Local Government Disputes

It is frequently said “you cannot fight City Hall;” however, sometimes the decisions of a municipality can have a dramatic, unwanted effect on your life, liberty or property. This is particularly so when the decisions concern the zoning and development of land.

Our lawyers are well versed on the judicial review of government decisions. We have appeared in court on numerous occasions to successfully advocate for the rights of municipal taxpayers, corporations and individuals whose rights were harmed by their local government. We can help devise and execute the right strategy to protect you and your property from unjust municipal actions.

Debt Collection

Life comes at you fast and you may end up owing or being owed a great deal of money. These are very stressful and disruptive times for our clients and we are highly skilled at resolving these disputes.

Our lawyers are often engaged to collect debt for our clients in personal or commercial circumstances. We favour an assertive and creative approach and have executed successfully on all sorts of assets for our clients - even a minor league baseball team! 

Sometimes our clients are the debtor and require skilled help to negotiate a settlement of the debt they owe. We bring the same tenacity in representing our clients in these instances so that you can move forward debt free. 

Often relationships between debtors and creditors need to be preserved and a scorched earth approach will do more harm than good. We first approach resolution in a manner that is sensitive to the existing relationship so that all parties can continue to associate with each other productively to the greatest extent possible once the debt or dispute is resolved.

Mediation & Arbitration

Although our lawyers are among the most experienced trial lawyers in Vancouver, some of our clients prefer to resolve their problems through mediation (a consensual non-binding negotiation process) or arbitration (a binding process that can be more efficient than the court process) - we are very experienced and successful in both processes.

When we observe a benefit for recommending an alternative means to resolving your dispute, we will not hesitate to do so. One of the reasons we have a high degree of success in resolving disputes is our interest in applying creative solutions to challenges. Litigation through the courts is only one of several methods we consider when working with you.

Our lawyers have participated in more than a thousand mediations and numerous arbitrations. Andrew Morrison has accepted an appointment as an arbitrator and is regularly chosen as a mediator to mediate disputes between parties represented by other lawyers.

Real Estate Litigation

For most people, buying a house is the most important investment they will make in their life. When this goes wrong, our lawyers regularly advise buyers, sellers, realtors and developers on a variety of legal issues that arise when people buy, sell or develop land.

We have been counsel on several leading real estate law decisions, including pivotal decisions describing a developer’s duties pursuant to the Real Estate Development Marketing Act and recent decisions determining when a developer can amend a filed strata plan and the damages a defaulting buyer must pay to a seller.

We are asked to speak by the Continuing Legal Education Society and the Canadian Bar Association sections to real estate lawyers on a variety of topics. Our lawyers regularly advise realtors and conveyancing lawyers who have encountered an emerging legal problem and will represent realtors before the Real Estate Board and the BC Financial Services Authority.

Shareholder & Partnership Disputes

Disputes between shareholders or partners are often contentious, with each side taking credit for the “good” decisions and blaming the other for the “bad” decisions. 

Our lawyers have a wealth of experience, skills and sensitivity in navigating the complicated law and bitter emotions necessary to resolve the disputes between shareholders and partners. Our lawyers are so well-respected they are often hired by law firms who are in the midst of a dispute among their partners.

Appeals

Sometimes the trial courts make a mistake. Sometime a party does not like learning that they are in the wrong.

Our lawyers are experienced appellate counsel who regularly appear in the BC Court of Appeal, the Federal Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada. Although winning an appeal is never an easy undertaking, we have an established track record of reversing lower court orders in a diverse array of subject areas, including commercial disputes, family law, and motor vehicle cases.

We can rapidly assess the prospects of an appeal and determine the most persuasive way to win or defeat an appeal.

Estate Litigation

There are few experiences in life more stressful than grieving the death of a loved one. Regrettably, the stress of the grieving process is frequently compounded by disputes amongst the deceased’s family members. These disputes are especially common in British Columbia where adult children of deceased parents may challenge the distribution of the estate.

Our lawyers regularly act in wills variation and other estate matters. We are equally comfortable seeking to preserve and defend the wishes of the testator as fighting for the rights of the wrongly disinherited.