Our Team

Lexpert/Thomson Canada’s Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory 2011—Most frequently recommended lawyer in asset securitization, and banking and financial institutions; consistently recommended in asset equipment finance/leasing; repeatedly recommended in corporate finance/securities and derivatives instruments

Chambers & Partners’ Chambers Global: World’s Leading Lawyers for Business, The Client’s Guide 2009, 2010 and 2011—Leading lawyer in banking and finance: securitization

Lexpert/American Lawyer Media’s Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012—Leading lawyer in asset securitization

Woodward White’s Best Lawyers 2011—Toronto Structured Finance Lawyer of the Year

Legal Media Group/Euromoney's IFLR1000 The Guide to the World's Leading Financial Law Firms 2010—Leading lawyer in banking/financial services regulatory

Woodward White’s Best Lawyers in Canada 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012—Leading lawyer in equipment finance law, securities law and structured finance law

Practical Law Company’s Which Lawyer? Yearbook 2009 and 2010—Highly Recommended Canadian lawyer in capital markets: debt and equity 

Law Business Research’s Who’s Who Legal, The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers 2008, 2009 and 2010—Leading lawyer in aviation

Woodward White’s Best Lawyers 2010—Toronto Equipment Finance Lawyer of the Year

Legal Media Group/Euromoney's IFLR1000 The Guide to the World's Leading Financial Law Firms 2009—Leading lawyer in capital markets

Michael has recently represented

• The Toronto-Dominion Bank on its acquisition of the Canadian credit card operations of MBNA Canada Bank for approximately $8 billion
• The Toronto-Dominion Bank on Canadian aspects of its acquisition of Chrysler Financial for approximately $6.3 billion
• Ally Credit Canada and Ally Financial in connection with the establishment of a $7.5 billion credit facility to fund, among other things, Canadian wholesale dealer loans and retail auto loans
• The underwriters on Genesis Trust’s public offerings of notes backed by personal lines of credit originated by The Toronto-Dominion Bank and the filing of a base shelf prospectus by Genesis Trust II
• Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) in connection with the design and implementation of the C$12 billion Canadian Secured Credit Facility to invest in term asset-backed securities backed by auto and equipment loans and leases
• BDC in connection with the design and implementation of a public-private partnership with TAO Asset Management aimed at facilitating access to funding under the federal government’s Vehicle and Equipment Financing Partnership
• National Bank of Canada on matters relating to the restructuring of the Canadian third party ABCP market in 2007 and 2008
• The underwriters in connection with the private placement of C$86 million of senior secured bonds to fund the redevelopment project for the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, Ontario
• Canadian Capital Auto Receivables Asset Trust on a number of public offerings of notes and loans from commercial paper conduits secured by a co-ownership interest in a pool of auto loan receivables acquired from Ally Credit Canada (formerly GMAC Canada)
• Ally Credit Canada (formerly GMAC Canada) in the securitization of several pools of retail auto loans, auto leases and wholesale dealer loans through commercial paper conduits
• Borealis Infrastructure Management in its participation in a consortium that successfully bid for all of the outstanding shares of Associated British Ports in the United Kingdom
• President’s Choice Bank and Loblaws Companies on Eagle Credit Card Trust’s March 2006 C$500 million public offering of asset-backed notes and December 2010 C$600 million public offering of asset-backed notes secured by a co-ownership interest in credit card receivables originated by PC Bank
• Xceed Mortgage in Xceed’s two public offerings of mortgage-backed notes secured by a pool of residential mortgages
• The underwriters in Canada Mortgage Acceptance Corporation’s public offerings of ownership certificates representing ownership interests in a pool of residential mortgages originated by GMAC Residential Funding of Canada
• The consortium of Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, The Carlyle Group and Merrill Lynch Global Private Equity as Canadian counsel on the Canadian financing aspects of the consortium’s approximately US$15 billion acquisition of Hertz from Ford
• Borealis Infrastructure Management and Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan in their participation in a consortium that successfully bid on two U.K. natural gas distribution networks auctioned by National Grid Transco plc
• Centrica Canada in the establishment of The Consumers’ Waterheater Income Fund; in the fund’s initial public offering of C$287.5 million of trust units; and in the fund’s public offering of C$500 million of asset-backed notes in the first public future funds flow securitization in Canada