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Overview

Brent Kraus co-leads the firm's Mergers & Acquisitions practice and focuses on the areas of public and private mergers and acquisitions, capital markets transactions, shareholder activism, securities and corporate governance matters. He has experience in a wide breadth of industries, including the oil and gas and related services sector, new energy ventures, natural resources, transportation and financial services. Brent has significant experience in domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions as well as debt and equity offerings on behalf of both issuers and underwriters. His corporate governance advisory work includes advising corporations, boards of directors and special committees with respect to general compliance matters as well as transaction-specific mandates. 

Brent has led complex transactions, both contested and friendly, involving plans of arrangement, proxy contests, take-over bids and recapitalizations, including coordinating concurrent litigation and regulatory strategy.

Brent is recognized by Chambers Canada in Corporate/Commercial; the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory as "Most Frequently Recommended" for each of Mergers & Acquisitions, Corporate Finance & Securities and Corporate Commercial Law; the Lexpert Guide to Leading U.S./Canada Cross-border Corporate Lawyers; The Legal 500 Canada as a Leading Lawyer in Capital Markets and M&A; Who's Who Legal Canada as a leading lawyer in Mergers & Acquisitions, Energy and Capital Markets; and by LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell.

Brent is also a former co-head of the firm's Capital Markets and Mergers & Acquisitions practice and was a member of the firm's Partnership Board from 2016 to 2021. He is corporate secretary for several private companies.

Prior to joining Bennett Jones, he served as law clerk to Mr. Justice J.C. Major at the Supreme Court of Canada.

,,Brent is very strong for his client service, his level of sophistication and his commercial awareness and vision. I would consider him to be an exceptional talent with deep transactional knowledge and a trusted advisor. He has the perfect blend of legal prowess and situational awareness that is most critical in complex transactions.,,

Chambers Canada

Client Work

Canadian Natural Resources Limited in its concurrent C$500-million and US$1.5-billion private placements of unsecured notes
Canadian Natural Resources Limited in connection with its private placement of US1.5 billion of unsecured notes in the United States and Cdn. $500 million of unsecured notes in Canada
Variperm Holdings Ltd., a portfolio company of SCF Partners, as Canadian counsel, in its sale to Forum Energy Technologies, Inc., a public company listed on the NYSE.
Canadian Fiber Optics Corp. in the private equity investment by Star America Infrastructure Partners, LLC, by way of private placement.
Royal Helium Ltd. in its approximately $100-million acquisition of Imperial Helium Corp.
Cenovus Energy Inc., in its $23.6-billion acquisition of Husky Energy Inc.

Recognitions & Awards

Chambers Canada

Ranked, Corporate/Commercial: The Elite – Alberta

Legal 500 Canada

Leading Lawyer, Capital Markets
Recommended, Corporate and M&A

Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory

Most Frequently Recommended, Corporate Commercial Law; Corporate Finance & Securities
Consistently Recommended, Mergers & Acquisitions
Repeatedly Recommended, Corporate Mid-Market

Lexpert's Leading 500 Cross-Border Lawyers in Canada

Recognized as a leading Corporate Commercial and Corporate Finance lawyer 

Lexpert Guide to the Leading U.S./Canada Cross-border Corporate Lawyers in Canada

Recognized as a leading lawyer in the area of corporate commercial law
Recognized as a leading lawyer in the area of mergers and acquisitions
Recognized as a leading lawyer in the area of corporate finance and securities
Recognized as a Lawyer to Watch

Lexperts Rising Stars Leading Lawyers Under 40

Recognized as one of Canada's leading 40 lawyers under 40

Education & Bar Admissions

Education

  • University of Saskatchewan, BComm, 1997
  • University of Saskatchewan, LLB, 1998

Bar Admissions

  • Alberta, 1999

Insights

Canada Q2 2025 MA LandscapeBlog

Canada's Q2 2025 M&A Landscape

July 16, 2025
Brent W. KrausFlutra KacuriSabrina A. Bandali
& 2 more
Special Committees Frequently Asked QuestionsGuide

Special Committees: Frequently Asked Questions

November 8, 2023
Brent W. Kraus
Brent W. Kraus

News, Events & Speaking Engagements

PlaceholderIn The News

The Lay of the Land in Energy Dealmaking

August 6, 2025
Brent W. Kraus
Brent W. Kraus
PlaceholderIn The News

Deal-Making Momentum Continues in Canada: Lexpert Special Edition

April 20, 2022
Brent W. KrausKristopher R. Hanc
Brent W. Kraus & Kristopher R. Hanc
PlaceholderIn The News

Brent Kraus in National Post on Marquee Energy

December 21, 2016
Brent W. KrausMichael P. Theroux KC
Brent W. Kraus & Michael P. Theroux KC