September 01, 2014

Orange is the new law exam

Article originally published in the Canadian Lawyer Magazine, September 2014

Excerpt from: "Orange is the new law exam":

I have always understood lawyers describing certain files as being “like a law school exam” to mean that those matters are so impossibly convoluted and improbable they could only have been wrought by the fecund mind of a law professor. Actually, when I think back on law school exams, I think less about my reaction to the exam questions than to the moment immediately before, a fleeting sense of puzzlement as to just how for the previous three months I consistently had managed to convince myself one more hour of must-see TV was a better investment of time than studying.

"Goodmans has deep experience in capital markets and in the REIT space. Their service and responsiveness levels are also very high." — Chambers Canada
Goodmans LLP houses a full-service capital markets practice... Among its core strong suits, the group is arguably best known for its strength in SPACs, REITs and IPOs... — The Legal 500 Canada
"The team is very professional, solves problems efficiently and is very hard-working. It is a great pleasure and privilege to work with the team on cross-border transactions and multi-jurisdictional projects." — Legal 500 Canada
"It is one of our trusted and preferred legal firms when we go to select specific counsel. It is a leader in capital markets, and we trust the group's view and know that it works well." — Chambers Canada
A prominent player in REITs and SPAC-related offerings, also bearing an impressive record in cross-border and cannabis-related matters. — The Legal 500 Canada
Clients note, "They have an exceptional ability to understand the root of the issue and figure out realistic, step-by-step approaches to solve problems." — Chambers Canada
A distinguished practice valued for advising major REITs and financial institutions on innovative capital markets transactions. — Chambers Canada
On the Capital Markets group, one client says, "deep strength and expertise at all levels...nothing can replace stability and the fact that I have worked with Goodmans on both sides of the table since the early 2000’s." — Legal 500 Canada
One interviewee reported, "The Goodmans team as a whole is excellent," adding: "The lawyers are very responsive and get the job done. It is of great assurance to have them as our legal advisers." — Chambers Canada
Clients comment Goodmans Capital Markets team has "Deep experience, based upon decades of leadership in the sector." — IFLR1000
A client notes, "The lawyers that I have worked with at Goodmans are extremely professional, knowledgeable, creative and excellent service providers. The matters that we have worked on were extremely complicated and required high level of ability to combine understanding of our business objectives with legal analysis." — IFLR1000
Clients note the team's "institutional knowledge is very deep" and stated: "It's like they're part of the team they work with. They're extremely responsive." — Chambers Global

Insights

Client Updates

May 19, 2026 Capital Markets

CSA Proposes Broad Amendments to the Issuer Bid, Take-Over Bid and Beneficial Ownership Reporting Regimes

The Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) published a notice and request for comment on a broad package of proposed amendments to Canada’s issuer bid, take-over bid and early warning reporting…
Articles

March 31, 2026 REITS and Income Securities

The Legal Industry Reviews Edition 10 - REITs Chapter

Bill Gorman, Brenda Gosselin, and Stephen Pincus have co-authored The Canadian REIT Structure in the 10th edition of The Legal Industry Reviews Canada.In this chapter, they examine the evolution of…
Client Updates

March 23, 2026 Capital Markets

Canadian Securities Administrators Adopt Semi-Annual Reporting Pilot Project

On March 19, 2026, the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) announced the adoption of a pilot project (the “SAR Pilot”) that permits eligible venture issuers to voluntarily report on a…
Client Updates

December 10, 2025 Capital Markets

Proxy Advisors Release Updated Canadian Voting Guidelines for 2026

Ahead of the 2026 proxy season, Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) and Glass Lewis, North America’s two leading proxy advisory firms, have released updates to their Canadian benchmark proxy…
Client Updates

December 04, 2025 Capital Markets

SCC Affirms Broad and Contextual Interpretation of “Material Change”

The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) has provided further guidance on what may constitute a “material change” under Ontario securities law and the leave test for bringing a claim for failure to make…
Client Updates

November 17, 2025 Capital Markets

CSA Proposes Amendments to Align Non-GAAP Financial Measures Disclosure Framework with IFRS 18

On November 13, 2025, the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) published a notice and request for comment regarding proposed amendments to National Instrument 52-112 – Non-GAAP and Other Financial…

View All Insights

Practices

Industries

Orange is the new law exam

Neill May

Site Search

Orange is the new law exam

Expertise

Authors

Insights

Featured Work

News & Events