Dennis Nerland

Dennis L. Nerland is a lawyer and founding partner of Shea Nerland Calnan LLP, a tax and corporate law firm based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He is a major figure at the cutting edge of innovation in the expanding field of tax and estate planning and tax law. According to Martindale-Hubbell, a peer-reviewed ranking system for legal professionals, at the beginning of 2010 Nerland received a ‘BV Distinguished’ ranking of 4.4 out of 5.
Early Life
Born to Robert Laurence and Rozella Elaine Nerland, Nerland grew up in the Gleichen-Standard area of Alberta, 11 miles north of the town of Gleichen, Alberta, and 11 miles south of Standard, Alberta. Growing up in a rural prairie setting, Nerland was exposed to, and thrived in a farming environment. Riding horses since the age of three, Nerland quickly became immersed in various tasks on the farm; from working with a tractor and riding horses, to herding dairy cows and raising farm animals from birth to maturity. As a result of his experiences on the farm, Nerland earned several awards from the 4-H association and other farming organizations for young people.
After attending Standard High School where Nerland was an honors student, he attended the University of Calgary, completing a double honors Bachelors of Science in Economics and Mathematics in 1975.
In the fall of 1975, Nerland headed east to Carleton Universityin Ottawa, Ontario, where he completed a Masters Degree in Economics. At this time, Nerland also commenced work as a sessional instructor in Economics at Carleton, and in a research position at the Economic Council of Canada. During his graduate studies Nerland focused on creating an econometric model that would forecast economic trends in the Netherlands; similar to the CANDIDE project housed at the Economic Council of Canada.
After completing his graduate work in Ontario, Nerland returned to Alberta to undertake his Bachelor of Laws at the University of Calgary, graduating in 1979. Nerland was called to the Alberta Bar in 1980. He is a member of the Law Society of Alberta, the Canadian Tax Foundation, the Calgary Bar Association, the Canadian Bar Association, and the Society of Estate and Trust Practitioners.
Evaluating the current position of Shea Nerland Calnan LLP in relation to the greater legal community, Nerland has stated that there are several facets of the firm in which he takes great pride. First, the growth in the unique advice the firm offers clients, and the greater value added to society by purveying niche-specific knowledge; particularly in relation to tax law and estate planning. Past and present organizations where Nerland has taken a leading position in corporate governance have included:
Present Affiliations
•Chairman and Director of Northern Lights Acquisition Corporation, a capital corporation trading publicly on the TSXV.
•Chairman and Director of Royal Acquisition Corporation, a capital corporation trading publicly on the TSXV.
•Chairman of Governance Committee and Director of Crew Energy Inc., a publicly trading energy corporation on the TSXV.
•Lead Director of Critical Control Energy Solutions Group Corporation, a publicly trading technology services corporation on the TSX.
•Chairman of the Audit Committee and Director of DeeThree Exploration Ltd., a publicly trading energy corporation on the TSX.
•Lead Director of TriWestern Energy Corporation, a privately held energy services corporation.<ref name="Northern" />
•Chair of Compensation Committee and Director of Corridor Interactive Inc., a privately held technology corporation.<ref name="Bloomberg" />
•Chair and Director of Bloom Capital Partners Inc., a privately held investment bank.<ref name="DLN Profile" />
Past Affiliations
•Director and CFO of Broadcast Capital Corporation, now Pebble Creek Mining Ltd., a publicly trading mining corporation on the TSXV.<ref name="Northern" />
•Chair of Audit Committee and Director of Savanna Energy Services Corporation, a publicly trading energy services corporation on the TSX.<ref name="Northern" />
•Director and President of IMC2 Corporation, a publicly trading capital corporation on the TSXV.<ref name="Northern" />
•Director of Baytex Energy Ltd, a publicly trading energy trust company trading on both the TSX and the NYSE.<ref name="Northern" />
•Director of Plains Energy Services Ltd, a former energy services corporation publicly traded on the TSX.<ref name="DLN Profile" />
•Director of Cayman Energy Inc, a privately held oil and gas corporation.<ref name="DLN Profile" />
Publications
Death & Taxes: A Planner’s Guide. Mercatus Publications, 1998

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