Brandon Deans, corporate lawyer at Reed Pope Business Lawyers
VICTORIA – As the Vancouver Island population continues to grow, professional services requirements for local businesses have become increasingly sophisticated. With new industries and sectors emerging, there is a newfound requirement for local corporate counsel with deep transactional expertise.
That was certainly how Brandon Deans, a corporate lawyer at Reed Pope Business Lawyers, felt when he recently decided to relocate from Vancouver to Victoria.
“I grew up on the North Shore, did both my undergrad and law degree at UBC, and practiced at Vancouver law firms – I thought I would be a Vancouverite for my whole life,” says Deans.
“But with two small children, my wife and I decided that we wanted a change of pace from the frenetic lifestyle of working at a large law firm in a big city. We had spent a lot of time visiting my wife’s hometown of Victoria, and I saw an opportunity to use my skillset, which is not broadly available in the current Vancouver Island legal market, to service local start-ups, technology companies, and other emerging and established businesses.”
Based in Victoria, Reed Pope Business Lawyers is a leading business law firm serving clients involved in local, national, and international transactions and business matters. The firm advises entrepreneurs, start-ups, family businesses, First Nations, charities and not-for-profits. Its practice also spans real estate law—including structuring, financing, development, and leasing—as well as commercial dispute resolution, from negotiations to court proceedings.
Reed Pope’s newest lawyer, Brandon Deans, has experience advising start-ups, technology companies, and small and medium-sized enterprises on a broad range of corporate and securities law matters, with a particular focus on corporate finance, M&A, and start-up advisory work.
“I am excited to provide services that Island businesses would traditionally need to travel to Vancouver for,” says Deans. “When I was working in Vancouver, I noticed that many of the successful start-ups in Victoria were going to national law firms based in Vancouver once they got to the Series A stage, and I would love to keep that work on the Island.”
Deans has been practicing law for over seven years, with the first half of his career focused on advising public companies listed on Canadian stock exchanges. During that time, he developed deep domain expertise in securities law and capital markets, but grew concerned that his practice had become overly specialized.
“I decided I wanted to expand my horizons. I didn’t just want to be a specialist solely focused on taking companies public and helping them with their continuous disclosure. I wanted to learn more about how to advise privately held companies on their transactional and day-to-day business needs,” says Deans.
After spending some time soul searching, Deans decided that he wanted to turn his focus to the technology industry.
“In 2021, I was able to land a role as an associate at the largest law firm in Vancouver, and the largest technology and venture capital law group in Western Canada,” says Deans. “It was a baptism by fire – this was a time when valuations for technology companies were surging and deal volume was at all time highs, so I got to work on a career’s worth of major deals in my first year focusing on the tech sector.”
“One of the first deals I worked on was a financing where our client attained unicorn status by raising over $400 million at a valuation north of $2 billion. I also got to work with technology companies on multiple cross-border M&A transactions, with our clients being acquired by foreign companies and private equity firms at valuations well in excess of $100 million,” says Deans.
“I was even fortunate to be a part of the deal team on an exciting transaction with Island ties, when an imaging technology company based in Saanichton was acquired by a multinational foreign company for over $400 million.”
After paying his dues at a large law firm and building extensive transactional experience, Deans realized he was ready to develop his law practice in a smaller, more entrepreneurial setting.
“I thought about starting my own law firm, but instead realized that I wanted to build a practice in a smaller, established environment with like-minded individuals.” says Deans. “That is why I am so happy to have landed at Reed Pope, a boutique firm where I am supported to build my profile and book of business.”
“I have only been in Victoria for a few months, but I love it here and think I have found my permanent landing spot. I am excited, optimistic, and ready for the challenge of becoming a trusted strategic advisor to local companies, entrepreneurs, and investors.”
