Overview
John Connon is a partner and co-heads a business law group and the Private Equity and Venture Capital Group at Goodmans. He has a broad transactional practice involving all aspects of corporate and securities law, with particular emphasis on private equity, public and private mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance transactions.
John advises public companies, closely-held companies, private equity funds and their portfolio companies on a wide range of corporate transactions, including acquisitions, divestitures, capital raises and governance matters.
John was recognized by Best Lawyers in Canada as the 2023 Toronto Mergers & Acquisitions Law "Lawyer of the Year”, as well as a leading lawyer for leveraged buyouts and private equity law and securities law. John is also recognized as a leading lawyer by The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory for corporate finance and securities, private equity, and mergers and acquisitions and by IFLR1000 for mergers and acquisitions. John is featured in the Lexpert Special Edition: Finance and M&A 2022 and was honoured as one of Lexpert’s Rising Stars: Leading Lawyers Under 40 in 2008.
From 1998 to 2004, John was an associate in the New York, Hong Kong and London offices of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP.
Featured Work
John has recently played a leading role in representing:
- Pon Holdings in its C$1.0 billion acquisition of Dorel Sports
- Tricon Residential in its NYSE IPO and concurrent US$570 million equity offering
- Tricon Residential in its US$300 million offering of preferred securities to a syndicate led by Blackstone Real Estate Investment Trust
- Tricon Residential in its US$1.4 billion acquisition of Starlight U.S. Multi-Family (No. 5) Core Fund
- The Miller McAsphalt Corporation in connection with its sale of Miller Paving and McAsphalt Industries to Colas Canada Inc.
- Aegis Brands in connection with its sale of Second Cup Coffee Co. to Foodtastic
- General Atlantic Partners in connection with its strategic investment in Benevity, Inc., a global provider of corporate social responsibility and employee engagement software
- The Kilmer Group in connection with the sale of the Toronto Argonauts Football Club, North America’s oldest continuously operated professional football club, to MLSE
- Open Farm in connection with an $80 million investment led by General Atlantic
- autoTRADER in connection with its strategic investments in Motoinsight and Activix and its acquisitions of LesPAC and Convertus
- Clairvest Group Inc. in connection with the sale of CRS Contractors Rental Supply Limited Partnership to Sunbelt Rentals, the North American business of Ashtead Group plc, for $275 million plus a potential earn-out
- Apax Partners in its sale of Trader Corporation, Canada’s lending digital automotive marketplace and software solutions provider, for approximately $1.575 billion
- Birch Hill Equity Partners in the sale of Bluewave Energy to Parkland Income Fund for $214 million
Awards & Recognition
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The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory Recognized, Corporate Finance & Securities, Mergers & Acquisitions, Private Equity 2023
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Best Lawyers in Canada Lawyer of the Year, Mergers and Acquisitions Law 2023
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Best Lawyers in Canada Recognized: Leveraged Buyouts & Private Equity Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Securities Law 2023
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IFLR1000 Canada Notable Practitioner, M&A 2022
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Best Lawyers in Canada Recognized: Leveraged Buyouts & Private Equity Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Securities Law 2022
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Lexpert Special Edition: Finance and M&A Canada's Leading Finance and M&A Lawyers 2022
Credentials
Credentials
- University of Toronto, LL.B., 1998
- McGill University, B.A., 1994
Professional Affiliations
- Law Society of Ontario
Call to Bar
- 2005 Ontario
- 1999 New York
Insights
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Capital Markets
Canadian Securities Regulators and TSX Issue Temporary Exemptions From Certain Requirements in Response to COVID-19
An overview of the scope and availability of the Filing Relief issued by the Canadian Securities Adminitrators (CSA), as well as the temporary blanket relief package announced by the Toronto Stock… -
Private Equity and Venture Capital
Private Equity: Five Trends to Watch, The 2014 Guide to the Leading US/Canada Cross-Border Corporate Lawyers in Canada
John Connon authored the article "Five Trends to Watch", originally published in the 2014 Guide to the Leading US/Canada Cross-Border Corporate Lawyers in Canada.Excerpt:The large amounts of… -
Capital Markets
Private Equity: What's in Store for 2014?
The large amounts of undeployed capital available to Canadian private equity funds and a renewed willingness by banks to extend credit on more favourable terms have set the stage for an active year in… -
Capital Markets
CSA Proposes Significant Amendments to Early Warning Regime
The Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) have proposed a sweeping set of amendments to improve the early warning regime in the wake of increased shareholder activism, and to bring it into… -
Capital Markets
CSA Announces Results of Continuous Disclosure Review for Fiscal 2012
The Canadian Securities Administrators recently published the results of its annual continuous disclosure (CD) review program for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2012. The CSA’s CD review… -
Dispute Resolution
Supreme Court Holds National Securities Act to be Unconstitutional
In a long-awaited decision released yesterday, the Supreme Court of Canada has unanimously held that the proposed Canadian Securities Act is unconstitutional as presently drafted, frustrating the…
News & Events
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Banking and Financial Services
The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory 2023 Continues to Recognize Goodmans
We are proud to announce we have once again been recognized in The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory 2023.85 Goodmans lawyers have been recognized as top-tier in their fields and leaders across… -
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Goodmans Presents: Strategies for Navigating Day-to-Day Professionalism Challenges
As in-house counsel, you face an array of unique ethical, practice and client management challenges. Join your peers and our knowledgeable facilitators for a nuanced, interactive discussion of a… -
Banking and Financial Services
IFLR1000 2022 Recognizes Goodmans Lawyers and Practices
We are proud to announce Goodmans continues to be recognized by IFLR1000 in its annual guide. Recognition in IFLR1000 is based on a combination of in-depth qualitative research and…