Joseph Yurkovich is a native Edmontonian and a corporate tax lawyer who has made a career of keeping on top of income tax and corporate law developments. Joe’s practice focuses on corporate taxation matters, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate law. Joe has substantial experience in drafting agreements and acting for limited partnerships in a variety of industries, including several with private equity and public sector fund participants. He acts as lead counsel on successful take-over bids, shareholder proposals and multijurisdictional exchangeable securities transactions. Joe has more than 30 years of mergers and acquisitions experience as lead counsel for purchase or sale of businesses in a wide range of industries including the following: professional hockey, national travel agency, oilfield/oilsands manufacturing and services, auto and equipment dealerships, national automotive retail and service provider, IT consulting, technology and internet businesses.
Apart from his secondment to the tax group of an international accounting firm, Joe has spent his entire career with Miller Thomson. He joined the Alberta predecessor firm in 1981 and was managing partner of that firm for three years immediately prior to merger with Miller Thomson.
Joe participated in consultations with Alberta Government Services and the Corporate Commercial Advisory Committee of the Law Society of Alberta regarding the 2005 amendments to the Alberta Business Corporation Act and the legislative provisions for Alberta unlimited liability corporations.
Joe has been a panelist and presented papers for seminars and courses on income tax and business law conducted by the Legal Education Society of Alberta, the Canadian Tax Foundation, and the Canadian Bar Association, Alberta Branch.
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Professional achievements & leadership
- The Best Lawyers in Canada – Lawyer of the Year, Corporate Law, 2019
- The Best Lawyers in Canada – Lawyer of the Year, Mergers & Acquisitions Law, 2018
- The Best Lawyers in Canada – Corporate Governance Practice; Corporate Law; Mergers & Acquisitions Law; Tax Law and Trusts & Estates, 2008 – 2019
- The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, Corporate Commercial, 2014-2018; Corporate Tax Law, 2013-2018
- The Best Lawyers in Canada – Lawyer of the Year, Corporate Tax, 2014
- The Best Lawyers in Canada – Lawyer of the Year, Mergers & Acquisitions, 2013
- Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, leading practitioner in Estate & Personal Tax Planning, 2010-2012
- Graduate of Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD) Directors Education Program, 2007
- Appointed Queen’s Counsel, 2002
Notable matters
- Experienced with structuring limited partnership, cross-border exchangeable share, and initial public offering transactions for investment in clients by public corporations, private equity and pension fund administrators, including CPPIB and AIMCo.
- Has been retained to assist other major Edmonton law firms as counsel to the Board of Directors or minority employee shareholder groups on major divestiture transactions.
Thought leadership
- Federal Budget Review, 2013
- 2010-2011 Alberta Budget Highlights, Tax Notes, July 2010
- Limited Liability Companies and Hybrids, Tax Notes, Fall 2007
- Alberta Unlimited Liability Corporations, Tax Notes, Winter 2005
- Borrowing from Authorized Foreign Banks, Tax Notes, Winter 2003
- Recent corporate and income tax developments of interest, 2003
- Non-Competition Payments Taxable as Capital Gains – The Manrell Case, Tax Notes, Winter 2002
- Taxpayer Migration – Reporting Requirements, Tax Notes, Spring 2000
Community involvement
- Director, Edmonton Mountain Bike Alliance, 2015 – Present
- Vice-President, Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta, 2005 -2014
- Founding Member and Vice-President, Terwillegar Riverbend Advisory Council, 2003 -2012
Professional memberships
- Member, Law Society of Alberta
- Member, Canadian Bar Association
- Member, Edmonton Bar Association
- Member, Canadian Tax Foundation
- Member, International Fiscal Association
- Member, Alberta Chapter Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD.D)
- Member, Association for Corporate Growth
- Member and Past Edmonton Executive Committee Member, Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP)
Bar admissions & education
- Alberta Bar, 1982
- LL.B., University of Alberta, 1981
Miller Thomson lawyers recognized in The Best Lawyers in Canada 2019
In the just released 2019 edition of The Best Lawyers in Canada, 144 Miller Thomson lawyers from across the country have been recognized for their expertise in 47 areas of law. This includes 6 lawyers who were awarded “Lawyer of the Year” in...
Miller Thomson recognized in 2018 Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory
In the recently released 2018 edition of the Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory, 90 Miller Thomson lawyers across 35 areas of law have been recognized for their industry-leading advisory expertise. These rankings are the culmination of an extensive annual peer review process...
Miller Thomson recognized in 2017 Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory
In the recently released 2017 edition of the Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory, 79 Miller Thomson lawyers across 30 areas of law have been recognized for their industry-leading advisory expertise. These latest rankings are the culmination of an extensive annual peer...
Miller Thomson lawyers recognized in The Best Lawyers in Canada 2017
126 Miller Thomson lawyers from across the country and in numerous areas of law have been recognized for their expertise in the 2017 edition of The Best Lawyers in Canada. This result is up from 122 lawyers ranked last year....
Lexpert recognizes 80 Miller Thomson lawyers
Miller Thomson is pleased to announce 80 lawyers across ten of our offices are recognized in the 2016 edition of The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory as leading practitioners in their field. Published annually since 1997, The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory...
Miller Thomson recognized in 2014 Best Lawyers in Canada
We are pleased to announce that 80 Miller Thomson lawyers have been recognized in the 2014 edition of Best Lawyers in Canada (this is 15 more lawyers than last year). Seventeen lawyers are new to the list. Additionally, the following lawyers from...
Miller Thomson lawyers recognized in 2013 Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory
Miller Thomson is thrilled to announce that 43 of the firm’s lawyers from across Canada were recently recognized in 25 categories in the 2013 Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory. These rankings, based on extensive annual peer-review surveys, identify leading lawyers in Canada across...
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Federal Budget Review 2013
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Federal Budget Review
View the Federal Budget Review
2010-2011 Alberta Budget Highlights
In its 2010-11 Budget, introduced in the Legislature on February 9, 2010, the Alberta Conservative government has sought to strike a balance between deficit reduction, and continuation of program and planned capital spending. Reiterating its intention to return Alberta to...
Limited Liability Companies and Hybrids
Alberta Unlimited Liability Corporations
Alberta
Borrowing from Authorized Foreign Banks
Non-Competition Payments Taxable as Capital Gains – The Manrell Case
Taxpayer Migration – Reporting Requirements
Alliance Refractories Ltd. sold to Subsidiary of BrandSafway
Counsel to Alliance Refractories Ltd.
Thermon Group Holdings completes $260.3 million strategic acquisition of CCI Thermal Technologies
Counsel to CCI Thermal Technologies Inc.