Michael Burns was elected Legal Counsel and a member of AIMA Canada’s Executive Committee in October 2006. MIke is a partner with McMillan LLP and acts as a co-chair of the firm’s Structured Products Group.
Michael has over 13 years of experience in the hedge fund and structured products industries and has acted a lead counsel in connection with the offering of domestic and foreign-based hedge funds in Canada, as well as structured investment product offerings. He has also acted as lead Canadian counsel on the establishment of “offshore” hedge funds by Canadian managers. He provides on-going advice to hedge funds and issuers of structured products relating to compliance, disclosure, investor communications, governance and regulatory reporting issues.
Michael has been an active member of AIMA Canada since its inception and has served on both the Legal and Finance and Sales Practices Sub-Committees. On the Sales Practices Committee, Michael was involved in the preparation of the “Guide to Sound Practices for Disclosure and Promotion of Alternative Investments in Canada”, the Top Ten Questions which investors should ask their financial advisors concerning an investment in alternative investment products, the AIMA Canada Due Diligence Questionnaire and the Structured Products Guide which have been produced by this committee.
A frequent speaker on hedge fund related matters, Michael has appeared on Business News Network (BNN) and in hedge fund industry publications discussing hedge fund related topics. He has also written numerous articles on alternative investment product issues.
Michael is a member of the Managed Funds Association and the Structured Products Association in the United States. He received his LL.B. from Dalhousie University and was called to the Ontario Bar in 1992.