Mergers & Acquisitions · Calgary
Mergers & Acquisitions Lawyer in Calgary
Buying a company is among the largest moves you’ll make, and the value lives in the details most buyers never see. Obsidian guides Calgary businesses through acquisitions and strategic transactions: the diligence that finds what’s hidden, the structure that protects what you’re paying for, and the negotiation that captures the value the deal promised.
What we handle
What we handle on a transaction
Transactions here run under the Business Corporations Act (Alberta), the Securities Act (Alberta), and the federal Competition Act, with regulatory approvals and third-party consents that can sink a deal if they’re missed. We manage the path so the deal closes clean.
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Due diligence
We dig into the target the way a careful buyer should, corporate records, contracts, IP, employment, litigation, and tax, so you know exactly what you’re acquiring before you’re bound to it.
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Deal structuring
Asset purchase or share purchase, each carries different tax and liability consequences. We structure the deal to protect you and coordinate the tax treatment with your advisors.
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Purchase agreements
Reps, warranties, indemnities, escrows, holdbacks, and earn-outs, the terms that allocate risk between buyer and seller, drafted and negotiated to keep the risk where it belongs.
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Financing the deal
Venture capital, private equity, and debt, structured so the capital that funds the acquisition doesn’t quietly cost you control.
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Governance & integration
Board structure, shareholder alignment, and the post-closing integration that turns a deal on paper into a business that runs.
How a deal runs
From diligence to a business that runs
01
Diligence
We dig into the target, corporate records, contracts, IP, employment, litigation, and tax, so you know exactly what you’re buying before you’re bound to it.
02
Structure
Asset or share purchase, each with different tax and liability consequences. We pick the structure that protects you and coordinate the tax treatment with your advisors.
03
Negotiate
Reps, warranties, indemnities, escrows, holdbacks, and earn-outs, drafted and negotiated to keep the risk where it belongs between buyer and seller.
04
Close & integrate
We manage the regulatory approvals and third-party consents, then the post-closing integration that turns a deal on paper into a business that runs.
Common questions
M&A, answered
Do I need an M&A lawyer to buy a business?
If the business has real value, yes. Diligence and deal structure are where acquisitions succeed or fail, and the cost of missing a hidden liability or signing the wrong structure dwarfs the legal fee. A lawyer experienced in M&A is the difference between buying the business and buying its problems.
Asset purchase or share purchase, which is better?
It depends on tax, liability, and what you’re actually trying to acquire. Buyers often prefer asset deals to leave liabilities behind; sellers often prefer share deals for tax reasons. We’ll model both for your specific deal.
How long does an acquisition take?
Most lower-mid-market deals run a few months from letter of intent to close, longer if diligence surfaces issues or regulatory approvals are involved. Clean preparation on both sides is the single biggest factor in speed.
Start here
Capture the value the deal promised. Avoid the costs in the fine print.
Tell us about the target and what the deal needs to do, and we’ll map the diligence, structure, and terms that protect what you’re paying for.