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“My prior firm merged with a New York firm and I
was asked to move there with a few other Canadian
lawyers in 2003 and wound up staying. My present
firm, Blakes, opened a New York office practicing
exclusively Canadian law and I joined in 2006. It just
seemed like a natural fit.”
Adkins’ take on the Big Apple? “It’s very busy and
noisy, and New Yorkers are very opinionated. But
it is never boring. I’ve found it surprising how
many people who live here moved here from
somewhere else.” And for all of New York’s tony
trappings and trademark hustle and bustle, Blakes
provides an aura of Canadiana within its halls—a
kind of buffer zone, to draw on a Seinfeld term.
“Because I’m with a Canadian firm here
in New York, my practice is very similar to
what I was doing in Toronto,” says Adkins,
a corporate and securities lawyer.
I only practice Canadian law and my practice focuses
on cross-border mergers and acquisitions where
the target company is Canadian or has operations
in Canada. Canadian mergers and acquisitions
activity has been fairly robust relative to the U.S. and
elsewhere, with continued international interest in
our resource sector. Transactions involving companies
in the oil and gas and mining sectors have been
prevalent among the larger public mergers and
acquisitions deals.”
Looking back, Adkins had no inkling where his
career would lead when he finished law school at the
University of Manitoba in 1999 as a Gold Medalist.
His undergraduate degree with majors in English and
Philosophy proved to be very helpful for entering law
school and for practicing law, “because there is a focus
on writing and argument, which is kind of what being
a lawyer is all about.”
Is it fair to assume that Adkins’ father, himself a
longtime Winnipeg lawyer, had something to do with
Mark’s decision to enter law? “In the end it swayed
me as I neared completion of my arts degree. But no,
I really enjoyed writing and reading. That was what I
really enjoyed about school, so when I went into my
arts degree I took a lot of English classes.”
Adkins’ work consists of deals and transactions,
which may conjure up the likes of Donald Trumpstyle
mega-deals that tend to dominate the media
headlines when they are announced. Adkins,
however, reveals a process that is less about theatre
and media glitz and more about solid structure and
attention to client service.
“The first part of fashioning a good deal is built
on structure, planning, and sound judgment
in legally accomplishing a transaction for your
client, whether it’s an acquisition or financing,”
says Adkins. “The clients need to understand what
steps are required and my role is to help the client
structure the transaction in the most efficient and
beneficial way possible.”
“The second part is the actual execution of the
transaction by documenting it and updating any
government approvals or other requirements to close
the transaction and execute in closing it.” The nature
of any given work day for Adkins depends largely on
the kind of transactions he’s involved in and what
stage they are at. “Each merger and acquisition has
a life cycle. There is a big push when the transaction
is signed and a second push when the transaction
closes. I spend my days negotiating agreements
and other deals, coordinating with lawyers in our
specialty practice areas such as tax, environment, and
pensions, and communicating with our clients and
their financial advisors as well as with the lawyers on
the other side of the deal.”
“In almost all my work, a U.S. or international client
is acquiring a target company that is either based in
Canada or has Canadian operations. Where the target
is a Canadian public company, it will be listed on the
Toronto Stock Exchange or TSX Venture Exchange.
I do a mix of public and private mergers and
acquisitions. I also act for funds investing in Canadian
public companies and trading their securities.”
35 ROBSON HALL ALUMNI REPORT