Desmond is one of Canada’s most well-regarded lawyers for capital markets work, with a particular focus on IPOs and other equity financing transactions. He co-leads the Firm’s capital markets practice with Michael Innes. Desmond is responsible for the origination and execution of equity and debt financing transactions, and has led numerous initial public offerings, new issues, secondary offerings and private placements for issuers primarily in the diversified, financial services, healthcare, mining, power and utilities and real estate industries. He has extensive experience as an advisor to investment banks on trading questions and regulatory matters, and has also served as the corporate secretary of a TSX-listed issuer. Desmond earned a B.Sc (Hons.) in geological sciences from Queen’s University in 1993 and an LL.B. from McGill University in 1996. He was named as a partner of Osler in 2005.
According to Chambers Canada, Desmond holds a distinguished reputation among his peers and is “a very talented lawyer who gets to the point quickly”. He is ranked as a leading lawyer for capital markets or securities work by Best Lawyers, Chambers Canada, IFLR1000, The Legal 500, Lexpert and Who’s Who Legal.
Selected transactions include:
- Canada Goose Holdings Inc. – counsel to the underwriters on the issuer’s cross-border (TSX/NYSE) IPO and subsequent secondary offerings by its selling shareholders
- Ceridian HCM Holding Inc. – Canadian counsel to the underwriters on the issuer’s cross-border (TSX/NYSE) IPO. Ceridian at the time was the largest tech company by market capitalization to ever IPO in Canada
- Dream Global REIT and Dream Industrial REIT – counsel to the issuers on their IPOs and various follow-on equity financings
- Hydro One Limited – counsel to the issuer on its IPO, which was at the time the largest IPO in Canada in the last 15 years and the largest Canadian privatization in the last 20 years
- Jamieson Wellness Inc. – counsel to the underwriters on the issuer’s IPO and subsequent secondary offering by its selling shareholder
- MAV Beauty Brands Inc. – counsel to the underwriters on the issuer’s IPO (the issuer’s brands include Marc Anthony True Professional, Renpure and Cake Beauty)
- Roots Corporation – counsel to the underwriters on the issuer’s IPO, which was the public markets debut of an iconic Canadian retail brand
Desmond regularly acts for the underwriters on securities offerings led by major investment banks such as BMO Capital Markets, CIBC Capital Markets, Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, RBC Capital Markets, Scotiabank and TD Securities.