Patrick Fitzgerald

Patrick is a partner in the Halifax office of Cox & Palmer. Born in Toronto and raised in Wedgeport, NS, Patrick was admitted to the Nova Scotia Bar in 1998, having completed his education at Saint Mary’s University (B.Comm. 1990), University of Windsor (M.B.A. 1991), and Dalhousie Law School (LL.B., 1997).

With over 20 years of maintaining a transactional law practice, Patrick is an experienced business lawyer with extensive experience advising on complex corporate and technology deals.

Always one to embrace innovation and efficiency to provide a better client experience, Patrick is constantly researching and implementing technology and process improvements related to the business of law.

Patrick is a member of Cox & Palmer’s Halifax Executive Committee with specific responsibility for creating an innovation culture and identifying, assessing and implementing innovative processes, improvements and technology to allow Cox & Palmer to better serve its clients.

When not focussed on helping clients pursue opportunities or solving challenges, Patrick uses his time to unplug from work and re-connect with his busy family, tackle renovation projects, maintain his racing bikes, train and take online courses that catch his interest. An endurance athletics enthusiast, Patrick has completed many marathons, cycling and triathlon events, including several Ironman branded events.

Experience

Patrick is frequently called upon to provide strategic advice to business owners, executives and boards of directors. His experience includes assisting clients in complex financings, mergers and acquisitions involving private and public companies as well as equity offerings, private equity transactions and financings.

Patrick has an extensive experience with unlimited company law (ULCs) and maintains a robust and responsive agency-based practice providing coordinated Atlantic Canadian legal services to out-of-region lawyers. This includes:

• reviewing transaction documents for local legal issues,
• ensuring compliance with local legal requirements, and
• the provision of opinions related to reorganizations, financings and local counsel securities law opinions related to offerings by public and private companies.

Patrick has extensive experience providing strategic advice on intellectual property and technology law issues including protection and commercialization, as well as privacy, data protection, cybersecurity law issues and data breach response. He has significant experience in technology transactions including licensing, acquisitions and sales of intellectual property assets, multi-year IT outsourcing/managed service, agreements relating to the internet and cloud based applications and services, and negotiating and implementing contracts as part of RFP’s for service providers and customers. He is a Registered Trade-mark Agent (Canada).

Patrick is actively involved in Nova Scotia’s start-up ecosystem having championed Cox & Palmer’s support of incubators and accelerator programs, as well as providing pro-bono advice to start-ups across Nova Scotia and judging various pitch competitions in the region. Patrick’s work with entrepreneurs, founders, early and growth stage businesses includes assisting with structuring, founder agreements and disputes, employee equity issues, angel and venture capital investments and exits.

Representative Engagements

• Represented major international healthcare software solutions provider in negotiations with a Provincial government for the provision of large scale implementation of software and services
• Represented large regulated energy industry participant in software development dispute, developed and negotiated master services agreements for a variety of digital solutions, including ERP as part of RFP process
• Represented and advised financial institution on data privacy breach and response
• Ongoing representation of industry leading communications SaaS provider in equity raises and negotiation of service agreements with customers
• Represented UK based subsea technology company in acquisition of Nova Scotia based offshore asset inspection and engineering company
• Represented Toronto based private equity firm in the acquisition of majority stake in Nova Scotia based technology company
• Represented for Montreal based private equity firm in the acquisition of a majority stake in an Atlantic Canadian based geomatics company
• Represented Nova Scotia based SaaS company on sale of business to US based NGO
• Represented Nova Scotia based inbound tourism company on sale of business to strategic purchaser
• Represented Nova Scotia based venture capital organization in numerous equity investments in life sciences start-ups
• Represented Montreal based venture capital organization on investment in Nova Scotia life sciences company
• Represented of numerous Nova Scotia based start-ups on structure, governance and equity financings
• Represented Nova Scotia based investment company on acquisition of Ontario based contracting company that provides engineering, procurement and construction of high voltage electrical installations
• Represented private mortgage and loan company on sale of business to a regulated financial institution
• Ongoing representation of mortgage investment corporation in equity raises and compliance matters