Michael Lane Powell, B.A. LL.B.

Mr. Powell's undergraduate studies were at Victoria College at the University of Toronto. In 1974, he was elected to the Victoria University Student's Administrative Counsel (VUSAC) and served as University Government Commissioner. He graduated in 1975.

Mr. Powell attended at the McGill University Law School. At McGill, Mr. Powell was a co-Director of the McGill Legal Aid Clinic in Montreal Quebec. He worked both as a director and staff and provided free legal services in English and French to the McGill students and surrounding community. He graduated in 1978.

In 1977, Mr. Powell worked as a legal researcher for the Urban Alliance and Race Relations in Toronto and was responsible for preparation for a handbook entitled "A Guide to Human Rights Legislation in Ontario".

In 1978, Mr. Powell was hired to be a legal researcher for Professor Terrence Wade at McGill Law School, and he assisted in preparation of case books in the "Law of Trusts" and the "Law of Remedies" for use at the McGill Law School.

Mr. Powell was called to the Bar in 1980. From 1980 to 1985, Mr. Powell worked as an associate at the labour law firm of Rovet & Associates in Toronto. In 1985, Mr. Powell co-founded the law firm of Griffiths & Powell in North York Ontario which was a general service law firm with a division specializing in employment law and labour relations headed by Mr. Powell.

In April 2002, Mr. Powell co-founded the law firm of Powell¨Weir specializing in employment law and labour relations.

Since Mr. Powell's call to the Bar, his practice has primarily been in the field of employment law and labour relations. He has conducted collective agreement negotiations and has appeared as counsel in Labour Arbitration Boards. He has also appeared as counsel before both Canada and Ontario Labour Relations Boards, the Superior Court of Justice, the Court of Appeal for Ontario, the Federal Court Trial Division, the Federal Court of Appeal as well as the Supreme Court of Canada. Mr. Powell has a number of reported cases and has also published articles on the law of wrongful dismissal.

Mr. Powell has volunteered his time and acted as counsel to two sports organizations in Canada; namely the Canadian Amateur Rowing Association (CARA) in Ottawa and the Ontario Tae Kwon Do Association (OTA) in Toronto.