Michael S. Janke, ICD.D
Michael Janke partners with emerging and high-growth small to medium enterprises seeking advisory and transactional guidance. He provides strategic counsel and technical oversight at every stage of the business life cycle, using an extensive legal and business background to provide focus on value creation from inception to exit.
Michael assists clients across a full range of emerging and growth company needs, including:
• start-up formation, tax and exit conscious corporate structuring including cross-border organization and financing arrangements;
• private merger and acquisition (M&A) transaction negotiation and execution, including plans of arrangement, amalgamations, share and asset transactions;
• seed, venture capital, private equity and institutional debt financings;
• employer compensation and workplace arrangements;
• general counsel and commercial transaction negotiation and execution; and
• corporate governance.
Because we understand merger and acquisition valuation and transactional processes, we assist our clients to “start with the end in mind,” building value by guiding organization, capital raising, financing, governance, general counsel and exit stages for small to medium enterprises, all in a tax-sensitive manner. Ideally, we partner with our clients to gain a deep understanding of their business and culture, enhancing our ability to deliver pragmatic, effective, and efficient counsel with an innovative and impactful business approach.
Value creation begins well before the exit.
Beyond transactional work, Michael aligns with clients to provide general counsel legal advice and business advisory guidance to founders, buyers, sellers, majority and minority shareholders, management teams, organizations, boards and special committees when navigating complex and mission critical issues including executive stakeholder challenges, shareholder disputes, financings business risk assessments.
Before joining Wilson Laycraft, Michael maintained a proprietary, full-service business focused law practice, leveraging experience, knowledge and judgment to deliver strategic guidance to issuers, shareholders, executives, boards, tribunals, investment funds, advisory boards and family offices.
Representative Advisory and Transactional Experience:
• leveraged $10 MM share acquisition of cross border multi-media publication firm;
• $23 MM strategic exit by asset sale for cross border SaaS issuer;
• multiple rounds of US private equity financings totaling $19 MM USD for Canadian based beverage brand;
• private equity plan of arrangement for $24 MM USD exit for infrastructure SaaS issuer;
• acquisition and divesture of international motorsports team;
• general counsel to environmental transloading organizations, intra-provincial trucking companies, family offices and coordinated business interests;
• general counsel to financial industry registrants, both individuals and firms, including fund creation and compliance for non-redeemable investment funds, search funds and investment banking organizations.
Year of Call:
Alberta – 1997
Education
University of Victoria, 1995
Bachelor of Arts, University of Calgary, 1992