Litigation boutique Dennis Dawson James Aitken came into being as Dennis James & Aitken in May 2023, a widely heralded arrival on the Vancouver scene due to the individual and collective star power of its three name partners –
Craig Dennis, Owen James and Eric Aitken – from their previous established firms. The firm continued to build on this momentum with the addition of
Scott Dawson, a celebrated multifaceted litigator who joined from local institution Farris (where he had spent almost his entire career) in 2024, culminating in an official name change in December when Dawson was added to the letterhead. Although peers are united in the consensus that “this is a pretty big deal” it is also noted that the firm “is really just old wine in new bottles. This has always been a great team, that’s not news, and now they just have more of a platform, especially the younger folks.”
Dennis is arguably one of Vancouver’s most esteemed litigators. “Craig is one of the best litigators in the City, and when his firm opened their doors there was no doubt they were going to be very successful,” insists a peer. Another boutique contemporary declares, “Craig is the one that I tried to model my counsel after. He is very bright and doesn’t give an inch, but everybody likes him because he treats people with respect.” Dennis has a file representing another venerated Vancouver legal entity that is being sued for poor guidance, which is being vigorously resisted. James is a commercial litigator who also has some experience representing the Province of British Columbia in the insolvency capacity. Dawson is addressed as “possibly the top media and defamation lawyer in Canada but certainly in BC.” Dawson is also actively involved in commercial litigation. “He has a weird, wonderful case,” marvels a peer. “It regards a project that was supposed to go up on the corner of Thurlow and Harrow. It was supposed to go up 60 stories and instead went up zero stories! It’s all over but the crying, but it’s a $50 million teardrop, not the biggest amount but not insignificant!”
