News
December 2023
The firm is very pleased to announce that Shannon Ramsay has been appointed King’s Counsel. In the news release announcing this year’s appointments, the Attorney General explained that “the King’s counsel designation serves as a testament to the exceptional dedication and contributions these lawyers have made to our legal landscape” and “signifies an elevated standing among peers and clients, showcasing their unwavering commitment to unparalleled service and expertise”. The news release is available here.
Claire Hunter, K.C. and Devin Eeg appeared in the Supreme Court of Canada on behalf of the intervener Federation of Law Societies of Canada in Poonian v. British Columbia Securities Commission. The intervener factum is available here.
Randy J. Kaardal, K.C. and Simone Penney successfully defended on summary trial sublessees under a residential sublease in respect of a claim alleging breach of the sublease, which sought to terminate the sublease and repossess the subleased property, as well as damages. The Court the concluded the plaintiff was not entitled to terminate the sublease, and dismissed the plaintiff’s claims. The reasons for judgment are available here.
Claire Hunter, K.C. and Simone Penney successfully defended against an application seeking to strike the plaintiff’s claim and dismiss the action for violating the common law rule against maintenance and champerty because the litigation had been effectively assigned to a third party pursuant to a litigation agreement. The Court concluded the third party had an obvious and genuine pre-existing commercial interest in the litigation, and the litigation agreement was not champertous. The reasons for judgment are available here.
November 2023
William Smart, K.C. and Susan Humphrey successfully represented the Law Society of British Columbia in a hearing on disciplinary action in which the Law Society sought the disbarment of a lawyer who had committed professional misconduct. The lawyer was found to have knowingly assisted in dishonesty, crime, or fraud by purposely using his status as a lawyer and his trust account to assist his clients in hiding the illegal proceeds of their securities fraud, which totalled approximately $24 million CAD and $5 million USD. The decision of the Hearing Panel on Disciplinary Action is available here.
September 2023
A team comprised of Claire Hunter, K.C., Brian Duong, Julia Roos, Susan Humphrey, Amanda Richards, Hayden Cook, and Elspeth Adhihetty (articled student) represented His Majesty the King in right of the Province of British Columbia and the Minister of Education and Child Care in respect of a series of applications filed as part of ongoing litigation with the Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique and the Vancouver Board of Education. Copies of the resulting decisions can be found here: 2023 BCSC 1554 (adjournment); 2023 BCSC 1332 (document production); and 2023 BCSC 1281 (pleadings).
William Smart, K.C. and Susan Humphrey successfully represented the Law Society of British Columbia in respect of a citation alleging that a lawyer had, among other things, committed professional misconduct by failing to provide legal services, make reasonable inquiries, and make a record of the results of any inquiries made about the circumstances of trust account transactions in respect of two client matters totalling approximately $3.4 million. The decision of the Hearing Panel on Facts and Determination is available here.
Brian Duong and articling student Eric Main, with assistance from Julia Roos, represented the British Columbia Lottery Corporation in successfully obtaining a series of protective conditions over the production of documents in the possession and control of BCLC. A copy of the decision can be found here.
Susan Humphrey and Austen Erhardt (articled student) successfully appealed the imposition of a significant disciplinary penalty on a minor athlete by Hockey Canada through the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada. The original disciplinary penalty included a six-month suspension and a three-month suspension, to be served concurrently, followed by a 12-month period of probation. The appeal resulted in a substituted disciplinary penalty of, in essence, a six-game suspension and a 12-month period of probation.
August 2023
Hunter Litigation Chambers is very proud to announce its prominent presence in the 2024 Edition of The Best Lawyers®in Canada. Having 10 of our lawyers represented this year is a testament to the accomplishments, expertise and contributions of our lawyers, which is recognized through the rigorous peer-review surveys conducted by Best Lawyers.
We are thrilled to announce that Claire Hunter, K.C., has been named Vancouver’s “Lawyer of the Year” in Administrative and Public Law by Best Lawyers Canada. This peer recognition is a testament to Claire’s knowledge and commitment to excellence in serving our firm’s clients in complex constitutional and administrative law matters. Throughout her career, Claire's impact has been felt both inside and outside the courtroom. This "Lawyer of the Year" award recognizes Claire's legal skills, dedication, and ability to advocate for her clients' rights.
These accomplishment reflects not only the individual successes but the excellence of the Hunter Litigation Chambers team. Congratulations to all.
BEST LAWYERS
Ryan J. Androsoff
Corporate and Commercial Litigation
Brian Duong
Administrative and Public Law
Corporate and Commercial Litigation
Paul Heisler
Corporate and Commercial Litigation
Employee Benefits Law
Labour and Employment Law
Claire E. Hunter, K.C.
Administrative and Public Law
Appellate Practice
Class Action Litigation
Corporate and Commercial Litigation
Randy J. Kaardal, K.C.
Administrative and Public Law
Alternative Dispute Resolution
Appellate Practice
Corporate and Commercial Litigation
Labour and Employment Law
Rebecca Robb
Administrative and Public Law
Corporate and Commercial Litigation
William B. Smart, K.C.
Administrative and Public Law
Criminal Defence
BEST LAWYERS ONES TO WATCH
Aubin Calvert
Administrative and Public Law
Caitlin Ehman
Labour and Employment Law
Julia Roos
Administrative and Public Law
Corporate and Commercial Litigation
The firm congratulates Claire Hunter, K.C. for her inclusion by Benchmark Litigation on its 2023 list of Canada’s Top 100 Women in Litigation.
