Timothy F. Burns

Tim’s practice is particularly focused on transactions involving sophisticated sponsor/asset-owner partnerships and bespoke capital solutions, including strategic growth investments, structured minority investments, preferred equity, investments across the capital structure and transactions in real assets, energy transition and infrastructure-adjacent businesses. He has represented clients including BCI, Brookfield, CPP Investments, Goldman Sachs Alternatives, HOOPP, OMERS Private Equity, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, PSP Investments and Warburg Pincus.

Tim was recognized as a 2025 “Rising Star” for Private Equity by Law360 and was recommended for Private Equity Buyouts by Legal 500 US, where clients note he “punches above his weight. He understands the business rationale and has a very commercial mindset.” Tim was also named among the 2025 “The Next Generation” list by Lawdragon 500 X, a “Rising Star” lawyer for Private Equity in the U.S. by IFLR1000 2025 and a 2023 “Emerging Leader” by The M&A Advisor.

Tim’s representative experience spans four principal areas: (a) sponsor buyouts, take-privates and control investments; (b) pension plan and institutional co-underwrite transactions; (c) hybrid capital and structured equity; and (d) real assets, energy transition and infrastructure-adjacent transactions. Selected representations include:

Sponsor LBOs, Take-Privates, Control Transactions and Exits

• Goldman Sachs in multiple matters, including,
• a strategic investment by Goldman Sachs Alternatives’ Private Equity business in Schellman,
• Omega Healthcare Management Services’ investment by Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board,
• alongside Eurazeo, in their sale of their remaining 51% stake in Trader Interactive, LLC to carsales.com Ltd. in a transaction that valued Trader at $1.9 billion, and
• alongside Eurazeo, in their sale of a 49% stake in Trader Interactive, LLC to carsales.com Ltd. in a transaction that valued Trader at $1.6 billion.
• OMERS Private Equity in multiple matters, including,
• its portfolio company Paradigm in the sale of Paradigm to Patient Square Capital,
• its portfolio company Epiq Systems, Inc. in the sale of Epiq’s Global Business Transformation Solutions (Epiq GBTS) division to K2 Services, LLC,
• its portfolio company Paradigm Outcomes in its investment from Neuberger Berman Capital Solution,
• its acquisition of Pueblo Mechanical & Controls,
• its acquisition of TurnPoint Services,
• its acquisition of Premise Health,
• its acquisition of Paradigm Outcomes, and
• its acquisition of Inmar, Inc.
• Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board in multiple matters, including,
• its portfolio company APCO Holdings in its acquisition of National Auto Care,
• alongside TA Associates, in the sale of a majority stake in Flexera Software LLC,
• the recapitalization of BroadStreet Partners, Inc. involving a new equity investment by affiliates of Century Equity Partners and a $100 million second lien debt and equity investment by affiliates of Penfund Partners, and
• its sale of a substantial minority stake in its portfolio company, Flexera Software LLC.
• American Securities in multiple matters, including in its $1.6 billion sale of Royal Adhesives & Sealants, LLC. 
• Centerbridge Partners and its portfolio company KIK Custom Products, Inc. in its sale of its KIK Personal Care business.
• Cornell Capital and its portfolio company Knowlton Development Corporation in the acquisition of CLA.
• EQT Partners in multiple matters, including its portfolio company WS Audiology (f/k/a Sivantos Pte. Ltd.) in its acquisitions of Clearwater Clinical Limited and TruHearing, Inc.
• Falconhead Capital, LLC and its portfolio company GPSi Holdings, LLC (a/k/a GPS Industries, LLC) in its sale to Ingersoll-Rand plc.
• SoftBank Group Corp. in its $3.3 billion acquisition of Fortress Investment Group LLC.
• Susquehanna Growth Equity and its portfolio companies in multiple matters, including,
• iContracts, Inc. in its sale to RLDatix Ltd, and
• Reorg Research, Inc. in its sale to Warburg Pincus.

