Overview
Robert Graham has a focused corporate and commercial law practice with an emphasis on mergers and acquisitions, private equity, venture capital, debt and equity financings, day-to-day commercial matters, corporate restructuring and business succession planning. Robert also represents commercial property owners in a wide variety of transactions, including acquisition, sale, financing and leasing.
Additionally, Robert regularly advises private and publically-traded cannabis industry businesses on regulatory compliance, licensing applications, national and international supply and distribution agreements, leasing, property acquisition and development, manufacturing agreements and intellectual property rights protection.
Robert focuses on delivering practical advice and solutions in a cost-effective manner. On a personal level, Robert works with local charitable and not-for-profit organizations on a pro bono basis with the aim of giving back to Guelph and the surrounding communities.
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Professional achievements & leadership
- Board of Governors Medal in J.D. Program, 2014
- Blake Cassels & Graydon LLP Corporate/Commercial Prize, 2014
- McTague Law Firm LLP Business Law Award, 2014
- E. Bruce Leonard Bankruptcy and Insolvency Course Prize, 2014
- Charles J. Clark Scholarship in Law for academic excellence and involvement in community and volunteer activities, 2014
- Board of Governors In-Course Medal in J.D. Program, 2013
Thought leadership
Presentations
- Panel Moderator, “Addressing challenges in cannabis trade between Canada and the Caribbean, Bridging the Gap”, Canex Cannabis Investment Summit Toronto, November 2019
- Panel Moderator, “Cannabis and Consumption: Emerging Challenges in Regulating Scale”, Canadian Association for Food Law and Policy, November 2019
- Presenter, “Shoots and Ladders: Legal Pitfalls Cannabis Businesses Face & How to Avoid Them”, CanEx Jamaica, September 2019
- Co-Presenter with Dr. Steven Newmaster, “Cannabis Intellectual Property Rights Protection using Novel Molecular Biotechnology”, CanEx Jamaica, September 2019
- Presenter, “Intersection between the Canadian Industrial Hemp Regime and the U.S. Farm Bill”, 2019 CAFA Farm Management Update, June 2019
- Presenter, “Employment and Commercial Law in Cannabis – Legal Aspects of the Business of Cannabis”, The New World of Legal Cannabis Seminar, May 2019
- Representative of Miller Thomson at CanEx Jamaica, where high profile experts spoke on topics such as advocacy, cultivation, and the business of cannabis, September 2018
- Presenter, “Cannabis Farming in Canada”, Canadian Association of Farm Advisers Farm Tax Update, October 2018
- Presenter, “Cannabis Primer for the Insurance Industry”, Ontario Mutual Insurance Association Insurance Adjusters Conference, November 2018
- Co-lecturer, “Farm Succession Planning”, Advanced Agribusiness Management course (FARE 4220), University of Guelph, March 28, 2017
Chapters
- Contributing author, Miller Thomson on Estate Planning, Chapter 12, Thomson Reuters Canada Limited, 2016
Articles
- Interviewed in and Co-author of “Why You Need Powers of Attorney“, Better Farming, December 2018
- “Restricted Farm Losses: The Plight of the Part-Time Farmer“, The Food Web: Canadian Agribusiness and Food Law Blog, May 2017
- Co-author, “Independent Contractors and Professional Corporations,” Etobicoke District Chartered Professional Accountants, Toronto, Ontario, January 2017
- Rectification is not Equity’s Version of a “Mulligan” – Words to Heed After Fairmont and Coutu, December, 2016
- “Bitcoin Mining Taxation,” National Tax Insights, Canadian Bar Association, March, 2014
Community involvement
- Referee, Guelph Soccer
Corporate directorships
- Governance Committee Member, Guelph Soccer
- Professional Advisors Committee Member, Guelph Community Foundation
Professional memberships
- Member, Law Society of Ontario
- Member, Ontario Bar Association
- Member, Canadian Bar Association
- Member, Guelph Chamber of Commerce
- Member, Waterloo Wellington Estate Planning Council
Bar admissions & education
- Ontario Bar, 2015
- CPA Canada In-Depth Tax Course, Levels I and II, 2017
- Juris Doctor, University of Windsor, 2014
- B.A. (Honours) Psychology, University of Guelph, 2013
- Canadian Forces Leadership School, 2004