Whenever we are dealing with money, especially large amounts, we tend to be more apprehensive about how to manage it and it is definitely not different in corporate environments. The best thing you can do when having to deal with securities law and corporate finance is to have a trustworthy Corporate Lawyer Calgary beside you that has experience in dealing with the area of law.
But what is securities law and how does it work in Alberta? Why is it related to corporate law, and what is the importance of it? In the next following topics, we will look more into these areas of law in order to clarify them.
Corporate Finance and Corporate Lawyers
Corporate lawyers support the day-to-day operations of a company and that includes dealing with financial transactions of different natures to ensure that everything is within guidelines, federal and provincial laws, and all documents are properly signed and reviewed to the company’s best interests.
Furthermore, corporate lawyers deal with equity financing. Equity financing is when a company sells shares of it to raise capital for different reasons, most commonly to quickly raise funds for a project or to settle debts.
Equity financing is an important aspect to keep in mind when thinking about how corporate lawyers in Calgary are able to support you with securities law.
Securities Law in Alberta and Corporate Lawyers
First of all, let us define securities. Securities in finance are instruments representing ownership, such as in the case of equity securities, a creditor relationship, such as a debt obligation, or other rights to ownership. Securities in Alberta have their own specific Act called the Securities Act, effective since January 1, 2002.
The Securities Act of Alberta creates the framework for securities laws and lays out the Alberta Securities Commission’s duties and responsibilities. Under it, corporate lawyers in Calgary are able to support you in different areas. The Alberta Securities Commission states that the most common situations in which a corporate lawyer might be necessary are things such as electronic trading and trading rules, registration requirements, exemptions and ongoing registrant obligations, standards of disclosure for oil and gas activities, and continuous disclosure obligations.
The Securities Act is receiving constant updates, its latest update was in June 2023 when it received an update to create a uniform definition of “Canadian financial institution.”
Other Important Information
Now that we are more familiar with securities, we need to look over a few key topics. Firstly, let us talk about insider trading. Insider trading is, in a few words, using privileged information from inside your company, or using your influence on the company, to conduct trading with advantage. Under Canada’s securities laws, this practice is illegal. Any person with non-public information about a company is therefore forbidden from trading the company’s securities while being advantaged from this information.
Securities are regulated both at a federal and a provincial level – remember the Securities Act of Alberta. And on the topic of trading a company’s shares, if a company decides to become publicly traded, it will most likely need to get in contact with the securities regulatory authorities and list the company’s securities on a stock exchange. It is important to remember that whenever a company decides to go public, it will also need to abide by all guidelines and requirements of public companies, such as disclosure requirements and reporting.
Corporate lawyers in Calgary are trained professionals who will greatly support your goals and ensure that you are abiding by the necessary guidelines to avoid any mistakes and future headaches.
Securities law can be confusing and difficult to navigate, for that reason it is highly recommended you find a trustworthy lawyer with experience in dealing with it.