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About Michael

Michael has more than 25 years of experience in banking and financial services law, with a particular specialization in corporate and commercial finance. His practice is focused on the areas of banking, syndicated lending, leveraged finance, project finance, and mergers and acquisitions.

Michael regularly advises Canadian and foreign financial institutions and borrowers with respect to the structuring and negotiation of syndicated loan transactions, acquisition financings, take-over bid financings, leveraged buyouts, corporate reorganizations, workouts, and mergers and acquisitions.

Select Experience

Transactions in which Michael has been involved include representing:

  •  The lead arrangers in connection with senior secured credit facilities to support the go-private of Sleep Country Canada Inc.

  • The lead arrangers in connection with senior secured credit facilities and mezzanine credit facilities to support the private equity acquisition of Staples Canada Inc.

  • The lead arrangers in connection with senior secured credit facilities to support the private equity acquisition of Polycor Inc.

  • The lead arrangers in connection with senior secured credit facilities to support the private equity acquisition of Smartsweets

  • The lead arrangers in connection with senior secured credit facilities to support the private equity acquisition of Fairstone Financial

  • The lead arrangers in connection with senior secured credit facilities to support the private equity acquisition of Home Trust

  • The lead arrangers in connection with senior secured credit facilities to support the private equity acquisition of Parklawn Funeral Homes

  • The lead arrangers in connection with senior secured credit facilities to support the acquisition of Intouch Canada

  • The lead arrangers in connection with senior secured credit facilities to support the acquisition of Yorkville University

  • The lead arrangers in connection with senior secured credit facilities to support the acquisition of Spectrum Healthcare Corporation

  • The lead arrangers and lenders in connection with debtor in possession credit facilities made available to Chesswood Group in connection with its CCAA proceedings

  • Counsel to Kinross in connection with its senior secured and other credit facilities

  • Counsel to Definity Financial in connection with its senior secured credit facilities

  • Counsel to Element Financial in connection with its senior credit facilities

  • Counsel to lenders in connection with a number of margin loan facilities in respect of publicly traded securities

  • Counsel to lender in connection with a number of capital call facilities made available to various private equity sponsors

Awards & Recognition

Michael has been recognized as a leading banking and financial services lawyer in the following publications:

  • The Legal 500 Canada 2025 (Banking and Finance)

  • The Best Lawyers in Canada 2025 (Asset-Based Lending Practice, Banking and Finance Law)

  • Chambers Canada: Canada's Leading Lawyers for Business 2025 (Banking & Finance)

  • Who's Who Legal: Thought Leaders – Global Elite 2024 (Banking – Finance)

  • Lexpert Special Edition: Finance and M&A 2024

  • The Lexpert/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada 2024 (Banking & Financial Institutions)

  • Chambers Global: The World's Leading Lawyers for Business 2024 (Banking & Finance)

  • The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory 2024 (Asset-Based Lending, Banking & Financial Institutions, Project Finance)

  • IFLR1000: The Guide to the World's Leading Financial and Corporate Law Firms 2023 (Banking – Highly Regarded)

  • Who's Who Legal: Global 2023 (Banking – Finance)

  • Who's Who Legal: Canada 2022 (Banking)

  • The 2017 Lexpert Guide to the Leading US/Canada Cross-border Corporate Lawyers in Canada (Asset-Based Lending, Banking & Financial Institutions)

  • Legal Media Group's Guide to the World's Leading Lawyers in Banking, Finance and Transactional Law 2017 (Banking)

Education

Admitted to the Ontario Bar – 1994
LLB, University of New Brunswick – 1992
BA, Queen's University – 1989

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