Borden Ladner Gervais LLP

Partner

Recognized nationally as a leading dispute resolution lawyer by Chambers, Benchmark, Lexpert, and more — including Benchmark Litigation's Top 100 Women in Canada since 2022 — Vancouver-based Michelle Maniago is a go-to for complex commercial litigation, class actions, appeals and arbitration.

Michelle is known for her highly personable, intellectually rigorous and unfailingly practical approach to novel, complicated and high stakes disputes. She has experience across a range of industries, practice areas, claims and jurisdictions, including defence of national and global brands in high-profile provincial, national and multi-jurisdictional class actions.

The resulting decisions are well-known precedents, particularly in consumer protection, privacy and competition. She has experience with all aspects of litigation, from early resolution through to multi-week trials and high-stakes appeal. She works closely with in-house client teams to find solutions to their disputes in a timely and cost-efficient way.

Michelle’s specialized knowledge covers:

Competition law, including advertising, price-fixing and bid-rigging. Consumer protection law, including class actions related to alleged defective products and alleged misleading representations. Financial services and investment management, including credit card insurance products, foreign exchange transaction costs, Ponzi schemes and mutual fund-related management fees. Corporate governance and plans of arrangement. Privacy law, including access to information requests, compliance with privacy and data protection legislation and privacy breach class actions. International evidence collection (including enforcement of letters rogatory).

She has appeared as counsel before courts across Canada in both trial level and appellate proceedings; regulatory proceedings before privacy and consumer protection regulators; and in arbitration proceedings before domestic and international tribunals.

Michelle is the Regional Group Manager for the Commercial and Construction Disputes group in Vancouver; a Regional Lead for BLG’s Appellate Litigation group; a key contact for BLG’s Class Actions group. For several years, she acted as the co-chair of BLG’s national disputes training program for associates and partners. She is a leader in technology-assisted and virtual hearings, and, in 2012, was one of the first counsel in British Columbia to conduct an e-trial. Michelle completed a one-year judicial clerkship at the BC Court of Appeal. She also received Osgoode Hall's prize for constitutional litigation.

Professional Involvement Member and former executive leader, Class Action Practice Group, The Advocates' Society, 2022-2023 Chair (2022-2023); Vice Chair (2021-2022); Secretary (2020-2021), and Member at Large (2019-2020)) Director, ADR Institute of Canada (ADRIC) 2016 - 2019 Chair, ADRIC Under 40 Forum 2018 - 2019 Chair, ADRIC Corporate Advisory Board 2018 - 2019 Treasurer (2018-2019) and Member at Large (2016-2018), Canadian Bar Association, Civil Litigation Executive (Vancouver) Member, Institute for Transnational Arbitration (ITA) Member, Law Society of British Columbia Member, Canadian Bar Association Member, Vancouver Bar Association Member, International Bar Association Former Member, Young Canadian Arbitration Practitioners Former Member, Young International Arbitration Group

Education

LLB, Osgoode Hall Law School, 2007 BA (History and Political Science, First-Class Distinction), University of British Columbia, 2004

Bar Admission

British Columbia, 2008

Community Involvement Volunteer and Coach, Mt. Seymour Little League Volunteer and Chair (Vancouver Committee), BLG Reads to Kids Program Member, Sea to Sky Wind Ensemble