Max Starnino is an insolvency lawyer and commercial litigator. He manages clients’ problems, so that their problems don’t manage them. He starts by identifying client objectives and issues, and develops a strategy for success based upon the identification of allies in the case, building consensus and realistic litigation objectives. Having spent nearly 20 years working on insolvency cases, he is keenly aware of the issues raised by real-time, multi-stakeholder litigation, and that while litigation is often necessary, a court judgment is not always a complete solution. Representative engagements include: acting for class-action plaintiff groups in the restructuring of Poseidon Concepts Corp., Montreal Maine & Atlantic Canada Co. (the former rail company at the centre of the Lac-Mégantic railway disaster), and Sino-Forest Corporation; acting for the United Steelworkers union in the restructuring of Essar Steel Algoma Inc.; and acting for the Superintendent of Financial Services for Ontario as administrator of the Pension Benefit Guarantee Fund in the restructuring of Sears Canada Inc. and Nortel Networks Limited.
On November 30, 2018, Essar Steel Algoma Inc. (“ESAI”) concluded its comprehensive restructuring under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act by way of the sale of substantially all of its assets to Algoma Steel Inc. (“ASI”).