Director, Legal - Mergers & Acquisitions Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Director, Legal - Mergers & Acquisitions Location: Toronto, ON (Hybrid) Reports to: General Counsel Opportunity Banyan's Legal team is expanding to support a high-volume M&A practice and an expanding portfolio of vertical‑market software companies. We are looking for a Director, Legal to join our Toronto team and take ownership of deal execution across the full acquisition lifecycle. You will work alongside our M&A Directors, Operating Partners, and portfolio company leaders to close transactions and support operational legal needs across the business. Initially, approximately 80% of your time will focus on deal work: due diligence, purchase agreement negotiation, closing mechanics, and post‑close integration support. Over time, you will transition into a portfolio‑level leadership role as Banyan’s verticalized legal structure matures, eventually becoming the dedicated legal lead for an operating portfolio. What You Will Own • Lead legal due diligence on acquisitions, identifying and escalating risks across corporate, IP, employment, and regulatory dimensions. • Draft, review, and negotiate purchase agreements, disclosure schedules, and ancillary deal documents from LOI through closing. • Manage external counsel relationships and coordinate specialist advice when required by deal complexity or jurisdiction. • Partner directly with M&A Directors and Operating Partners to ensure transactions close on time and within risk tolerance. • Provide day‑to‑day legal support to portfolio companies on commercial contracts, NDAs, vendor agreements, and general corporate matters. • Cover portfolio legal responsibilities during team transitions, ensuring continuity across the team. • Advise portfolio company leadership on operational legal questions, acting as a trusted business partner to CEOs and operating leaders. • Transition into the dedicated legal lead for one of Banyan's operating portfolios as the verticalized structure scales. • Build and own the legal playbook for your portfolio: deal support, commercial contracting, compliance, and corporate governance. • Participate in the Banyan Legal Guild, contributing to cross‑portfolio knowledge sharing and best practices with the broader legal team. What We Are Looking For • 5 to 7 years of legal experience, including meaningful M&A transactional work at a mid‑size or large law firm. • Direct experience leading or supporting buy‑side due diligence and purchase agreement negotiations. • Familiarity with technology company legal issues: IP ownership, SaaS licensing, data privacy, and software‑specific commercial terms. • In‑house experience at a technology company is a strong asset, even if gained informally (e.g., acting as outside de facto counsel for technology clients on commercial and corporate matters). • Licensed to practice in Ontario (Law Society of Ontario member in good standing) or eligible for prompt admission. • Canadian or U.S. M&A experience; cross‑border deal exposure is a plus. • Strong written and verbal communication skills. Ability to translate complex legal concepts into clear guidance for non‑legal stakeholders. • Comfortable working independently with minimal supervision while staying connected to a collaborative legal team. This position is for an existing vacancy. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Equal Employment Opportunity at Banyan: Banyan affirms that inequality is detrimental to our global teams, associates, and the communities we serve. We are committed to equal employment opportunities regardless of any protected characteristic, including race, color, genetic information, creed, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, lawful alien status, ancestry, age, marital status, protected veteran status, and disability. We support an inclusive workplace where associates excel based on personal merit, qualifications, experience, ability, and job performance. #J-18808-Ljbffr

Want to see how well you match this job?