Maria Sagan

Toronto

416.865.7851

maria.sagan@mcmillan.ca

Expertise Banking & Finance Financial Services

Language(s) Spoken

English
Polish

Maria Sagan is a highly respected financial services lawyer with over ten years of practice experience representing both borrowers and lenders. Her expertise is in domestic, cross-border and multi-jurisdictional financings, and she routinely acts for major Canadian banks, foreign banks, private equity firms and domestic and international corporations.

Drawing on broad experience, Maria advises on secured and unsecured lending, asset-based lending, acquisition finance, derivative and structured transactions, securitizations, syndicated lending and debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing.

She has been recognized by the Secured Finance Network’s Top 40 under 40 for her contributions to the secured finance industry, and by the Secured Finance Network’s The Secured Lender as a leading woman in the commercial finance industry for her excellence and dedication to client service. Maria is ranked a rising star in financial services regulatory and banking by the IFLR1000 Financial and Corporate Guide.

Maria served a secondment with the derivatives legal group of a leading Canadian bank, gaining valuable insight into the negotiation of derivatives contracts with international financial institutions.

Maria is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Association for Corporate Growth, Toronto Chapter and the Co-Chair of its Young Professionals Committee.

Expertise

Industries

Banking & Finance

Practices

Financial Services

Representative Matters

Counsel to a major US bank in connection with a US$2 billion financing to an international chemical manufacturer
Acted for a major US bank in connection with a US$1.75 billion financing to an international equipment leasing company
Counsel to a major US bank in connection with a US$1.5 billion financing to a multinational agency
Advised a major US private equity firm in connection with a $70 million acquisition financing of a Canadian healthcare company
Counsel to a major Canadian bank in connection with a US$500 million revolving credit facility to a Canadian-based real estate investment corporation
Advised a major US bank in connection with a US$380 million revolving and term credit facility to a Canadian-based construction company
Counsel to a US-based manufacturing corporation in connection with a US$1.125 billion syndicated revolving credit facility, term credit facility and note purchase agreement
Counsel to an American manufacturing corporation in connection with a US$500 million revolving loan

News

Rankings & Recognition

Winner of The Secured Finance Network’s (“SFNet”) 2022 40 Under 40 Award
Recognized by 2022 Edition of The Secured Lender’s Women in Finance Issue as a Leading Woman in Secured Finance
Received the Secured Finance Network’s Top 40 under 40 Award for 2022
Recognized by the Secured Finance Network’s The Secured Lender’s Women in Secured Finance issue, April 2022
Recognized by IFLR1000 Financial and Corporate Guide 2022as a Rising Star in the areas of Banking and Financial Services Regulatory
Recognized by IFLR1000 Financial and Corporate Guide 2021as a Rising Star in the areas of Banking and Financial Services Regulatory
Recognized by IFLR1000 Financial and Corporate Guide 2020 as a Rising Star in Financial Services Regulatory and Banking
Recognized by IFLR1000 Financial and Corporate Guide 2019 as a Rising Star in Financial Services Regulatory

Directorships & Affiliations

Association for Corporate Growth (ACG), Toronto Chapter, Director (2021 – present)
Association for Corporate Growth (ACG), Toronto Chapter, Young Professional’s Committee (2016 – present)
Canadian Bar Association
Ontario Bar Association

Education & Admissions

2011

Called to the Ontario bar

2010

JDOsgoode Hall Law School

2007

Specialized Honours BA (summa cum laude)York University

Publications

“Canada: Lending & Secured Finance 2022” International Comparative Legal Guides, Co-author with Jeffrey Rogers, Don Waters and Christina Kim, (April 2022)
“Staying Secured in Uncertain Times: A refresher on taking security in Canada,” Secured Finance Network, The Secured Lender (International Issue) (2021)
“The Phase-Out of LIBOR: A Primer,” Banking & Finance Law Review (August 2020)
“The ABA Guide to International Bar Admissions,” Sagan M. & Todgham-Cherniak, C. (2012)
“Canada-Ontario,” in Russell W. Dombrow and Nancy A. Matos (Eds.), Chicago, Illinois: American Bar Association (2012)
“Goodbye boilerplate: Canadian Securities Administrators release guidance on environmental disclosure,” Canadian Securities Law News, CCH, No 203 (December 2010)
“Change is Near but Unclear: Canadian Regulators Publish Initial Proposals on OTC Derivatives,” Derivatives Law Bulletin (November 2010)
“A Greener Future: Environmental Disclosures in Securities Regulation,” Briefly Speaking, Vol 35, No 5 (October 2010)
“Challenges and Opportunities at the Wills Project,” Briefly Speaking, Vol 35, No 3 (June 2010)