A Vancouver litigation boutique that has been on a noticeable growth kick in its headcount and its branding traction, Eyford Partners has attained a sweet spot in the market, adding steadily to its bench to the point where it is now 20 lawyers, with half of these being partner level. “They are alumni from big firms, and they bring that pedigree in terms of the ethos of excellence and doing things right but doing so on a smaller level and without the bureaucracy.” Under the leadership of all-purpose civil litigator Douglas Eyford since its inception, the firm got a considerable boost of star power in early 2017 when Angus Gunn joined the firm from his previous post at Borden Ladner Gervais. Gunn maintains a professional focus of appeals, with the remainder of his practice being dedicated to public law, typically for the Province of British Columbia. “Angus continued to be regularly active in the BC Supreme Court, the BC Court of Appeal and even the Supreme Court of Canada,” confirms a peer. “They often get brought in to take over as appellate counsel.” Gunn has also developed a niche in arbitration at both the domestic and international levels. Evan Cooke, who maintains a practice focused primarily on municipal and expropriation law, has also found himself at the intersection of appeals and international cases, most recently in a specific case concerning a cattle ranch in BC. Eyford has deftly pivoted from a caseload largely consisting of insurance defense to a more diverse practice encompassing defamation and oppression claims. It is also noted that “Aboriginal work is becoming an increasingly important part of Doug’s practice” by a peer, who goes on to elaborate, “The changes in this law have been dramatic and rapid. Consulting and accommodating Indigenous groups whose interests may be compromised is becoming more of Doug’s wheelhouse.” The firm has also made recent strategic promotions, adding Nathalie Baker to the partnership in January 2022. Baker attends to a practice that also combines commercial and expropriation and land use. “Nathalie seems very busy,” speculates a peer. “I have her on one municipal file and I’m happy to report she definitely seems to know what she’s doing.”
