Melissa Smith  

Melissa is a partner in the Securities and Capital Markets Group in our Calgary office and is also the co-leader of BLG's Driven by Women Initiative in Calgary. She advises both public and private Canadian and foreign-based clients in a wide range of industries, including oil and gas, cannabis, mining, technology, biotechnology, manufacturing and the hospitality industry, with clients from small start-up private entities to large multinational companies. Many of her public clients are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange, the TSX Venture Exchange and other foreign stock exchanges.

Melissa’s practice includes advising buyers, sellers and board of directors in relation to mergers and acquisitions; advising clients in connection with corporate and securities law matters, including corporate governance, director and officer liability issues, and continuance disclosure obligations; advising both underwriters and issuers in various types of equity and debt financings and initial public offerings; and advising clients in connection with a variety of other corporate and commercial matters, including structuring corporate reorganizations and other business transactions, joint venture, partnership and shareholder agreements, negotiating, drafting and reviewing a large variety of commercial contracts and advising in respect of shareholder matters.

• Counsel to the agents in connection with $84 million short form prospectus financing of Blackbird Energy Inc.
  
• Counsel to a number of issuers in the cannabis and hemp industries, including licensed producers, retailers, and vertically integrated entities.
  
• Canadian counsel to SDX Energy Inc., an international oil and gas company with assets in Egypt and Morocco which is dual listed on the TSX Venture Exchange and AIM, assisting with general corporate matters, compliance with Canadian corporate and securities laws, including continuous disclosure obligations, and Canadian stock exchange matters
• Counsel a private multinational software company in connection its significant acquisition of a private company in the software sector
• Counsel to both sellers and buyers in connection with the sale of various professional practices, including oral surgeons, dentists, optometrists and architects
• Counsel to Arsenal Energy in connection with cross-border plan of arrangement and merger transaction with Lone Pine Resources Canada Ltd. and its affiliates, to form Prairie Provident Resources Inc., a Toronto Stock Exchange listed issuer
• Counsel to XPEL Technologies Corp. in connection with the acquisition of a Canadian private company and a private placement
• Counsel to Mainstreet Equity Corp., a Toronto Stock Exchange listed company, in connection with its substantial issuer bid whereby it repurchased its common shares for cancellation in an aggregate amount of $25 million
• Counsel to PetroNova Inc. in connection with a plan of arrangement with Petroamerica Corp.
• Counsel to Questerre Energy Corp., an oil and gas company dual listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and the Oslo Stock Exchange, in respect of securities compliance matters, continuous disclosure obligations and multiple private placement and prospectus offerings
• Counsel to multiple buyers and sellers of private companies, by way of share or asset sales, amalgamations, take-over bids and plans of arrangements
• Represented shareholders, including minority shareholders, in respect of various corporate matters, including shareholder disputes
• Counsel to both agents and issuers in connection with capital pool companies, both in respect of the initial public offering and the subsequent qualifying transaction
• Counsel to a TSX Venture Exchange listed corporation in connection with the acquisition of mining interests in Mali
• Counsel to Western Energy Services Corp. with respect to its private offering of senior notes for gross proceeds of approximately $91.5 million

• Co-Author, "Will the Coffey Class Action Have a Ripple Effect," BLG Cryptocurrency and Blockchain Bulletin, August 2018.
  
• Co-Author, "Do I hear an Eco? OSC Approach to Share Issuances in Proxy Fight Echoes the Approach in Take-overs," BLG Securities and Capital Markets Bulletin, August 2017.
• Speaker, “Managing a Public Company,” TSX Venture Exchange Workshop, June 2017.
• Co-Author, "Fairness Opinions – Is there a new InterOil Standard?," BLG Securities & Capital Markets Bulletin, March 27, 2017.
• Co-Author, "Marquee Energy Ltd.'s Successful Appeal: Shareholder Vote From Alberta Oilsands Inc. Not Required," BLG Securities & Capital Markets Bulletin, November 2016.
• ​Co-Author, “Future Uncertainty in Plans of Arrangement​,” BLG Securities & Capital Markets Bulletin, October 2​016.