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Rachel Hamilton

Rachel Hamilton K.C.

Partner

 

About

Rachel Hamilton, K.C. practices in the area of corporate/commercial law mergers and acquisitions, complex commercial matters and disputes, construction matters, and commercial real estate law. 

Rachel is highly experienced in the area of pension and benefits law, where she acts for and provides ‎comprehensive advice to the sponsors, governing bodies and administrators of pension and other forms ‎of benefit plans. Currently, the ‎major ‎focuses of her pension and benefits practice ‎‎are providing ‎‎‎governance ‎and ‎succession ‎advice, ‎‎reviewing, ‎negotiating and advising ‎on ‎‎investment funds and ‎‎‎investment ‎‎‎management ‎‎agreements for pension ‎and ‎‎benefit plans, and advising on ‎the ‎‎‎conversion of ‎‎health and ‎‎welfare trusts. ‎ 

Rachel also has significant experience advising domestic and international clients on commercial transactions and representing owners, investors, secured lenders, benefit plans and a broad range of companies on commercial, secured lending, financing and real estate matters including: 

  • acquisition and disposition of companies
  • corporate organization and restructuring
  • share and asset transactions
  • construction industry matters
  • legal review and advice on investment matters
  • acquisition, development, leasing and financing of real estate
  • governance, privacy and data protection

Rachel was recognized in 2010 with the prestigious “Lexpert Rising Star Leading Lawyer Under 40” award and was Managing Partner of the firm's Edmonton Office from 2013 to 2020.

Bar admissionsAlbertaOntario

EXPERIENCE

  • Provided governance advice to Pension Plans on matters including governance policies, statements of investment policies and procedures, appeal policies and similar administrative practices and policies.
  • Advised Plan Sponsors on restructuring their Private Health Services Plans in order to comply with changes in the Income Tax Act.
  • Advised Pension plans and other Benefit Plans on investments being considered by those Plans such as private equity funds and other structured investments, in addition to investment management agreements between the Plans and their Investment Managers. Including:
  • Advised multi-employer pension plans with respect to several significant investments of approximately $10,000,000 USD in Delaware Limited Partnership Funds, including a Tax-Exempt Fund which was among a four structure group of funds used to accommodate U.S ‎taxable Limited Partners, Canadian Limited Partners and certain Foreign Limited Partners‎.
  • Acted for a large Alberta pension plan with respect to an investment in the amount of $50,000,000 in a Canadian real estate fund focusing on a diversified Canadian real estate portfolio.
  • Acted for a large Alberta pension plan with respect to an investment in the amount of $30,000,000 in a Canadian Fund (structured as a Limited Partnership) with a focus on pursuing equity and equity-like investments in infrastructure assets in member countries of the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development.
  • Advised CNH Industrial Capital Canada Ltd. and CNH Industrial Canada, Ltd. in connection with the ‎acquisition by 2223890 Alberta Ltd. of Rocky Mountain Dealerships, Canada’s biggest agriculture ‎equipment dealership. 
  • Advised Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd., Marubeni Corporation and Daishowa North America Corporation in the $465 million acquisition of Daishowa-Marubeni International Ltd. by Mercer International Inc.
  • Acted for the Canadian subsidiary of a large, international investment management firm in the sale of a multi-million dollar commercial office building comprised of approximately 140,000 square feet of leasable area.
  • Acted in the restructuring of the Canadian subsidiaries of a large, US-based publicly traded company.
  • Acted for a major Canadian bulk transportation company with respect to several acquisitions of mid-sized trucking businesses.
  • Acted on behalf of an insurance brokerage both as a seller and as a buyer of assets and the related licensing, employment and restrictive covenant considerations.
  • Acted for the purchaser of assets relating to an airport hangar.
  • Acted for the Seller in the sale of a multi-million dollar, medical office building comprised of approximately 120,000 square feet of leasable area.
  • Acted for a US-based lending institution with respect to structuring from a corporate and tax perspective a transaction involving the purchase of land in lieu of foreclosure.
  • Acted for a Canadian subsidiary of a large international public corporation specializing in technology services with respect to the multi-million dollar acquisition of a Canadian business.
  • Acted for a European public corporation with respect to establishing a Canadian subsidiary and with respect to the purchase of a Canadian corporation providing transportation and logistics services in Canada.
  • Acted in the construction, lease, financing and acquisition of a major commercial office development project comprising over 800,000 square feet.
  • Acted in the construction, lease and acquisition of an approximately 40,000 square foot leading research facility.
  • Advised on matters respecting the development of a major sporting and entertainment facility including development, lease and ancillary agreements.
  • Acted for a developer on the development of a 131-unit residential condominium complex in Alberta from the purchase of raw land through to marketing and sale of completed units to individual purchasers.
  • Completion of a $40 million dollar sale of an Alberta commercial condominium development and subsequent multi-million dollar sale of adjacent lands of behalf of a Receiver.
  • Acted for the Purchaser in the purchase of numerous multi-million dollar land transactions and financings.
  • Advised on sale of hotels located in Alberta for major hotel chain.
  • Acted for Capital City Link General Partnership on the Northeast Anthony Henday Drive Project, a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) with the government of Alberta, to design, build, finance and operate the northeast and northwest legs of the Edmonton Ring Road.
  • Acted for Bilfinger Berger BOT Inc. in respect of all aspects of the Calgary Ring Road Project in Calgary, Alberta.
  • Completed sale of a landfill in Alberta on behalf of the Divestiture Trustee under the provisions of a consent order made by the Commissioner of Competition.
  • Acted for the Receiver on the marketing and sale of a multi-million dollar residential condominium development in Alberta.
  • Acted for the employer in the implementation of and financing for an Employee Share Ownership Plan and ongoing offerings.
Languages
  • English
Education
  • LL.B., University of Alberta, 1999
  • B.Ed. (with Distinction), University of Alberta, 1996

Awards

  • Best Lawyers in Canada (Real Estate Law), 2019-2025; (Corporate Law), 2020-2025
  • The Legal 500 Canada (Real Estate), 2017; (Pensions), 2021
  • Lexpert Rising Star: Leading Lawyers Under 40 in Canada, 2010

Publications

  • Doing Business in Alberta 2013, 2012‎
  • Indalex Decision:  Insolvency Law v. Pension Law, Round Three, February, 2013.‎
  • Rachel is one of the contributing authors to both the O'Brien's Encyclopedia of Forms: Commercial ‎and General, Division I series (Sales chapter) (2018, 2020, 2022 and 2024) and the O'Brien's - ‎Corporations, Division II series (Alberta) (2018 to 2021). These comprehensive collections of forms ‎and precedents are now in their 11th edition.‎

Memberships And Affiliations

  • Past Co-Chair, Pension & Benefits Subsection, Canadian Bar Association (Alberta Branch)
  • Member, Business Law Subsection, Canadian Bar Association (Alberta Branch)
  • Member, Real Property Subsection, Canadian Bar Association (Alberta Branch)
  • Member, Law Society of Alberta
  • Member, Canadian Bar Association
  • Member, Edmonton Bar Association

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