British Columbia

Firm overview

Singleton Urquhart Reynolds Vogel LLP is a Canadian law firm with offices in both Vancouver and Toronto. Since our beginnings, we have grown to a team of nearly 70 lawyers and over 100 employees. We have expanded into the Toronto market, merging our well-known and respected Vancouver practice with the practices of senior commercial litigation and senior construction and infrastructure lawyers in Toronto. This combination of geography and experience formed a powerful national platform from which to better serve our clients across the country.

We offer an extensive range of legal services in the areas of construction and infrastructure, commercial litigation, commercial real estate, corporate commercial, insurance defense, professional liability, product liability, workplace law, and business immigration.

Our core area of practice is construction and infrastructure law, with over half of the lawyers in the firm focused on this area. Our construction lawyers are recognized practitioners, litigators, solicitors, and engineers who have a wealth of experience to draw on.

We have a strong history of assisting clients with a variety of projects nationwide. We work on all matters in our space including large-scale infrastructure, institutional, industrial, and commercial projects such as highways, railways, tunnels, pipelines, mines, industrial facilities, schools and other education facilities, hospitals, manufacturing plants, commercial buildings, and condominiums.

A Client Focused Approach
At Singleton Urquhart Reynolds Vogel LLP we have developed our firm with a fundamental understanding that our clients deserve exceptional legal service that is delivered in a manner that is honest, creative, clear, relatable, flexible, and cost effective.

We provide solutions customized to our clients’ needs in various sectors including education, healthcare, government, and industry. We help our clients seize emerging opportunities and find solutions to complex legal problems.

Our lawyers have an impeccable sense of the challenges that can arise within their areas of expertise and are committed to working together collaboratively across disciplines to find the best solutions for our clients.

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion
Canada is leading the world in terms of diversity, inclusion and pluralism. It is a strength that unifies our country and its people, and strengthens business relationships creating opportunities for success.

At Singleton Urquhart Reynolds Vogel LLP, we are committed to fostering a culture of diversity, inclusion and pluralism in the workplace that embraces the unique backgrounds, perspectives, experiences, and talents of individuals at all levels of the firm to ensure that we represent the communities we serve in Canada.

As the firm continues to grow, we are committed to consistently improving our diversity and inclusion policies to ensure they continue to reflect the culture and values of our employees and clients.

Community Involvement and Pro Bono Work
Beyond our commitment to our staff and our clients, our firm is also committed to the communities in which we have been able to grow and thrive. In that regard, we as a firm, and our individual members, are involved in a variety of community-oriented organizations.

We also encourage our lawyers to get involved with pro bono work by offering each lawyer credits every year for time spent providing legal services on pro bono files that reflect their individual interests and commitments.

Our lawyers have participated over the years as instructors of various courses taught at the University of Toronto, the University of British Columbia, the University of Melbourne, and Stanford University. We are keenly interested in education as it relates to our practices and the development of future experts in law.

Key Areas of Expertise:

• Construction and Infrastructure
• Commercial Litigation
• Professional Liability
• Product Liability
• Directors and Officer’s Liability
• Insurance
• Alternative Dispute Resolution
• Arbitration and International Arbitration
• Public Policy
• Wills and Estates
• Workplace Law
• Entertainment Law
• Corporate Commercial

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

A Tradition of Excellence

Farris is a leading Canadian law firm with offices in Vancouver, Kelowna, and Victoria, B.C. Our full-service firm represents some of the largest public and private institutions and corporations in the province, offering versatile and innovative approaches for over 100 years. Farris has been consistently rated one of Vancouver’s leading corporate and litigation law firms.

• 13 Farris partners ranked in Benchmark Litigation Canada.
• 24 Farris lawyers ranked in The Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory.
• 16 Farris partners in 15 years listed as Lexpert® “Rising Stars: Leading Lawyers Under 40.”
• 7 Farris Lawyers named in Chambers Canada Guide.

Farris provides timely, creative and practical representation backed by tremendous local knowledge and experience. Since the firm was established in 1903 it has been involved in many of the province’s leading cases. Today its broad and dynamic litigation practice not only retains its traditional high profile but continues to lead the development of the law in newer areas such as social media, public-private partnerships, and alternative dispute resolution. Farris counsel are consistently recognized as leaders in their field. This extends not only to its senior counsel but also to its deep roster of other litigation partners who are recognized as “stars” and “future stars” in their own right.

Farris’ success has only one true measure: the success of the clients that it serves, and to that end, Farris litigators are driven by a tradition of doing the very best that can be done to serve their clients’ interests, on any time frame for which the clients’ situation calls. This is a high performance law firm serving a diverse client base ranging from individuals to some of the largest public institutions and private corporations in British Columbia. It balances a strong regional and national presence with an expanding international practice that includes U.S., European, and Asia-Pacific based Clients.

Farris’ litigation group has significant and extensive experience in all areas of litigation and the firm’s lawyers appear regularly in all BC courts, the Federal Court of Canada, and the Supreme Court of Canada. They also regularly appear in commercial and labour arbitrations as well as before a wide range of administrative tribunals including the BC Securities Commission, the BC Utilities Commission and many others. In addition, they advise on cross-border litigation, conduct a thriving international trade practice, and on occasion act for clients in other provincial superior courts.
Farris lawyers have helped to shape the legal profession in British Columbia and beyond. They regularly publish and teach on matters of advocacy, civil procedure and arbitration practice as well as on matters specifically related to the subject areas in which they practice. Their cases have set precedents followed by future generations in BC and elsewhere.

The Firm’s experience includes trial and appellate advocacy in the following areas:

• Commercial transactions
• Product liability
• Class actions
• Constitutional law
• Administrative and regulatory matters
• Energy regulation
• Securities litigation
• Bankruptcy and creditor’s right
• Labour relations
• Aboriginal matters
• Construction
• Family Law
• Internet and social media issues
• Defamation and other media related law

Firm overview

As a leading business law firm, McMillan LLP serves public, private and not-for-profit clients across key industries in Canada, the United States and internationally. With recognized expertise and acknowledged leadership in major business sectors, we provide solutions-oriented legal advice through our offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa and Montréal.

To help organizations stay ahead, we provide exceptional industry insights in transportation, technology and technology transactions, infrastructure and construction, and natural resources and energy. Whether it’s a cross-border transaction, a complicated private equity deal, complex real estate financing, or a bet-the-company lawsuit or regulatory dispute, by fostering a supportive workplace culture, McMillan’s 300+ lawyers serve clients with excellence and responsiveness, delivering the real-time solutions they need.

Our firm values - respect, teamwork, commitment, client service and professional excellence - are at the heart of McMillan’s commitment to serve our clients, our local communities and the legal profession. Among other industry and professional accolades, we are proud to be named Canada’s Top 100 Employers 2024, one of only two law firms recognized in this prestigious competition.

About our Litigation & Dispute Resolution Group

With an impressive track record in domestic and cross-border litigation, McMillan’s lawyers are recognized for their creativity and effectiveness in bringing disputes to satisfactory conclusions, both inside and outside the courts. And with specialists in key areas such as competition, intellectual property, real estate, securities and others, our litigators always strive to deliver a complete solution—no matter the nature of your corporate or commercial disputes.

As experienced litigators, we always assess risk and opportunities before advising clients on the likelihood of success and helping them weigh their options. We also understand that litigation is not always the preferred option, and help clients pursue a full range of resolution avenues including early negotiated settlements and alternative dispute resolution methods. If we proceed to court, however, we are recognized for our ability to tenaciously advance our clients’ commercial interests.