Biography: Mining

Michael Bourassa is a partner at Fasken Martineau and coordinator of the global mining group. He has expertise in commercial agreements (joint ventures, royalties, options) related to mineral exploration and mining, as well as extensive experience in Canadian and international mining due diligence issues concerning title, technical matters and environmental risk. He has also written articles on corporate social responsibility trends in the mining industry and is a member of the firm's CSR Practice group.

Michael is a director of the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada, a member of the mining executive committee for the International Bar Association, and a trustee for the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation (RMMLF). He was co-chair of the mining programme for the 2011 RMMLF international conference in Rio de Janeiro.

Michael was named in the 2005-2009 and 2011 editions of the International Who's Who of Business Lawyers (Who's Who Legal), which also named Fasken Martineau in 2011 as the number one firm in the world for mining legal expertise for the sixth time. He was also named by Who's Who Legal as 'Mining Lawyer of the Year' in 2010 and 2011. Fasken Martineau is the only law firm globally with leading mining practitioners located in the mining finance centres of Toronto, Vancouver, Quebec, London and Johannesburg. Most recently, Fasken Martineau opened an office in Paris.

Michael received his BSc in physical geography in 1976 from the University of Saskatchewan and worked in the uranium exploration industry for several years prior to graduating from law school in 1984. He was called to the Ontario Bar in 1986.