During the last several years, Michael has acted as lead counsel for sellers, underwriters, single and multi-vendor conduits, financial intermediaries and credit enhancers in securitizing a broad range of asset classes, including residential and commercial mortgages, credit card receivables, personal lines of credit, consumer loans, auto leases, auto loans, trade receivables, equipment leases and collateralized loan and bond obligations. These transactions have been funded primarily by commercial paper and mid-term note issuances in the public and private markets in Canada and the United States.

Michael also provides ongoing advice to a number of Canadian financial institutions with respect to regulatory matters, primarily in the context of securitizations and similar structured financings, and advises multinational clients on Canadian and other issues relating to their international securitization and structured finance transactions. In addition, Michael has had significant involvement in creating and structuring a number of innovative financing products and vehicles, including several transactions based in part on the backing of federal and provincial government guarantees.

Michael also from time to time acts as counsel for a number of Canadian and U.S. corporations, including several multi-national corporations, and merchant bankers and similar venture capitalists. In this capacity, Michael has been involved in acquisitions, divestitures and financings of all types and sizes, including Canadian and cross-border private placements of debt and equity, secured and unsecured debt financings and private company acquisitions and divestitures.

Michael is recognized annually as a consistently recommended securitization law practitioner in the Canadian Legal LEXPERT Directory, is ranked in Euromoney Legal Media Group's The Guide to the World's Leading Structured Finance Lawyers, Law Business Research's The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers as a foremost securitization legal practitioner, and is listed in IFLR 1000's Guide to the World's Leading Business Law Firms as a leading capital markets lawyer.

Michael received a Bachelor of Business Management from Ryerson Polytechnic University in 1984 and an LL.B. from the University of Toronto in 1988.

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