Boardroom Lunch with Michael Brooks, Practice Group Leader of Real Estate Group, Aird and Berlis LLP

Michael has been a member of the firm since 1990. Michael’s commercial real estate experience goes back to 1978. He articled for and subsequently practiced at a small Toronto firm called Jarvis, Blott, Fejer, Pepino initially doing rezonings, official plan amendments, minor variances, consent applications and hearings before the Ontario Municipal Board. Subsequently, Michael was attracted to the commercial side of the business and became involved in many development projects including condominiums, office buildings, industrial buildings, hotels, and retail shopping centres. Michael has worked on some of the largest and most sophisticated deals in Canada and has particular expertise in development, acquisitions, green buildings, green leases, and strata title transactions. Michael’s general commercial real estate experience includes acquisitions, sales, leasing, development, structured finance, environmental, construction, joint ventures, partnerships and related corporate/commercial and banking law matters.

Michael has also been involved in government relations activities and has represented the Canadian real estate industry as former CEO of the Real Property Association of Canada (REALpac) (1997 - 2012) in a wide variety of public policy matters including Competition Act reform, property and income tax matters, capital market regulation, green leases, development charges, sustainable development, corporate social responsibility, housing and other urban development issues, affordable housing, REIT reform, and telecommunications. 

Michael has been involved in numerous industry panels, has been a key note speaker at many events, and has led education efforts in real estate, including energy deregulation, real estate technology, and structuring real estate transactions.