Education and Qualifications

• 1980 Called to the Ontario Bar
• 1978 Osgoode Hall Law School (York Uuniversity) - Bachelor of Laws Degree
• 1977 York University - Second Year Bachelor of Science Program
• 1976 University of Western Ontario - First Year Bachelor of Science Program (Admitted to Law School after 2 years)

Career Experience

Michael is a partner of the firm and has been practicing law for 25 years.

Michael acts for financiers as well as vendors and purchasers of real estate, offering them his expertise in real estate based commercial law. His work on behalf of financial institutions has focused on all aspects of construction and non-construction real estate financing as well as mortgage remedies and debt collection.

Some of Michael’s notable clients include National Bank of Canada, The Standard Life Assurance Company of Canada, Home Trust Company, CIT Financial, and Alterna Savings and Credit Union Limited.

Recently, Michael has been appointed one of two lawyers in Canada to manage National Bank of Canada’s entire residential mortgage enforcement portfolio in Ontario and Western Canada. While he has acted as counsel to National Bank for many years, this new arrangement commenced in February, 2003, and includes full responsibility for retaining and supervising the property management of these distressed properties, arranging appraisals, engaging realtors, listing the property for sale and negotiating and accepting offers to purchase as well as selling the properties in question.

Financing Transactions

Michael has acted on behalf of clients in the following areas:

• financing and refinancing of residential, industrial and commercial properties including properties owned or used by religious institutions
• mortgage remedies, such as powers of sale and negotiating foreclosures on behalf of financial institutions and private lenders
• equipment lease remedies including orders for delivery of equipment, seizure and sale of equipment, and negotiating and mediating contractual disputes
• collection of unsecured debt
• salvage and title repair work acting for large title insurance company in Ontario
• commercial leasing of real estate

Commercial Based Real Estate Law

As counsel to real estate developers, multi-national corporations and financial institutions, Michael has significant experience in the area of commercial law particularly as it relates to real estate matters including:

• equipment and property leases
• assignments of contracts, both absolute and as security
• all aspects of title insurance
• negotiating and mediating disputes
• debt securitization

Special Area Of Expertise

As a result of the combination of Michael’s commercial real estate practice and mortgage remedy and debt collection practice, Michael has developed a particular expertise in identifying, negotiating and resolving contractual disputes. This is accomplished both through face-to-face dealings with opposite parties and with the utilization of the Ontario Courts including its Mandatory Mediation processes.