Who We Are

Steve Michoulas is the founder of Avra Law. Called to the British Columbia Bar in 2003, Steve has over 20 years of experience in general corporate commercial law with an industry focus on airports, aviation, commercial real estate, and general business law. Prior to founding Avra Law, Steve was a partner at a national law firm and he spent 9 years at the Vancouver Airport Authority as Director of Legal Services, where he oversaw YVR’s legal affairs.

tel: 604.828.0431
email: smichoulas@avralaw.com

Airports and Aviation

Given Steve’s experience as in-house counsel at YVR, external counsel to airports in British Columbia and beyond, and his deep industry ties, there is little that Steve has not seen or done before. There are few external lawyers in Canada with his understanding of airports. This allows him to act as a de-facto “general counsel” to his airport clients.

Steve acts for a variety of airport operators, large and small, on all aspects of airport matters, including major real estate developments (including, while at YVR, the McArthurGlen Designer Outlet and Canada Post facility), leasing, non-aeronautical revenue projects, terminal concessions, airside operations, municipal, jurisdictional, and constitutional matters, PFAS, into-plane fueling and tank farm management, procurement, Competition Act matters, corporate governance and best practices , construction projects, debenture financings, innovation and the commercialization of such innovation both in domestic and foreign jurisdictions and the licensing of third party operators. Steve also acts for lenders and borrowers in aircraft finance transactions.

Commercial Real Estate

Steve acts for a variety of land owners, investment firms, developers and ports on a wide range of legal issues related to the acquisition, development, sale, financing and leasing of commercial real estate in British Columbia. Steve has acted on a number of large real estate transactions, such transactions totaling well over one billion since 2018.

General Business Counsel

Steve’s unique in-house counsel experience allows him to understand many of the issues that today’s businesses face and how important it is for business and operational units to have a close relationship with their counsel. In most cases, Steve has the experience and the tools to provide his clients with the reliable, practical advice. If niche issues arise, Steve has the experience and network to make sure that the issue gets taken care of by the best lawyers; he is not beholden to keeping you "in the firm”.

Memberships and Associations

• Law Society of British Columbia (Called to the Bar in 2003)

• British Columbia Aviation Council - Board member and Chair, Governance Committee (2020 - Present)

• Alberta Aviation Council - Board member‍ (2020 - Present)

• Airports Council International (North America), Legal Affairs Committee - Member (2016-2021)

• Canadian Airports Legal Group - Member (2011-2018)

• Chair, Real Property Section (Vancouver), Canadian Bar Association (2008-2009)

• NAIOP (The Commercial Real Estate Development Association), Developing Leaders Committee (2008-2010)

• Land Title and Survey Authority, Stakeholder Advisory Committee (2009-2010)

• Contributing Editor, CLE British Columbia Real Estate Practice Manual (2006-2009)

Teaching and Speaking Engagements

Steve has spoken and taught at dozens of events, including events hosted by the BC Aviation Council, Airports Council International (North America), Alberta Aviation Council, Worldwide Airport Lawyers Association, NAIOP, Faskens, Pacific Business and Law Institute, and the Colombian Chamber of Infrastructure.

Outside of Work

Steve enjoys spending time with his wife and their two sons. He coaches soccer and baseball with Vancouver United and Vancouver Community Baseball. When he is not working or with his family, Steve will likely be found on his road bike, riding* with his buddies in the Philhellenic Cycling Club, which he founded a few years ago.

*by riding, we mean mostly drinking coffee and telling jokes

Ari Tsetsekas - Articling Student. Ari Tsetsekas joined the firm in May 2025 as an articling student. He is a graduate of Queen’s Law School, where he focused his studies on business, commercial, and constitutional law.

Before attending law school, Ari earned an undergraduate degree in International Business, with a focus on finance, accounting, government relations, and geopolitics. He worked at Global Affairs Canada as a trade policy analyst, where he gained experience in the trade remedies and market access groups.

At Avra Law, Ari has been heavily involved in advising airports on a variety of regulatory matters, including a comprehensive report on PFAS litigation and developments in the Canadian aviation sector; constitutional matters (i.e. division‑of‑powers analysis, interjurisdictional immunity, and paramountcy with respect to zoning and agricultural land reserve matters); and Community Charter analysis in aviation-related matters.  Outside of the airport space, Ari has assisted with a variety of commercial real estate matters and general business law, including commercial loan and finance transactions. He also has extensive experience in regulatory monitoring, policy analysis and trade.

email: atsetsekas@avralaw.com

Raquel Struthers (Brizzi) - Senior Paralegal. Raquel is a senior corporate/commercial and real estate paralegal with over 10 years experience, and a Paralegal Certificate from VCC. She comes to Avra Law to assist with corporate/commercial and real estate transactions. Raquel’s corporate/commercial experience ranges from maintaining client’s corporate records to drafting documents required to complete complicated corporate reorganizations. Raquel’s real estate experience ranges from commercial acquisition and sale, financing, real property due diligence, and Land Owner Transparency Register filings. She takes pride in supporting lawyers and their clients with timely and cost-effective products, all while creating personal relationships with the clients. Raquel works remotely, nestled between the Kootenay mountain ranges in Kaslo, BC, with her three dogs, Tequila, Pippin and Lily. In her spare times she volunteers with animal rescues and helps foster dogs until they find their forever home.

email: rstruthers@avralaw.com

Leah Beer - Corporate Paralegal. Leah Beer knows that busy clients need to get work done. Leah is highly motivated, providing fast, organized, and reliable paralegal services. Leah has a drive to get things done properly—one of her favourite mottos is “work smarter, not harder”. She promptly finishes tasks and can quickly adapt to new tools and systems, saving hours of time in the process. She thrives doing corporate work and also has a background in legal administration and operations.

When she’s not deep in corporate documents, Leah enjoys being outdoors with her dog and running a photography business.

email: lbeer@avralaw.com