Michael W Milani KC

Michael is a senior commercial and insolvency lawyer whose forty years of practice have included many significant transactions and litigation assignments. He is the Chair of the firm's Board of Executive Partners.

Michael is the Chair of the firm’s Board of Executive Partners.

He has a wealth of experience from his broad banking law, insolvency, and commercial practice, including related litigation. Michael has acted as lead counsel in lending and insolvency matters originating in Saskatchewan, and in national transactions involving Saskatchewan parties or Saskatchewan assets. He regularly advises financing institutions with respect to lending and enforcement policies, and clients as to the structure of commercial transactions.

He has appeared before all levels of court in Saskatchewan, in the Manitoba Court of King’s Bench, in the Alberta Court of King’s Bench, and in the Supreme Court of Canada. He has testified as an expert witness in respect of a lawyer’s obligations under an escrow agreement.

The range of his practice is reflected by his ranking in The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory in the areas of Asset Based Lending, Corporate Commercial Law, Insolvency & Financial Restructuring, and Litigation-Corporate Commercial.

Michael has been named by Best Lawyers Canada as “Lawyer of the Year- Regina” 10 times in the fields of Banking & Finance Law, Insolvency & Financial Restructuring Law, and Banking & Finance Law.

Chambers and Partners has stated the following:

[he] is highly acclaimed for his commercial lending and insolvency practice. "He is practical, knowledgeable and well respected," noted one source, further highlighting that he is a "very strong lawyer, who knows the market inside-out."

He has also been recognized by Benchmark Litigation Canada and Who’s Who Legal: Canada. Michael is the Chair of the Law Reform Commission of Saskatchewan. He is a Past President of the Law Society of Saskatchewan, and was President of the Federation of Law Societies of Canada, which is the national coordinating body of Canada's 14 law societies, regulating 95,000 lawyers and 3,500 Quebec notaries.

Bar Admission, Saskatchewan, 1981

Appointed Queen’s (now King's) Counsel, 2001

Canadian Bar Association (1981 - present) - Member, Organizing Committee Annual Law Firm Leadership Conference, 2011- 2019

Law Society of Saskatchewan (1981 - present) - President, 2002, Bencher, 1998 - 2003

Regina Bar Association - President, 1993

Saskatchewan Provincial Court Council, Member, 2002

Queen’s Bench Bar Judicial Council, Member, 2002

Federation of Law Societies of Canada - President, 2007- 2008, Member of Council, 2003-2009

Law Reform Commission of Saskatchewan - Chair, 2014 – present, Member, 2010 – present

Canadian Lawyers Insurance Association - Chair, 2012 - 2014, Board Member, 2002 - 2014

Member, Executive Committee, 2007 - present

Saskatchewan Lawyers Insurance Association - Board Member, 2000-present, President, 2000-2001

Editorial Board of Banking and Finance Law Review, Member, 1986 - present

Editorial Board of Commercial Insolvency Reporter, Member, 1999 – present

Federation of Law Societies Committee on Model Code of Conduct, Member, 2004 - 2009

Canadian Legal Information Institute (“CanLII”), Member of Board and Executive Committee Member, 2004 - 2006

Committee Member for review of applications for the first Director of Public Prosecutions in Canada, June, 2007

Insolvency Institute of Canada, Secretary, 2011

Featured in Lexpert Special Edition: Finance (2025-2026), Mergers & Acquisitions (2025-2026), Finance and M&A (2022-2023), Mining & Energy (2022, 2024), Energy (2023, 2025-2026), Litigation (2023-2024), and Insolvency & Restructuring (2024)

Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory: Leading Practitioner in the areas of Asset-Based Lending (2020-2026), Banking (2009-2026), Corporate Commercial (2009-2026), Energy (Electricity) (2023-2025), Insolvency and Financial Restructuring (Financial Restructuring) (2009-2026), Insolvency and Financial Restructuring (Insolvency Litigation) (2009-2026), Litigation - Corporate Commercial (2009-2026), and Litigation - Directors and Officers Liability (2014, 2017-2020, 2022, 2024-2025)

The Best Lawyers in Canada: Named in the categories of Asset Based Lending Practice, Banking and Finance Law, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Corporate and Commercial Litigation, Corporate Law, Director and Officer Liability Practice, Insolvency and Financial Restructuring, Mergers and Acquisitions, and Natural Resources Law, 2006-present

University of Saskatchewan

Bachelor of Laws

1980