Steven Canner

Steven G. Canner

Partner
Baker & McKenzie LLP

Biography

Steven Canner is the co-chair of the Transactional Group for the Firm's New York and Miami offices, and serves on the Firm's North American Private Equity Steering Committee and Global Steering Committee for Energy, Mining and Infrastructure.

Practice Focus

For over 30 years, Steven has been counseling clients with respect to cross-border and US domestic, public and private, mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic alliances, and private equity and venture capital transactions. Steven also focuses his practice on the capital markets, guiding clients on public and private equity and debt securities offerings, corporate governance, and securities laws compliance matters.

Steven also acts as outside general counsel to a number of global companies, assisting them with their day to day legal concerns and advising their boards of directors with respect to significant corporate matters.

Representative Legal Matters

  • Advising Prenetics Global Limited, a leading genomics-driven health sciences company listed on Nasdaq, on the creation of a USD 200 million joint venture named "Insighta" with globally renowned scientist Professor Dennis Lo, to offer multi-cancer early detection screening.

  • Represented Tiger Infrastructure Partners, a private equity fund, and its portfolio company, Granite Comfort, in connection with a multitude of acquisitions, financings and other significant corporate matters.

  • Represented Tiger Infrastructure Partners, a private equity fund, and its portfolio company, Cleopatra Resources LLC, in connection with various financings and other transactional matters.

  • Represented AGF Management Limited, one of Canada's premier independent asset management firms, in its acquisition of FFCM, a Boston-based ETF adviser and asset management firm.

  • Represented EnCap Flatrock Midstream, a private equity fund, and its portfolio company, Gravity Midstream, LLC, in connection with Gravity’s acquisition of a crude oil terminal and refinery pursuant to a bankruptcy court approved plan of reorganization.

  • Represented Compass Partners International LLP, a private equity fund, in the sale of its portfolio company, Drake Beam Morin Inc., a leading provider of strategic human resources solutions, to the Adecco Group.

  • Represented Onex Partners II LP, a private equity fund, in connection with its acquisition of Eastman Kodak Company's international health group.

  • Represented a sovereign wealth fund in connection with many minority investments in technology, aircraft finance and other companies, and various investments in private equity and venture capital funds.

  • Represented a global family office in connection with cross-border and US domestic acquisitions of, and minority investments in, a diverse array of businesses.

  • Represented an asset manager in connection with various investments in alternative energy projects, data centers and other infrastructure-related assets.

  • Represented the independent special committee of the board of directors of Baltic Trading Limited in connection with Baltic Trading's merger with Genco Shipping & Trading Limited, its controlling shareholder.

  • Advised Edelman Financial Engines, a leading independent financial planning and investment management firm, in its acquisitions of Viridian Advisors, an independent firm offering financial planning, investment management, and tax planning and preparation services, and several other investment advisors.

  • Represented Gulf Coast Asphalt Company, L.L.C. in the sale of its Mobile, Alabama marine terminalling facility and Saraland, Alabama rail transloading facility to Arc Terminals LP.

  • Represented Imunon Inc. in connection with a multitude of registered securities offerings, “at-the-market” securities offerings and other transactional matters.

  • Acted as special US counsel to Credit Suisse (Singapore) Ltd., DBS Bank Ltd. and Morgan Stanley Asia (Singapore) Pte., as the joint global coordinators, joint bookrunners and joint underwriters of Vertex Technology Acquisition Corporation Ltd., the first SPAC to list on the main board of the Singapore Exchange.

  • Represented VersaPay Corporation in connection with various public offerings of its shares and units.

  • Represented Peninsula Energy Limited, an Australian corporation, in connection with its issuance of equity to BlackRock Financial Management, Inc. and a related debt financing transaction.

  • Represented Cineplex Entertainment in connection with various cross-border securities offerings.

  • Represented Aurora Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company, in connection with its formation, initial public offering and listing on Nasdaq, and its USD 6.9 billion business combination with Better.

Professional Associations and Memberships

  • American Bar Association - Member
  • New York State Bar Association - Member

Admissions

  • New York~United States (1991)

Education

  • Columbia Law School (J.D., Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar) (1989)
  • State University of New York at Binghamton (B.A.) (1986)
  • Beaver College, Institute of Strategic, Economic and Political Studies, London, England (1985)

Co-author, "Supreme Court Addresses Business Succession," Insightplus, Baker McKenzie, 8 August 2024

Co-author, "Time to come in from the cold: Six steps private equity sponsors should take now to prepare for a thawing IPO market," PE Hub, 3 January 2024

Moderator "Company Portfolio Reviews: Creating Value Through Strategic Divestitures, Carve-Outs and Redeployment of Capital," The Deal Economy 2023: Predictions and Perspectives Conference June 2023

Co-author, "United States: SEC proposes rules for further disclosure and enhanced investor protections regarding SPACs," Baker McKenzie Client Alert, 5 April 2022

Co-author, "SPACs Cross the Atlantic," IFLR, Winter 2020

Co-author, "United States: SBA publishes further guidance on the effect of changes of ownership on PPP loans," Baker McKenzie InsightPlus, 20 October 2020

Co-author, "SEC's Accredited Investor Rule Will Benefit Sovereign Wealth," Law360, 6 October 2020