British Columbia

Firm overview

Nathanson, Schachter & Thompson LLP is consistently recognized as one of Canada’s leading litigation and dispute resolution firms.

Established to provide trial, appellate, and alternative dispute resolution advocacy at the highest level to clients facing complex disputes, NST has carefully expanded its team which includes leading counsel at all levels, including five King’s Counsel and the next generation of top-ranked partners: James C. MacInnis, K.C., Mark S. Oulton, Karen L.M. Carteri, Peter R. Senkpiel, K.C. and Julia K. Lockhart. The firm also boasts a group of associates including former clerks and gold medalists.

NST’s partners are ranked as leading practitioners in Lexpert, Best Lawyers, Chambers and Partners, and Benchmark. NST was again selected as one of Canada’s Top 10 Civil Litigation Boutiques by Canadian Lawyer in 2022 and has been included in the Globe and Mail’s list of Canada’s Best Law firms annually since its inception. In addition to its work for clients, the firm’s lawyers serve as adjunct professors at the Allard School of Law (UBC); write chapters in texts on Business Torts, Government Liability, and the Annual Review of Law and Practice; frequently speak at continuing legal education events; and co-author the annual British Columbia Supreme Court Rules Annotated, and The Civil Appeal Handbook.

The firm acts regularly in some of British Columbia and Canada’s most significant cases across the full range of commercial matters, including contract disputes, shareholders’ disputes, securities and oppression claims, real estate development and property disputes, hostile take-over bids and derivative actions, administrative proceedings, actions for professional negligence, defamation actions and employment disputes, class actions and representative proceedings, forestry, resources and mining claims. NST’s clients include successful private and public companies, many of whom are referred to us by leading Canadian and international law firms.

Representative Work: A few of the firm’s practice areas and representative cases include:

Recent Commercial/Civil Disputes: In Concord Pacific Acquisitions Inc. v. Oei, the firm successfully defended a claim in excess of $350 million brought by Concord Pacific against the three named defendants, including renowned Singaporean businessman, Hong Leong Oei. In Wastech Ltd. v. GVS & DD, 2021 SCC 7, NST partners Irwin Nathanson K.C. and Julia Lockhart acted for Metro Vancouver in a case with important implications for all contracts that provide one party with discretionary powers, building on the Supreme Court of Canada’s decisions in Bhasin. NST has in depth experience acting in major civil forfeiture proceedings involving allegations of white collar crime. NST also regularly acts in private complex commercial arbitration matters.

In addition, Murray Clemens K.C. actively arbitrates and mediates a wide variety of commercial disputes.

Forestry and Resources: NST recently welcomed leading litigator Mark Oulton to the partnership. Mark has extensive experience at trial, on appeal, and before administrative tribunals in a range of commercial litigation and administrative law matters, with a particular focus on forestry and commercial disputes. Mark is recognized as a leading practitioner of forestry law in British Columbia and nationally, by Lexpert and Chambers Canada, as well as being recognized by Best Lawyers in the area of natural resources law. NST recently acted in a matter involving the Mineral Tenure Act, Skeena Resources Ltd. v. Mill, 2022 BCSC 1360 and 2022 BCSC 2032, which contributes to the limited jurisprudence on the issue of title to mine tailings under the province’s Mineral Tenure Act, and addresses the proper scope of participation by both public interest interveners and administrative decision-makers.

Insolvency and Restructuring: NST also has an active bankruptcy and insolvency practice headed by Peter Reardon. Peter has been twice recognized by Best Lawyers Canada as Lawyer of the Year for Insolvency and Restructuring in Vancouver, including for 2020 and regularly acts for trustees, receivers, financial institutions and other creditors as well as for debtors and other stakeholders in restructuring, insolvency and bankruptcy matters.

Human Rights Law: In 2020 and 2021, Karen Carteri acted pro bono for a group of families seeking visitation rights for loved ones in long term care during the pandemic. In 2019, Peter Senkpiel, K.C. acted for an intervenor, the Canadian Professional Association for Transgender Health, before the BCCA in A.B. v. C.D.

Property Disputes: NST regularly acts for major property developers in development and project and land interest disputes, and in other property related claims and disputes. In a recent arbitration, the firm successfully acted for a partner in a dispute relating to partnership interests in and valuation of a property development involving lands worth over $100 million, and is acting in several other ongoing major property development disputes involving British Columbia’s largest developers in projects worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Recognition:
Benchmark Canada regularly lists many of the firm’s lawyers as “Litigation Stars”, includ-ing: Irwin Nathanson, K.C., Stephen Schachter, K.C., Murray Clemens, K.C., James MacInnis, K.C., Mark S. Oulton, Karen Carteri, and Peter Senkpiel, K.C. Julia Lockhart is recognized as a Future Star. Irwin Nathanson and Stephen Schachter have also been recognized as two of Canada’s Top 50 Trial Lawyers.

Chambers and Partners Canada ranks NST in its top category of B.C. commercial litigation firms. Lexpert has ranked the firm in its top tier of litigation specialty firms in Vancouver since the inception of that publication. It ranks partners Irwin Nathanson, Stephen Schachter, Murray Clemens and James MacInnis as leading commercial litigators in Vancouver and new associate counsel Peter Reardon as a leader in insolvency litigation.

Best Lawyers consistently ranks members of the firm as leading lawyers in a variety of categories, including Bet-the-Company Litigation, Class Action Litigation, Corporate and Commercial Litigation, Director and Officer Liability, Labour and Employment, and Securities Law.

