Going public: To list or not to list – Lexpert

Osler partner Desmond Lee was quoted in Lexpert in an article on initial public offerings (IPOs). In her article, author Sandra Rubin examines the uptick in IPO activity and the implications for businesses, including the pros and cons of going public and what to expect in terms of the work and process. Desmond, Co-Chair of Osler’s Corporate Finance & Securities Group, tells Lexpert that IPOs “remain a really intense experience compared with other types of financings. We tell issuers, ‘Once you get through your IPO, you’ll never have to go through that kind of intense experience again.” The way you carry out a secondary offering or follow-on offering after going public is much more streamlined as compared with an IPO, making subsequent transactions faster and less expensive.

Desmond also says that underwriters’ counsel need to help make sure the company is “preparing itself and focusing on effective investor relations,” which he says means helping everyone get ready for road shows – rehearsing, preparing for questions, working on effective marketing materials and telling the story on the road.

For more information, read Sandra Rubin’s article “Going public: To list or not to list” in Lexpert.