Baird Hanson Williams LLP

Baird Hanson Williams LLP (“BHW”) attorneys have extensive experience serving the mineral resource industries.  Many of our clients are publicly-traded Canadian venture capital minerals companies listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (“TSX”) and the TSX Ventures Exchange.  Thus, for example, BHW is very experienced working with Canadian counsel concerning 43-101 compliance. 

More importantly, we understand that venture capital mineral companies (i.e.,  “Juniors”) necessarily develop properties one step at a time.  As project benchmarks are achieved, additional and greater amounts of capital are generated to finance the next steps until the final project is fully defined, fully permitted and a bankable feasibility study developed and approved.  The change in capitalization, value and financial viability is extraordinary during this process.  BHW’s legal and permitting strategies are directed, in part, at facilitating this step-wise process.  One important way in which we make that happen is cost-effectiveness, based upon our wealth of experience in this narrow arena and the fact that we do not hand off work to younger attorneys learning the trade. 

Most recently, BHW assisted Formation Capital Corporation (“FCC”) obtain the United States Forest Service Record of Decision and the Environmental Protection Agency Record of Decision for the Idaho Cobalt Project.  FCC retained Joe Baird before they had located the first mining claims that would become the Idaho Cobalt Project in 1994.  In 1999, FCC’s market capitalization in 1999 was $2.7 million.  As of July 2009 FCC’s market capitalization is $80 million and the net present value of the Idaho Cobalt Project alone is deemed to be $87.3 million (using a 7.5% discount rate) with an IRR of 22.3%.  FCC’s management is solely responsible for this success; however, BHW has been part of the process from start to finish. 

U.S. environmental permitting is reputed to be difficult.  It is.  In fact, many say U.S. environmental permitting is impossible.  It is not.  BHW has brought two controversial projects through full permitting in just the last year.  However, almost certainly you will not succeed in permitting any significant mineral projects in the U.S. if your project team does not include counsel who work exclusively in the area of minerals law.