Practice Area
As an M&A lawyer serving Burlington, Mississauga, Oakville and the wider GTA, Wes Forgione acts for clients in buy-side and sell-side transactions, including share and asset deals, due diligence, purchase agreements, letters of intent, earn-outs, management buyouts, and succession-led sales.
Wes has closed upwards of 400 M&A and commercial transactions with a near perfect close rate. His approach to mergers and acquisitions is simple: find solutions, not obstacles. Too many lawyers without deep deal experience treat every issue as a roadblock, and deals die because of it. Wes knows that the best M&A lawyers, the ones who actually get deals closed, work cooperatively with every stakeholder and every party at the table, rather than treating the other side as an opponent. That's how he keeps things moving and gets the deal done while protecting his client's position.
No two of those deals have looked the same. Every transaction brings its own complications: a key employee who wasn't told about the sale, financing that falls through during diligence, a buyer who tries to renegotiate price after signing the letter of intent. Wes has been through all of it. He's a battle-tested M&A lawyer who has seen every way a deal can go sideways, and he knows how to get it back on track and across the finish line.
What this covers
How long does it take to close an M&A deal in Ontario?
Most privately held business sales close in three to six months from signed letter of intent to closing, though straightforward asset deals can move faster and complex multi-party transactions can take longer. The biggest variable is usually due diligence and financing, not the legal drafting itself.
What's the difference between an asset sale and a share sale?
In a share sale, the buyer acquires the shares of the corporation itself, taking on the company along with its existing contracts, liabilities, and history. In an asset sale, the buyer purchases specific assets and assumes only the liabilities both sides agree to, leaving the seller's corporation behind. Tax treatment, liability exposure, and required consents differ significantly between the two, and the right structure depends on the specific deal.
Do I need an M&A lawyer if I'm using a business broker?
Yes. A broker helps find a buyer or seller and negotiate price, but a broker cannot give legal advice, draft or review the purchase agreement, or protect your position in due diligence, reps and warranties, or closing mechanics. Brokers and M&A lawyers typically work alongside each other, not in place of one another.
What does due diligence actually involve for a buyer?
Due diligence is a structured review of the target business before closing: corporate records, material contracts, employment matters, intellectual property ownership, outstanding litigation, tax filings, and financial statements. The goal is to confirm the business is what it appears to be, and to surface anything that should change price, structure, or the representations and warranties in the purchase agreement.
What is a letter of intent, and is it binding?
A letter of intent (LOI) sets out the proposed price, structure, and key terms before the parties invest in full due diligence and definitive agreements. Most LOIs are non-binding on price and structure, but often contain binding provisions for confidentiality and exclusivity. Getting this distinction right in the drafting matters, since the wrong LOI can box in a seller before terms are fully negotiated.
How is Forgione Deal and Corporate Counsel different from a large firm M&A team?
Wes Forgione works directly on every file as the lead lawyer, not a partner who delegates to junior associates. Clients get the same lawyer from the first call through closing, with the responsiveness that comes from a boutique practice and the deal experience that comes from having closed upwards of 400 transactions.
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