October 28th, 2024
Langlois plays key role in $13.5B private recapitalization
Transaction marks the largest private recapitalization in Canadian history
Félix Bernard
Partner
Key practice areas
Mergers and Acquisitions, Corporate and Commercial Law, Capital Markets, Securities
Félix Bernard is a partner in the Corporate and Commercial Law group. He practises corporate law, with a focus on sales and acquisitions, entrepreneurial transitions and successions, corporate finance and venture capital. He represents start-ups, SMEs as well as multinational firms and private equity funds, particularly in the agri-food, manufacturing and technology sectors. Félix provides both domestic and cross-border transaction services.
He also practises securities law, advising reporting issuers on their disclosure and other compliance obligations. In addition, he advises exempt market brokers and issuers, including in private placements.
Félix serves as board secretary for Juripop, an important not-for-profit organization whose mission is promoting access to justice.
Félix holds a Master of Laws (LL.M. – Corporate and Securities Law) with Merit from the London School of Economics and Political Science (2015). He graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from Université Laval, making the Dean’s Honour Roll for outstanding academic achievement.
Félix has represented the following clients:
- French government railway operator SNCF in the sale of all the shares it held in ExPretio Technologies Inc. to Constellation Software.
- French pharmaceutical multinational Cerba Healthcare International on the acquisition of CIRION BioPharma Research Inc., a Laval, QC corporation specializing in clinical trials.
- International uniform solutions leader Logistik Unicorp Inc. headquartered in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC in its acquisition of Lévis-based Martin & Levesque Inc.
- The shareholders of Trans Canada Insurance Marketing Inc. in the sale of all its issued and outstanding shares to Navacord Corp.
- Multinational architectural lighting leaders iGuzzini illuminazione S.p.A. and Fagerhult SA in purchasing all the shares of Sistemalux Inc.
- Toronto-based FinTech start-up goPeer Corporation operating in Canada’s exempt market in all provinces on all aspects of preparing its offering memorandum, its registration as an exempt market dealer, its regulatory compliance and drafting the contractual loan agreements required for goPeer’s online consumer lending model, the first of its kind in Canada.
- All shareholders of Équipements Industriels IBS upon its sale to Ficodis Inc.
- Victoriaville & Co. inc. in more than a dozen acquisitions, including a subsidiary of Matthews International Corporation.
- Alsace Lait SAS in the takeover of Riviera (Laiterie Chalifoux) in collaboration with Bpifrance Investissement.
- A group of investors, including Family Office Code C in a $60 million private placement in global remote monitoring solutions leader Vosker.
- Agro-Biotech shareholders in the sale of all their shares of Emerald Health Therapeutics for a cash and equity consideration representing a $90 million purchase price.
- GardaWorld in multiple current or planned acquisitions.
- The shareholders of IT Chapter Inc. in its sale to Apside SAS.
- A leading Canadian convenience store operator in its $1.68-billion acquisition of 279 convenience stores with fuel sales operations in Québec and Ontario.
- A Canadian medical isotope supplier in the US$826-million purchase of all its outstanding common shares by a U.S. private equity firm by way of a plan of arrangement under the CBCA.
- A real estate developer in acquiring land and developing over 430 residential condo units, as well as rental units and retail space in a prime Griffintown, Montréal location, valued at $133 million, including in relation to the secured credit facilities to be used to finance project construction.
- Dean’s Honour Roll, Université Laval’s Law Faculty, 2013
- Juripop, Secretary and Board Member, since 2021
- Fondation du Cégep de Victoriaville, Secretary and Board Member, 2020-2024
- Co-author: “Businesses must now disclose who are their true owners”, April 8, 2021.
- Co-author: “Buyer’s responsibility in mergers & acquisitions: Superior Court clarifies the extent of a buyer’s duty to inquire into a company’s financial condition”, April 23, 2020.
- Co-author: “COVID-19 and CBCA companies: Supreme Court of British Columbia first Canadian court to rule on a petition seeking an extension of the delay to hold the annual general meeting”, April 23, 2020.
- Co-author: “Proactivity and creativity in mergers and acquisitions during COVID-19: 5 key issues”, April 15, 2020.
- Co-author: “Corporations: important new measures for disclosure of shareholder information”, April 9, 2020.
- Co-author: “The Quebec Government Launches a Public Consultation on Corporate Transparency”, October 8, 2019.
- Co-author: “OSC Decision in Token Funder Inc. Initial Coin Offering: Is Canada Finally Becoming an ICO-Friendly Jurisdiction?”, October 26, 2017.
- Co-author: “Proposed CBCA Amendments: A New Era of True Majority Voting and Diversity? ”, Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation, October 14, 2016.
- Quoted: “Droit des affaires : des services toujours plus diversifiés” [Business law: Increasingly diversified services], special report on Business law, Les Affaires, article by Anne Gaignaire, September 23, 2017.
LL.M., with Merit, Corporate and Securities Law, London School of Economics and Political Science, 2015
LL.B., Civil Law, Université Laval, 2013