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 Dennis is who I want to be when I grow up,” raves one peer. “He is just a fabulous lawyer, with great clients. He is fantastic in court, and everybody likes him, which is not something you can say about every lawyer, but in Craig’s case it really goes a long way. He’s just so much of the Vancouver market behind him.” Clients concur; one extols, “Craig is the full package: an excellent communicator, master legal strategist, brilliant legal analyst and skilled court advocate. He develops client trust with his thoughtful approach to cases. He is highly respected by other counsel in Canada for his professional approach.” Among his several mandates, Dennis was retained to represent the Canadian pharmaceutical distributor LPG Inventory Solutions in defense of a proposed class action by the Canadian government to recover opioid related health care costs, and he was also retained by the City of Richmond and its local government corporation the appeal of a decision on the regulatory scope of the British Columbia Utilities Commission. Acting with Dennis on these referenced matters is Owen James, who also elicits client praise for a practice that incorporates insolvency and commercial litigation. “Owen is a careful and thorough commercial litigator. All aspects of his practice are well managed. Clients love his thoughtful manner and clear communication style. He is well suited to take on any case given his broad experience and sharp mind. He has our confidence as a skilled litigator with a command of not only insolvency but commercial litigation issues more generally which arise in the complex insolvency matters.” 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. “Scott is a strong courtroom advocate,” declares a client. “He is adept at analyzing complex issues and developing strategies for resolution.” Dawson is counsel for Postmedia in an appeal from orders pronounced by the Chief Justice of the BC Supreme Court denying the media access to information about a secret proceeding over which the Chief Justice was presiding. A client cites Eric Aitken for his “communication, situational analysis, overall understanding of our specific case and his ability to keep it on track.”
