Jill Fraser Named As New Managing Partner

Aird & Berlis is pleased to announce that, effective May 7, 2024, Jill Fraser has been acclaimed as Managing Partner by the firm’s equity partners. Jill succeeds Steven Zakem, who served as the Managing Partner since 2015.

Jill is a senior partner in the firm’s Financial Services Group and a long-standing member of the Executive Committee. For more than 25 years, Jill has demonstrated poise under pressure and has built a reputation for hands-on leadership and exceptional client service. As a result, she has repeatedly been named Best Lawyers’ Lawyer of the Year in Equipment Finance Law (Toronto) and has also garnered recognition from The Best Lawyers in Canada, The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory and The Lexpert/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada. She was also featured in The Secured Lender’s Annual Women in Secured Finance issue.

In addition to her practice, Jill has been a dedicated mentor to associates and junior partners. She has spoken at numerous firm events about her own experience as a woman in a traditionally male-dominated industry.

“It is a tremendous honour to be named Managing Partner of Aird & Berlis,” said Jill. “It has been my privilege to work with Steven Zakem for the past eight years on the Executive Committee and I am eager to continue the work that we have been doing. Our law firm has built a reputation for excellence, integrity and client service that is second to none. We are well-positioned for the future and I am optimistic for what lies ahead.”

Aird & Berlis is a leading Canadian law firm, serving clients across Canada and around the world. We provide strategic legal advice on business, regulatory, constitutional, administrative law and public policy matters. Our lawyers and intellectual property professionals represent domestic and international clients, including multinational corporations, startups, individuals, governments and Indigenous nations.