practised in the firm’s New York office. In 1995-1996, he was seconded to the Ontario Securities Commission as Special Counsel, where he dealt with take-over bids, mergers, Policy 9.1 matters, the early warning reporting initiative, and other projects.
Mr. Romano is listed and recognized in the following publications:
> The 2008 edition of The Best Lawyers in Canada in the areas of Corporate and Mergers and Acquisitions Law.
> Chambers Global’s 2008 The World’s Leading Lawyers for Business, as a “leading individual” in Corporate/M&A.
> The 2008 PLC Which Lawyer?, as recommended in Capital Markets: Debt and Equity.
> PLC Cross-border Capital Markets Handbook 2007/2008 and the PLC Cross-border Equity Capital Markets Handbook 2006/07;
> The 2008 Lexpert/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada, for Corporate Commercial, Corporate Finance and Income Funds.
> The 2008 Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, as a leading practitioner in the areas of Corporate/Commercial, Corporate Finance & Securities, Investment Funds & Asset Management, Mergers & Acquisitions and Private Equity.
> Lexpert’s 2006 Guide to the 100 Most Creative Lawyers in Canada.
> He is AV® Peer Review Rated according to Martindale-Hubbell (Very High to Pre-eminent), its highest level of professional ranking.
Professional Activities
Mr. Romano is a member of the Canadian Bar Association. He has been an instructor in business law at the Law Society of Upper Canada’s Bar Admission Course and is a frequent lecturer. Mr. Romano was previously a member of the Securities Advisory Committee of the Ontario Securities Commission.
Publications
Mr. Romano has written and spoken widely on securities, corporate and commercial law, and is the co-author of the first book on Canadian income funds, “Canadian Income Funds”, an authoritative guide to income trusts, published in November 2004.
Representative Work
Some transactions in which Mr. Romano has played a key role include:
> The June 2007 $3.5 billion MBO involving CCS Inc., in which he acted for the buying consortium of private equity firms;
> ING’s $3.3 billion acquisition in 2006 of Summit REIT;
> Bell Canada’s multi-billion dollar creation in July 2006 of Bell Aliant, a new income trust created together with Aliant Telecom, to own and manage regional telephone lines in Eastern Canada;
> The October 2005 unsolicited take-over bid by Livingston Industrial Income Fund for PCB Global Logistics Income Fund, the first hostile business trust take-over bid;
> CanWest MediaWorks Income Fund, in acting for the underwriters in connection with its $550 million IPO, the second largest income trust IPO in Canadian history, and the subsequent 2007 going private transaction of the Fund;
> Verizon in the second largest secondary offering in Canadian history, with Verizon selling its approximate 21% stake in Telus for gross proceeds of over $2.2 billion;
> Perimeter Markets in its creation of its CBID™ and BlockBook™ alternative trading systems;
> CapREIT’s merger with ResREIT;
> Assante Corporation in its definitive agreement to sell its Canadian operation, Assante Canada, to CI Fund Management Inc.;
> Pernod Ricard’s acquisition of Seagram’s wines and spirits business;
> Verizon’s acquisition of TELUS’ telephone (and electronic) phone directory business;
> Alcatel’s acquisitions of Newbridge Networks Corporation, Innovative Fibres, iMagic TV and VoiceGenie Technologies;
> The defence of fONOROLA, resulting in an improved negotiated offer, against a hostile take-over by Call-Net Enterprises;
> The proposed merger of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce and Toronto-Dominion Bank; and
> The demutualization of the Toronto Stock Exchange.
Education
University of Toronto (LL.B. 1987), McGill University (B.Sc. 1981).
Background
Mr. Romano was formerly a clerk at the Supreme Court of Canada.
Bar Admission
Ontario, 1989.
