British Columbia

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

Firm overview

Formerly a prominent regional insurance defense firm, Vancouver-founded Whitelaw Twining has seen impressive growth in its near 45-year history. From establishing a strong corporate-commercial litigation practice, to expanding across Canada, to becoming part of DWF Group and its global network, our milestones reflect our continuing commitment to scale and innovate to better cater to our clients’ diverse needs and growing lines of business.

With offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal, and with capabilities to serve further provinces and territories, our team of over 130 professionals pushes beyond standard litigation practices to deliver progressive and creative solutions in complex, high-stakes and multi-jurisdictional disputes. Our culture is one of collaboration, and we combine local knowledge with global resources to achieve success for our clients.

We work closely with each client to determine their particular needs and employ a results-driven approach to ensure strategic alignment with our clients’ long-term goals. Our team skillfully and tactfully advocates for our clients in the courtroom, before various regulatory bodies and tribunals and in arbitrations and mediations.

With an eye on data and analytics, we maintain metrics that assist us with and inform our clients of our ongoing evaluation and improvement of cost-efficiency, cycle times and general file-handling procedures.

We value being a good corporate citizen. Our lawyers actively participate in their local business and social communities. We support and enthusiastically volunteer with access to justice organizations and community outreach programs and devote time to lecturing at universities and hosting informational seminars on current industry topics.

Practice Areas:

• Abuse litigation
• Bodily Injury
• Cannabis
• Class Action
• Commercial Litigation
• Construction
• Coverage
• Cyber Liability
• Defamation
• Employment
• Energy Litigation
• Environmental Disputes
• Health & Disability
• Hospitality & Liquor Liability
• Indigenous Law
• Injury & ICBC Claims
• Insurance
• Local Government
• Multi-Jurisdictional Disputes
• Northern Canada
• Product Liability
• Professional Liability
• Regulatory & Insurance Policy Group
• Restructuring & Insolvency
• Retail Risks
• Road Maintenance
• Sports Liability
• Subrogation & Recovery
• Surety
• Transportation

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.

Firm overview