Whistler Partners is pleased to announce the placement of Usman Sheikh as a fintech partner, and Michael Garellek as a financial regulatory partner in Baker McKenzie's Toronto office. Sheikh is one of the leading fintech and blockchain attorneys in Canada, and is Chambers Band 1 in Fintech 2023.
"A thought leader on emerging technologies, Usman advises clients on fintech, blockchain and cryptocurrency matters. He has provided legal counsel on cutting-edge token sales and cryptocurrency exchanges, as well as briefed the offices of several prime ministers and ministers on blockchain's disruptive power. Over the years, Usman's clients have included Canada’s largest banks and stock exchanges, co-founders of Ethereum, supranational organizations, 12 of the largest cryptocurrencies in the world, DeFi protocols, metaverse projects as well as several fintech pioneers.
"Michael is a highly regarded financial services lawyer with extensive experience assisting Canadian and foreign banks, securities dealers, insurance companies and other regulated financial institutions, as well as fintech companies, money services business and crypto-asset trading platforms, on regulatory and compliance questions in Canada. His transactional and advisory work covers many deal types, both public and private, including OTC derivatives and transactions on carbon markets."
The placement was led by Sean Burke, Founding Partner at Whistler, who said that "the firm's global platform was compelling to Usman and Michael, who have both built exceptional reputations in Canada as leaders in fintech. Baker McKenzie is truly invested in enhancing their fintech capabilities, and George Avraam and the rest of the Baker team were incredible during the recruiting process. I'm excited to see Usman and Michael's practices continue to grow there."
To learn more about the move, read Baker McKenzie's statement HERE.