July 2023
Brian Duong and Hayden Cook represented a construction materials testing firm, Prima Testing and Engineering Ltd. and their principal, in successfully resisting an interlocutory injunction application brought against them by Accurate Material Testing, alleging misappropriation of confidential client information. The reasons for judgment can be found here.
Devin Eeg was acclaimed to the CBA BC Appellate Advocacy section executive for 2023-24 as Law and Policy Liaison.
June 2023
Bill Smart, K.C. and Susan Humphrey successfully represented the Law Society of British Columbia in respect of a citation alleging that a lawyer had committed professional misconduct by engaging in activities that assisted in or encouraged dishonesty, crime, or fraud. The Hearing Panel found that the Law Society had proven that the lawyer had used his firm’s trust accounts to receive or disburse approximately $24 million CAD and $5 million USD on behalf of several clients when he knew that some of these clients were being investigated for securities fraud by the US Securities and Exchange Commission and that some or all of the funds he received or disbursed were proceeds of that securities fraud. The decision of the Hearing Panel on Facts and Determination is available here.
Randy Kaardal K.C. and Hayden Cook successfully obtained leave to appeal and a stay of proceedings of a receivership order on behalf of Creative Wealth Media. A copy of the article can be found here.
May 2023
Claire Hunter, K.C. and Simone Penney successfully defended on summary trial a law firm acting as a trustee under the Real Estate Development Marketing Act in respect of a claim arising from the release of purchase deposits to the developer. The Court concluded that the law firm complied with its mandatory obligations under the Act in releasing the deposits and dismissed the plaintiffs’ claims. The reasons for judgment are available here.
April 2023
Canadian Lawyer’s 5-Star Pro Bono Firms recognizes Hunter Litigation Chambers for it’s pro bono work. The firm has spent 1573 hours on pro bono work and is breaking down legal access barriers with it’s team of 21 lawyers. Claire Hunter, K.C. remarks "It has been my experience and our firm’s experience that it’s possible to do well and do good at the same time”.
Hunter Litigation Chambers is proud to continue to receive the highest ranking of “Highly Recommended” in Benchmark Canada 2023. This is a testament to the talent and hard work of our individual lawyers, three of whom have been ranked as “Litigation Stars” by Benchmark. Congratulations to Bill Smart K.C., Randy Kaardal, K.C. and Claire Hunter, K.C..
March 2023
Hunter Litigation Chambers was proud to represent Crystal Smith and Raymond Shaw in their application to permit registration of their baby son λugʷaləs K'ala'ask Shaw’s name on his birth certificate. Our clients reached a resolution with the British Columbia Vital Statistics Agency to permit the use Kwak̓wala characters on the birth certificate for their son. The Hunter Litigation Chambers team working on this matter included Claire Hunter, K.C., Nicole Gilewicz, Aubin Calvert and Amanda Richards. Read media coverage on CBC News and CTV News.
Claire Hunter, K.C. and Caitlin Ehman acted for an Indigenous child protection agency in successfully resisting an application for access by former foster parents. Amanda Richards assisted in preparing the materials for this application. The reasons for judgment are indexed as J.W. v. British Columbia (Director of Child, Family and Community Service), 2023 BCSC 512.
The firm is pleased to announce that Claire Hunter, K.C. and Randy Kaardal K.C. have been shortlisted for Benchmark Litigation Canada Awards this year. Claire is one of six lawyers on the shortlist for British Columbia Litigator of the Year and Randy is one of five lawyers nationally on the shortlist for Labor & Employment Litigator of the year.
Hunter Litigation Chambers has again been ranked in Lexpert Canada Directory 2023. This year we are honoured to be included in the directory’s highest category for Vancouver boutiques of Most Frequently Recommended for our work in Litigation-Corporate Commercial and Repeatedly Recommended for Forestry Law. In addition, Claire Hunter, K.C. is ranked as a leading lawyer in both the Litigation-Corporate Commercial and Litigation- Regulatory & Public Law categories and Randy Kaardal K.C. is ranked as a leading lawyer in the Employment Law – Employer and Employment Law – Employee categories.
February 2023
Bill Smart, K.C and Susan Humphrey assisted an accused in avoiding criminal charges and represented her in respect of a charge under the Motor Vehicle Act of driving without due care and attention in circumstances that led to the death of the accused’s colleague. The accused pled guilty to the offence and Judge Sutherland of the Provincial Court of British Columbia endorsed the joint submission of Crown and defence counsel that a fine of $1,500 without a driving prohibition was a fit sentence in the circumstances. Judge Sutherland’s reasons for judgment are available here.
Claire Hunter, K.C. and Maryanna Dinh successfully resisted an application to add 16 proposed individual defendants to a misfeasance in public office lawsuit on the basis that the claim fails to disclose any cause of action against them and, in any event, would not be just and convenient in the circumstances, particularly given the recent Court of Appeal decision in British Columbia v. Greengen Holdings Ltd., 2023 BCCA 24. A copy of the decision can be found here.
Bill Smart, K.C, Rebecca Robb, and Susan Humphrey successfully defended a police officer, the City of Delta, and the Province of British Columbia in respect of a negligence claim arising from a shooting that occurred while the officer was conducting a high-risk vehicle takedown. The Court concluded the plaintiff had not proved the officer had breached the applicable standard of care. The reasons for judgment are available here.