Biography

Spotlight

Chris continues to advise clients on transactions within the mining space. His long-standing expertise in the market also includes providing counsel on mine development and operations.

- Chambers Global, 2021 Guide

Chris advises on acquisitions and dispositions of mines and mining companies, project development and mine operations throughout Canada and the world. He has assisted in the structuring and negotiation of hundreds of transactions, including farm-ins and joint ventures, corporate acquisitions and mergers and royalty sales. He has extensive experience with all legal aspects of the development, construction and financing of mines (including diamonds, coal and uranium), royalties, marketing contracts, ore sales contracts, impact benefit agreements with Indigenous Peoples and environmental and regulatory matters. Chris has experience with tendering for mineral concessions and negotiating mining contracts with sovereign governments. His practice also includes acting as an expert witness in mining-related litigation.

Professional Activities

  • Osgoode Hall Law School Professional Development Mining Law Advisory Board, Member
  • BC and Yukon Chamber of Mines, Member
  • Board of Trustees of Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation and Form 5 Revision Committee, Former Member
  • Foundation’s Mineral Law Newsletter, Currently the “reporter” covering Canada
  • Chris has lectured and taught extensively about the law related to mining, independent power development and forestry and corporations law.
  • Project Law Blog, Contributor

Community Activities

  • Vancouver Playhouse Society, Former Director
  • Anna Wyman Dance Theatre Society, Former Director
  • Coach and/or manager of minor hockey, soccer and baseball teams

Personal Interests

Chris was a bronze medallist in the 1999 Iron Butt Motorcycle Rally, billed as the “World’s Toughest Motorcycle Rally!”

Recognitions & Rankings

Recognitions & Rankings

  • Chambers Canada 2024: recognized for Energy & Natural Resources: Mining - Nationwide (Senior Statesperson) and Energy & Natural Resources: Mining: Development and Operations - Nationwide (Senior Statesperson)
  • Best Lawyers in Canada 2006-2024: recognised for Mining Law and Natural Resources Law
  • Chambers Global 2023-2024: recognized for Mining - International & Cross-Border (Senior Statesperson)
  • Who's Who Legal:
    • recommended in Mining (Global Guide) 2024
    • recommended in Mining (Canada) 2023
  • Best Lawyers: Mining Law Lawyer of the Year in Vancouver for 2013
  • Best Lawyers: Natural Resources Law Lawyer of the Year in Vancouver for 2010
  • Chambers Canada 2019: recognized in Energy & Natural Resources: Mining (Canada) 
  • Chambers Global: recognized in Energy & Natural Resources: Mining (Canada)
  • Chambers Latin America-wide: recognized for Projects: Mining: Leading Canadian Firms
  • Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory: most frequently recommended as a Leading Practitioner for Mining law
  • Lexpert Special Edition: Leading Canadian Lawyers in Global Mining
  • Lexpert Special Edition: Canada's Leading Corporate Lawyers
  • Lexpert Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada: recognized for Mining law every year since 1999
  • Lexpert Guide to the Leading US/Canada Cross-Border Corporate Lawyers in Canada:
    • recognized for Mining (2016-2018)
    • recognized for Electricity (2016-2018)
    • recognized for international transactions in the mining industry (2014)
  • Lexpert Guides: recognized as a leading lawyer in the area of energy and natural resources
  • Legal 500 Canada: recommended in the Energy (Mining) category
  • Martindale-Hubbell International Law Directory: BV Peer Review rated

Experience

Experience

  • In 2010, represented the buyer of a gold project in Mexico and the sellers of a nickel project in Indonesia, a gold and silver mine in Mexico and a gold mine in Chile and joint ventures and/or project development in Canada, the United States, Mexico, Peru and Serbia and provided three expert witness opinions for litigation purposes
  • Represented a Consortium of Korean companies on a strategic investment in a copper mine in Mexico
  • Represented the seller of a portfolio of royalties on mineral properties in Spain, Tasmania, Australia, the United States and Canada
  • Represented the seller of a royalty on a Mexican silver mine
  • Represented the seller of royalties on oil and gas and mining properties to a corporation to provide the basis for the largest IPO in the mining sector in Canada in 2007 and the largest mining-sector IPO in North American history
  • Represented a U.S. corporation in a successful takeover of a Canadian public gold mining company
  • Continued representation of the operator of a diamond mine in the Northwest Territories in the Canadian Arctic
  • Continued representation of a company developing a gold mine in Nunavut in the Eastern Arctic
  • Continued representation of a company developing two copper mines in the Yukon
  • Represented a Canadian company in the negotiation of private royalties on a mine in Colombia
  • Represented the seller of a silver mine under development in Peru
  • Represented the purchaser of a nickel mine under development in Russia
  • Represented the developer of a nickel mine in Brazil in connection with the negotiation of an engineering, procurement and construction management contract
  • Continued representation of the operator of a coal mine in British Columbia
  • Represented the seller of a past-producing molybdenum mine in British Columbia
  • Represented the seller of a copper/gold mine under development in British Columbia
  • Represented the seller of potash assets in Canada to a large Brazilian purchaser

News & Publications

News & Publications

Blog Posts

Chris Baldwin, Lawson Lundell Photo
Vancouver
t 604.631.9151
f 604.694.2903

Assistant Contact

Bar Admissions

  • British Columbia (1977)
  • Northwest Territories (1994)
  • Nunavut (1999)

Education

University of Alberta (B.A., 1973)

University of Toronto (J.D., 1976)

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