Dickinson Wright, one of Canada's leading full-service business law firms with a special concentration in cross-border counsel and legal representation, is pleased to announce that John Leslie has been named Director of Cross-Border Practices. John will continue to maintain his ongoing Insolvency and Restructuring practice and position as Canadian Practice Group Chair.
"As Director of Cross-Border Practices, John will lead a team of lawyers from our Toronto and U.S. offices to guide our clients through legal questions involving a wide range of areas from trade and customs to real estate to corporate services and litigation. His breadth of experience in helping companies expand operations and investments in Canada and helping Canadian businesses expand operations and investments into the United States is unparalleled. We look forward to John stepping into this leadership role that is integral to our firm and know that he will continue to emphasize the exceptional knowledge and client service that our clients have come to expect from us," says Michael Hammer, CEO of Dickinson Wright.
"I'm thrilled to be named Director of Cross-Border Practices and I look forward to working with our lawyers in Toronto and the U.S. to build on the great work we've done over the years on behalf of our clients. We will continue to focus on creating and retaining a deep bench of talent, knowledge and client service to bring more business investments to Canada and help businesses in Canada to expand beyond their borders," says John.
John brings over 30 years of experience in cross-border services with an emphasis on complex domestic and cross-border restructuring and insolvency matters. He advises companies on cross-border issues as they relate to the protection and realization of assets with a focus on counseling inbound Canadian investment and businesses seeking to establish operations in Canada. John also brings a deep understanding of assisting clients in the development and execution of cross-border business strategies including establishing complimentary corporate structures, M&A and joint ventures. Over the past several years, John has been extensively involved in a number of auto industry-related insolvency cases in the U.S. and Canada. He also has broad expertise in complex commercial disputes, a variety of litigation matters relating to insolvency, bankruptcy, commercial fraud priority disputes and general commercial litigation.
He is a board member of the Toronto Chapter of the American Chamber of Commerce in Canada (AmCham Canada). John conducts seminars on bankruptcy law, litigation, security enforcement and other insolvency matters for various professional organizations. John is a member of the Canadian Bar Association, the Essex Law Association, the Association for Corporate Growth, the Turnaround Management Association, and the Canadian Insolvency Foundation. John has offices in both Windsor and Toronto.
Dickinson Wright's Cross-Border Practices takes a whole-of-firm approach. As one of the few law firms with full-services offices operating in both Canada and the United States, our platform extends beyond having a traditional one-off Canada-U.S. practice by drawing all of our firm's practice departments and client service teams into one cross-border team. Our lawyers do not just serve as foreign legal consultants; they are licensed to practice in their respective jurisdictions and have decades of experience in the issues challenging Canada-U.S. transactions.
Our team is at the forefront of matters such as artificial intelligence, electric vehicles, battery plants, autonomous vehicles, manufacturing, life science, cannabis, and trade, helping to positively shape the future for businesses on both sides of the border. Our firm has specific expertise in helping to develop the most efficient strategies for foreign direct investment from outside North America taking best advantage of regulations and trade agreements. We closely monitor legislation and advocate for our clients' interests, assisting them in understanding how new regulations impact their operations. Most recently, we worked closely with officials in the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). To learn more, please click here.
