Background
Jeremy Farr is a partner in our Ottawa office. Jeremy was admitted to the Ontario Bar in 1984 and is a graduate of the University of Ottawa. Jeremy also obtained a Bachelor of Arts (Political Science and Law) from Carleton University in 1979. Jeremy was Regional Managing Partner of the firm’s Ottawa regional office and a member of the National Executive Committee of the firm between 2001 and 2005, a member of the firm's National Council since the formation of the firm in 2000 until 2005, and Chairman of the National Council between 2004 and 2005.
Areas of Practice
- Corporate and securities law - with particular emphasis in the areas of public and private mutual, private equity and venture capital funds, public offerings and private placements, corporate governance and mergers and acquisitions.
Professional Experience
- Advised public and private issuers on acquisition and divestiture transactions including take over bids, mergers and amalgamations, and cross-border share exchange transactions.
- Advised issuers and institutional investors on public offerings and private placements, involving venture capital and mutual fund issuers, technology, financial services and other industrial issuers, and on real estate syndication projects.
- Advised numerous clients on corporate governance, securities registration and enforcement matters.
Professional and Community Activities
- Member of the Judicial Advisory Committee for Eastern and Northern Ontario
- Chairman of the Board of Directors, National Capital Region YMCA-YWCA
- Member of the Executive Committee, Ottawa Chapter, Institute of Corporate Directors
- Former Member of Ontario Regional Advisory Committee to TSX Venture Exchange
- Former Ottawa Section Head and Senior Instructor in Business Law for the Bar Admission Course of the Law Society of Upper Canada.
- Former part-time professor at the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law, having participated as a lecturer in a course on Advanced Business Law, and previously having taught a course on Securities Regulation.
- Director of Capital Alliance Ventures Inc., an Ottawa based public venture capital investment fund, between 1995 and 2005.
- Member of the Securities Law Sub-committee to the Canadian Bar Association (Ontario) between 1994 and 1996.
- Member of the Securities Advisory Committee to the Ontario Securities Commission between 1991 and 1993.
- Secondment solicitor to the Ontario Securities Commission between 1987 and 1989.
- Lectured frequently at private sector conferences on a variety of securities and corporate law topics, including initial public offerings, private placements, mergers and acquisitions, directors’ liabilities, mutual fund and real estate investment trusts, and securities licensing issues.
- Member of the Law Society of Upper Canada, County of Carleton Law Association and Canadian Bar Association.
Publications and Presentations
- “Enterprise Risk Management” Institute of Corporate Directors (Ottawa Chapter), Ottawa, 2007
- “Private Placements” Osgoode Hall Law School, The Intensive Course in Canadian Securities Law and Practice, Toronto, 2007
- “Best Practices in Corporate Governance”, OCRI 45th Circuit Conference Series, Ottawa, 2006
- “Disclosure of Corporate Governance Practices” Brown Governance Corporate Secretaries Forum, Ottawa, 2006
- “Prospectus and Registration Exemptions” Ontario Bar Association Institute, Toronto, 2006
- “Governance Best Practices” Corporate Counsel Association, Ottawa, 2005
- “Securities Law for the Commercial Lawyer” County of Carleton Law Association / Department of Justice/ Law society of Upper Canada, Ottawa, 2002
- “Preparing for an IPO”, Commerce ‘99, Ottawa, 1999
- “Financing the Technology Sector”, Vancouver Stock Exchange/Canadian Advanced Technology Association, Ottawa, 1997
- “Selected Topics Related to Initial Public Offerings”, Securities Superconference, Toronto, 1997
- “The Use of Interim Ownership Arrangements in Acquisition Transactions”, The Canadian Institute, Toronto, 1996
- “Directors’ and Officers’ Liability Update - Exercising and Documenting Prudence”, County of Carleton Law Association, Montebello, 1996
- “Closing the Commercial Transaction: Shares and Assets”, County of Carleton Law Association, Montebello, 1995
- “Directors’ and Officers’ Liability”, The Law Society of Upper Canada, Toronto, 1994
- “Securities Law Primer on Private Placement Exemptions”, County of Carleton Law Association, Montebello, 1993
- “Mutual Funds - Real Estate Investment Trusts”, The Canadian Institute, Toronto, 1993
- “Securities and Syndications”, County of Carleton Law Association, Ottawa, 1990
- “A Practical Guide to Registration under the Securities Act (Ontario)”, The Law Society of Upper Canada, Toronto, 1990
- “The Corporation and the Institutional Investor”, The Canadian Institute, Toronto, 1989
- “Going Private, Asset Swaps, Indirect Takeovers and Coat-tails”, The Canadian Institute, Toronto, 1989
