Bruce Smith is a partner in Gowlings' Toronto office and has practiced for 30 years in a broad range of commercial litigation and dispute resolution matters, with emphasis on corporate remedies, class actions and financial institutions. He also acts on matters of pension regulation, corporate governance and litigation for asset managers in the areas of energy and infrastructure, real estate, and private equity.

Bruce's commercial litigation practice includes oppression and fraud remedies, shareholders disputes, class actions, injunction disputes, fiduciary and trust obligations, international conflicts of law, forum conveniens disputes, contract and property rights, tort claims, agency law, technology, e-commerce, and professional liability and insurance disputes. Over his career, he has acted as lead counsel for many Canadian chartered banks and trust companies in a broad range of litigation matters and currently heads our Banking Litigation and Civil Fraud Practice Groups.

Jason Zibarras is a managing director and the Global Chief Investment Officer for J.P. Morgan Asset Management’s Infrastructure Investments Group. A member of J.P. Morgan AM since 2007, based in New York Jason is responsible for the Infrastructure Investments Group's global investment and asset management activities, currently ten investments and new acquisitions. Jason is a member of the Investment Committee and Chairs the Group’s Operating Committee.

He has specialized in the infrastructure sector since the mid 1990s, with an in-depth knowledge of infrastructure sub-sectors including airports, ports, roads, water as well as public-private-partnerships, completing transactions in; the UK, Continental Europe, Australia, the Middle East and the Americas. Jason spent twelve years at ING Barings, where he was a founding member of the Global Infrastructure platform, specializing in the provision of infrastructure advisory services, credit and equity. He holds a BCom Honours degree from the University of Birmingham in the UK.

Michael practices in corporate finance and business law with Gowlings and is a strategic adviser to a broad range of clients, in particular, entrepreneurial, privately held companies and mid-market investment and financial institutions. He has extensive experience acting for clients on a broad range of corporate and business matters, including mergers and acquisitions, corporate development and corporate finance.

Michael has devoted significant time and attention to the Canadian private equity market, representing both companies seeking capital and private equity funds making acquisitions and investments, and to the Canadian life sciences sector, focusing on the funding and commercial issues confronting emerging companies in this industry.