Leading Financial Services lawyer J. Michael McIntosh joins Blakes

Adding further strength to the Financial Services Group in Calgary

Photograph available upon request

TORONTO/CALGARY, Feb. 8 /CNW/ - Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP (Blakes), one of Canada's leading business law firms, today announced that J. Michael McIntosh has joined the Financial Services Group as a Partner in the Calgary office.

"Mike is recognized as one of the leading financial services practitioners in Western Canada ," said Brock Gibson , the Firm's Chair. "He has extensive national and international experience and will be invaluable to our clients. Having Mike at Blakes, further solidifies our position of having Canada's pre-eminent Financial Services Group. It is with great pleasure that I welcome him to our Firm."

Mr. McIntosh 's practice focuses on banking, acquisition finance, structured finance and project finance. Mr. McIntosh also has considerable experience in all phases of corporate and commercial acquisitions and regularly advises on cross-border financings. Recent transactions have included major acquisition financings, private placements, major construction financings and cross-border structured financings. Additionally, Mr. McIntosh has been involved in financings of oil sands projects, coal bed methane development, conventional oil and gas reserves, petrochemical plants, pipelines, mining assets and power generating assets.

    
    About the Blakes Financial Services Group
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Blakes is recognized as having Canada's pre-eminent financial services practice. According to The International Who's Who of Banking Lawyers 2010, "The Canadian research is led by Blake Cassels & Graydon LLP...", Chambers Global: The World's Leading Lawyers for Business 2009 ranks Blakes number one in banking and finance, and The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory has named Blakes a top performer in banking and financial services every year since the guide's inception in 1997. Blakes is regular outside counsel to many of Canada's leading financial institutions, as well as leading U.S., European, Asian and other non-Canadian financial service providers. The Financial Services Group regularly acts for borrowers, giving them the benefit of our in-depth understanding of the facilities they seek. Blakes has the capability and depth to advise on all aspects of financial services from any of our offices, and can seamlessly access the expertise of our tax, securities, insolvency and other specialty groups as needed to respond to issues as they arise in any transaction.

    
    About Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
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Blakes has more than 550 lawyers with offices across Canada and in New York, Chicago , London , Bahrain , Beijing and associated offices in Al-Khobar and Shanghai . In 2009, Blakes was named "Canada's Law Firm of the Year" by Who's Who Legal and, for the second year running, "Law Firm of the Year: Canada " in the PLC Which Lawyer? Awards. On December 16, 2009 , the Financial Times and mergermarket awarded Blakes the Legal Advisor of the Year Award and, for the second year in a row, the Mid-Market Legal Advisor of the Year Canada Award. In 2007, 2008 and 2009, Blakes was Canada's busiest M&A law firm, according to rankings in the Bloomberg, Thomson Reuters and mergermarket league tables. In January 2010 , Bloomberg ranked Blakes the ninth busiest law firm in Global Announced Deals for 2009 - Counsel to Principals by deal value. Blakes is the only Canadian firm on this top 10 list. More information on Blakes is available by visiting the Firm's website at www.blakes.com.

For further information: Celia Bobkin, Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP, [phone], [email protected]