Overview
Michael is an estate planning lawyer with an extensive background in the practice of Canadian tax law. With this dual expertise, Michael provides domestic, cross-border and international clients with comprehensive advice in managing their financial affairs, optimizing their tax positions, and ensuring that their estate plans are executed according to their wishes.
Michael’s integrated practice addresses the complexities of both estate and tax issues, delivering tailored solutions that enhance clients’ financial security and achieve their long-term goals.
Michael’s practice encompasses a wide range of estate and tax planning services to transfer, manage and preserve wealth, including the preparation of complex wills, trusts, and other estate planning documents tailored specifically to each client’s personal financial situation and objectives. Michael also specializes in providing sophisticated cross-border and multijurisdictional planning options to clients owning foreign situs assets.
As part of his Private Client Services practice he also advises on corporate reorganizations, estate freezes, succession planning, professional corporations, tax effective use of life insurance, income splitting techniques and the tax issues related to emigration and immigration from and to Canada.
Awards and Accolades
- Recognized in the Best Lawyers™ in Canada list for expertise in Tax Law – 2022, 2023
- Recipient of the Stikeman Elliot/Carswell National Tax Award
Professional Activities
- Member, Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP)
- Member, Canadian Tax Foundation
- Member, International Bar Association
- Member, Canadian Bar Association
- Member, Ontario Bar Association
- Member, Manitoba Bar Association
- Member, International Fiscal Association
- Member, Family Firm Institute
Presentations
Recent
- Co-Presenter, “Post Mortem Planning – Where Are We Now?”
The Conference for Advanced Life Underwriting (CALU) 2023 Conference & AGM, 2023. - Co-Presenter “Corporate Reorganizations, Reorganizations in the Post-Mortem Context and Will Planning” (Wolters Kluwer live webinar), 2023 and (GTA Accountants & Finance Network live webinar), 2022.
- Co-Moderator and Presenter, “Update on Tax Issues in the Transportation Industry”
Canadian Transport Lawyers Association Conference, 2019.
Publications
2024
- LAW360 Canada, Wills, Trusts & Estates, “When a holding company makes sense in estate law,” October 29, 2024.
2023
- Co-Author, “Transfers of Partnership-Owned Insurance on Cessation of the Partnership,” Thomson Reuters Federated Press Insurance Planning – Volume XXVIII, No. 4, October 27, 2023.