Pension Plan and Institutional Co-Underwrite Transactions

• CPP Investments’ Direct Private Equity group in multiple matters, including,
• its $600 million investment in Boats Group,
• its strategic investment, alongside Stone Point Capital, in a transaction that implied an enterprise value of $7 billion,
• its acquisition, alongside EQT Private Equity, of NEOGOV,
• its approximately $1 billion investment in support of merger between Novolex (a portfolio company of Apollo) and Pactiv Evergreen that implies an enterprise value of the combined business of $6.7 billion,
• its take-private, alongside Silver Lake, of Qualtrics in a transaction that implies an enterprise deal of $12.5 billion,
• the acquisition, alongside Blackstone, of Advarra, Inc., in a transaction that implies an enterprise value of $5 billion,
• the recapitalization of Berlin Packaging L.L.C. alongside Oak Hill Capital Partners,
• the take-private, alongside Advent International and Permira Advisers, of McAfee Corporation in a transaction that implied an enterprise value of over $14 billion,
• the merger of The Ultimate Software Group, Inc. with Kronos Incorporated, in a transaction that implied an enterprise value of $22 billion,
• its acquisition, alongside Permira and GIC, of a majority stake in Lytx, Inc., in a transaction that implied an enterprise value of $2.5 billion,
• its take-private, alongside Hellman & Friedman, Blackstone and GIC, of The Ultimate Software Group, Inc. in a transaction that implied an enterprise value of $11 billion, and
• its investment, alongside Insight Venture Partners, in Veeam Software.
• BCI in multiple matters, including,
• its significant minority investment in Authority Brands,
• its acquisition, alongside Gamut Capital, of PS Logistics, LLC, from One Equity Partners, and
• its significant minority investment into Waterlogic, a portfolio company of Castik Capital, and in connection with the business combination of Waterlogic with Culligan International.
• PSP Investments in multiple matters, including,
• its acquisition, alongside Onex, of Integrated Specialty Coverages LLC from KKR,
• alongside Convex Insurance, in Convex’s new long term ownership structure led by Onex Corporation and American International Group, Inc.,
• its acquisition, alongside Investcorp, of PKF O'Connor Davies LLP,
• its acquisition, alongside Investcorp, of CrossCountry Consulting,
• its sale, alongside Lightyear Capital, of Advisor Group Inc. (f/k/a AIG Advisor Group Inc.) to Reverence Capital Partners, and
• its minority investment in Alliant Insurance Services.

Hybrid Capital, Preferred Equity and Structured Investments

• Bain Capital in its strategic growth investment in Duravent Group.
• Warburg Pincus in multiple matters, including its $300 million investment partnership with Madison International Realty, LLC.
• Goldman Sachs in multiple matters, including,
• its $1 billion equity investment and subordinated debt financing in World Insurance Associates LLC in a transaction that valued World Insurance at $3.4 billion,
• its $300 million preferred equity investment in Madhive, and
• its $325 million preferred equity investment in iSpot.tv.
• CPPIB Credit in multiple matters, including its capital investment in David’s Bridal.
• Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board in multiple matters, including its participation in multiple investments in Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX).
• The Kroger Company in its joint venture with Lindsay Goldberg to form PearlRock Partners.
• Hayfin Capital Management LLP in the up to $300 million sale of Paradigm Spine, LLC.

Real Assets, Energy Transition and Infrastructure-Adjacent Investments

• Brookfield Asset Management Inc. in its capacity as a co-lead investor in a joint venture with OpenAI known as The OpenAI Deployment Company.
• CPP Investments’ Sustainable Energies group in multiple matters, including,
• its $1.2 billion financing for Caturus LLC’s Commonwealth LNG project,
• its $1 billion investment in AlphaGen, and
• alongside Glencore and BCI, as shareholders, in Viterra Ltd.’s approximately $18 billion business combination with Bunge Ltd.
• BCI in multiple matters, including,
• its acquisition, alongside AEA Investors, of Pave America, LLC from Trivest Partners and Shoreline Equity Partners, and
• its take-private, alongside Searchlight Capital Partners, of Consolidated Communications Holdings, Inc., in a transaction that implied an enterprise value of $3.1 billion.
• OMERS Private Equity in its minority investment in NovaSource Power Services.
• PSP Investments in the merger of Loral Space & Communications and Telesat Canada to form a new publicly-traded Telesat Corporation.

Additional Experience

• Brookfield Asset Management Inc. in multiple matters, including its acquisition of certain assets of J.C. Penney Company, Inc. in connection with J.C. Penney’s chapter 11 case.
• Soros Fund Management in its acquisition via a plan of reorganization of Violin Memory, Inc.

Tim maintains an active pro bono practice and is a member of the Firm’s Pro Bono Committee.

Tim received his J.D. from Queen’s University and his B.Comm. from the University of Alberta.