Brent Kraus co-leads the firm's Mergers & Acquisitions practice and focuses on the areas of public and private mergers and acquisitions, capital markets transactions, shareholder activism, securities and corporate governance matters. He has experience in a wide breadth of industries, including the oil and gas and related services sector, new energy ventures, natural resources, transportation and financial services. Brent has significant experience in domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions as well as debt and equity offerings on behalf of both issuers and underwriters. His corporate governance advisory work includes advising corporations, boards of directors and special committees with respect to general compliance matters as well as transaction-specific mandates.
Brent has led complex transactions, both contested and friendly, involving plans of arrangement, proxy contests, take-over bids and recapitalizations, including coordinating concurrent litigation and regulatory strategy.
Brent is recognized by Chambers Canada in Corporate/Commercial; the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory as "Most Frequently Recommended" for each of Mergers & Acquisitions, Corporate Finance & Securities and Corporate Commercial Law; the Lexpert Guide to Leading U.S./Canada Cross-border Corporate Lawyers; The Legal 500 Canada as a Leading Lawyer in Capital Markets and M&A; Who's Who Legal Canada as a leading lawyer in Mergers & Acquisitions, Energy and Capital Markets; and by LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell.
Brent is also a former co-head of the firm's Capital Markets and Mergers & Acquisitions practice and was a member of the firm's Partnership Board from 2016 to 2021. He is corporate secretary for several private companies.
Prior to joining Bennett Jones, he served as law clerk to Mr. Justice J.C. Major at the Supreme Court of Canada.