Bio

Jennifer Longhurst is a partner in McCarthy Tétrault’s M&A and Corporate Governance Groups, and is Co-leader of the firm’s Critical Situations & Shareholder Activism Group. With a highly respected reputation for advising business leaders, boards of directors, special committees and investors on complex transactions, special situations and corporate governance matters, Jennifer is widely recognized as an industry leader, including by Chambers and Partners. To maximize value and drive successful outcomes, Jennifer provides integrated, judgment-based advice to assist both public market issuers and investors in a broad range of activism-related situations, including in corporate governance issues and disputes, proxy contests and solicitation campaigns, unsolicited M&A proposals, activist campaign strategies, securities law compliance issues, insider trading and reporting and securities regulatory proceedings and investigations. Her extensive practice knowledge is matched by expertise across key Canadian industries, including, metals and mining, energy and natural resources, heavy industries, financial services, real estate, pharmaceuticals, private equity and retail and consumer markets, making her a trusted advisor on strategic and legal issues and broader business concerns. Jennifer is an adviser comfortable in high-stakes negotiations and has particular expertise in complex activist situations and global and cross-border transactions; she has worked on some of the most high profile Canadian and international public M&A transactions and proxy contests. Jennifer also regularly counsels on corporate governance, securities law and public reporting, offering a 360 degree view of an organization’s most pressing matters. In addition to her practice experience, Jennifer is active in the business community as a thought leader, educator, and representative on industry committees and boards. She is a frequent speaker, author, and regular contributor to industry periodicals, as well as conferences and events. Recently, Jennifer co-authored “Anticipating and Responding to Shareholder Activism: An IRO’s Guide” which was featured in IR Leader, a publication of the Canadian Investor Relations Institute (CIRI). She is also a past adjunct professor of corporate transactions at Osgoode Hall Law School’s Professional Development LLM program and a frequent adjunct instructor of the Osgoode Professional LLM Governance, Activism and M&A conferences. Jennifer is a past Chair of the Ontario Securities Commission’s Securities Advisory Committee, a member of American Bar Association’s Corporate Governance and M&A Committees and the Canadian and Ontario Bar Associations’ Corporate Governance Committees, and a member of the Board of Directors of The Walrus.