Updated April 2024

Firm overview

Miller Thomson LLP is one of Canada’s leading national business law firms with approximately 500 lawyers. We consistently deliver the highest quality advisory and advocacy skills and expertise required by international clients doing business in Canada. We have more Canadian locations than any other national firm, allowing our lawyers to provide our clients with valuable local knowledge. More specifically, with offices in Montreal, Vaughan, Toronto, Waterloo-Region, London, Regina, Saskatoon, Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver, we are uniquely positioned to provide ‘on the ground’ insight and knowledge from the country’s key economic hubs, and under both the common law and civil law systems in Canada.

Miller Thomson’s national advocacy practice comprises close to 200 litigators, organized around a comprehensive range of sub-specialties. Our expertise covers complex commercial litigation, class actions, construction litigation, environmental litigation, insurance defence, IP litigation, health litigation, securities litigation, shareholder disputes, tax litigation, insolvency, and labour & employment disputes, among other areas of litigation support. The national group has extensive experience acting for a wide range of clients in all industry segments in trial proceedings, court applications, arbitrations and appeals at the provincial and federal levels. These clients range from sole proprietorships and individuals to some of the largest and most recognized national and international corporations operating in Canada.

Our litigators look for opportunities for efficient and expedient dispute resolutions. In this regard, our litigators are experienced in mediation and arbitration proceedings of all types, whether required as part of the litigation process or undertaken pursuant to an agreement with the other side to a dispute.

The Group also draws on the firm’s discovery capabilities. Our litigators adopt procedures to drive greater case management and discovery efficiency, thereby mitigating the resource intensive, often costly document production phase of litigation.

We have extensive experience acting for clients in litigation concerning:

• Commercial contracts 
• Class actions 
• Constitutional challenges
• Employment and human rights 
• Real property disputes
• Environmental 
• Tax
• Antitrust
• Tort law
• Civil or extra contractual liability 
• Construction contracts, liens, claims
• Patent and trademark infringement
• Insolvency
• Professional liability claims
• Products liability claims 
• Defamation
• Injunctions
• Interim orders and other relief sought on an urgent basis
• Shareholder disputes
• Securities
• Regulatory
• Disciplinary
• Penal and criminal
• Directors’ and officers’ liability
• Breach of fiduciary obligations
• Health
• Medical Malpractice

Updated April 2024

Firm overview

Poulus Ensom Smith LLP is a litigation boutique located in downtown Vancouver focused on complex corporate, commercial and securities litigation as well as white-collar crime/enforcement matters. Our experienced team of lawyers approaches dispute resolution through a commercial lens: we have the technical expertise as well as extensive experience in corporate management, business law, securities disputes and regulatory/administrative investigations and enforcement proceedings. This unique mix allows our team to provide real value and ensure our clients’ business objectives are understood and achieved. The firm’s experience includes contract disputes, and shareholder disputes, securities litigation and enforcement proceedings, administrative law and regulatory prosecutions, professional negligence claims, injunctions, commercial arbitrations, appeals, and defamation claims.

The firm acts for public and private companies of all sizes across a broad range of indus-tries, with particular expertise acting for real estate developers (including Kingswood Properties), telecommunications companies (including TELUS), junior and operating mining companies, and any number of companies subject to regulation under the Securities Act. Further, and in addition to his commercial practice, Joe Ensom acts for Indigenous governments and individuals in litigious matters.

Poulus Ensom LLP was founded in February 2022 by Hein Poulus, KC, and Joseph (Joe) Ensom (Managing Partner). In March 2022, Laésha J. Smith (partner), and Kelly Ann Maw (senior associate) joined the firm, adding significant experience, skill and bench strength to the existing practice. In January 2023, Kelly Ann Maw was promoted to partner and Laésha J. Smith became a name partner resulting in our rebranding, as of May 1 2023, to Poulus Ensom Smith LLP.

The firm has continued to grow quickly but selectively resulting in the addition of Kyle Thompson as a partner as well as four top quality associates, which totals nine lawyers at the firm. We also hired two law students from UBC and TRU to “summer” with our firm who have since accepted positions with us as articling students following their comple-tion of law school in spring 2024.

Updated April 2024

Firm overview

Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP is a global law firm. The firm provides the world’s preeminent corporations and financial institutions with a full business law service. The firm has more than 3000 lawyers and other legal staff based in more than 50 cities across Europe, the United States, Canada, Latin America, Asia, Australia, the Middle East and Africa.

Litigation:
The firm’s global litigation and disputes lawyers advise many of the world’s largest corporations and financial institutions on complex, high-value and sensitive multi-jurisdictional disputes. With more than 50 offices across the globe, the firm has one of the largest disputes legal practices in the world, with significant experience resolving domestic and cross-border mandates, international arbitrations and investigations and enforcement for clients across all the key industry sectors, including financial institutions; energy, infrastructure and resources; transport; technology; life sciences and healthcare; and consumer markets.

The firm’s lawyers both prevent and resolve disputes by providing clients with practical, creative legal advice that focuses on their strategic and commercial objectives. The firm’s experience includes the full spectrum of dispute resolution and litigation mechanisms ranging from negotiation, mediation, conciliation and conflict resolution to vigorous courtroom strategy, multi-party and class action lawsuits and appellate proceedings. The firm have acted on some of the world’s highest profile domestic and multijurisdictional investigations, including high-profile regulatory inquiries, regulatory enforcement, criminal investigations and prosecutions, and related civil disputes and litigation. The firm is experienced in advising on risk and public relations issues in the context of legal disputes.

The firm have a unique offering of ‘on the ground’ strength, advising clients on disputes issues across emerging markets, including Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America, together with deep experience in the mature markets of the United States, Europe, Australia and Canada. Members of the team offer fluent capabilities in more than 20 languages across the globe.

As a key component of the firm’s disputes practice, its global practice support team provides clients consistent and proven methodology for complying with document preservation and production requirements throughout the course of disputes, assisting in developing case strategies and priorities while managing and reducing costs for clients.