France M. Tenaille
France Tenaille is a partner based in Gowling WLG's Toronto office. She is a member of the firm's Business Law, Energy, Infrastructure and Mining groups, and is leader of the firm's Latin America team.
With more than 28 years' experience (starting in Venezuela followed by more than 20 years in Canada), France is routinely recognized among the top lawyers in Mining and international transactions by the world's foremost legal rankings organizations. She focuses her practice on complex corporate, corporate finance, project finance and M&A transactions and commercial matters — with an emphasis on clients in the natural resources and energy sectors.
Over the course of her career, France has accrued extensive experience advising public and private issuers in connection with asset and share purchases and related party transactions, corporate reorganizations, public and private securities offerings and stock exchange listings, and particularly in mining, royalty and streaming financings — as well as matters related to corporate social responsibility and foreign anti-corruption legislation. She also has an extensive track record of helping companies navigate a range of corporate and commercial arrangements in various industries including joint venture, shareholder agreements and project agreements. In Mining, she has extensive experience with mining (earn-in) options, joint ventures, mine operating agreements, off-take agreements, royalties and strategic alliance agreements, layback agreements, among other.
As a result of her deep commitment to providing practical, solutions-oriented advice and outstanding client service, France is regularly distinguished in a number of prestigious legal directories. These include Chambers Global, Chambers Latin America, the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, Who's Who Legal- Mining, IFLR1000, Latinvex – Latin America's Top 100 Female Lawyers, and the International Who's Who of Mining Lawyers.
France is particularly regarded by clients for her nuanced understanding of Latin America's legal system, commercial landscape and culture. Before immigrating to Canada, she practised law for more than five years at a major firm in Caracas, Venezuela.
France is active in the legal community, and is regularly invited to speak at various Canadian and international forums. She is also a founding member and former vice-chair and secretary of the New York State Bar Association's Latin American Council, where she worked with other prominent lawyers in Central and South America to implement professional conduct regulations for the Latin American legal profession.