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INSTRUCTOR
Dentons Partners Mike Harris & Blair Botsford
Partner at Dentons
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About
Biography
Mike Harris (He/Him/His) is a partner in Dentons’ Tax group. His practice focuses on corporate and personal tax planning and reorganization, as well as tax litigation, compliance and dispute resolution. Based in Edmonton, Mike is recognized for his natural ability to take the complexity out of his clients’ tax situations, and offer them practical advice and real-world solutions. He advises clients on corporate reorganizations, including share and asset rollovers, butterfly transactions among related parties, stock dividends, share redemptions, debt assignments/assumptions and debt-to-equity conversions. Mike regularly assists clients with GST issues, including the sale of real property and applicability to amounts paid as settlements. In addition, Mike advises on employment benefit issues and salary deferral arrangements. He guides international clients on “Canadianizing” share plans, specifically for US entities wishing to provide plans to Canadian employees, and other Canada-US outbound and inbound investment issues. Born and raised in Edmonton, Mike has longstanding connections within the city’s business and legal communities. This is a benefit for his clients because he understands Edmonton’s business and economic climate, and can call upon his extensive network of experts in order to complete his clients’ cases efficiently and cost-effectively. He imparts his vast knowledge to tax students at CPA Alberta. Blair is a partner in the Trusts, Estates and Wealth Preservation group of Dentons’ Toronto office. Blair is a member of Dentons’ Family Office and High Net Worth Sector offering legal services to high-net-worth individuals, families, and family offices spanning numerous practices and jurisdictions. She also advises banks and trust companies regarding trust and estate matters. Blair’s activities and affiliations include the Law Society of Ontario, the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners, the Ontario Bar Association’s estates, tax and elder law sections the Toronto and Halton Region Estate Planning Councils, the Toronto and Halton Law Associations and the Oakville Chamber of Commerce. Blair’s community involvement includes her role as a CPD Liaison for Ontario Bar Association Elder Law Section, Editorial Board Member for the Personal Tax and Estate Planning Journal, Co-founder and past co-chair of the Estate Practitioners of Waterloo Region professional discussion group for the Waterloo Law Association, Past executive member at the Waterloo-Wellington Estate Planning Council and Bar exam instructor and question developer for the Law Society of Ontario, Wills and Estates.