Lawson Lundell LLP > Calgary, Canada > Firm Profile
Lawson Lundell LLP Offices
SUITE 3700, 205-5TH AVENUE SW
BOW VALLEY SQUARE 2
CALGARY, ALBERTA, T2P 2V7
Canada
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Lawson Lundell LLP > The Legal 500 Rankings
Energy and natural resources > Mining Tier 2
Lawson Lundell LLP remains synonymous with mining work, and the firm is well-versed across the full range of early-stage exploration and development issues through to corporate and finance transactions. The group routinely represents major regional and national players from its offices in Western and Northern Canada, also counting UK, US and Australia-based companies among its key clients. Khaled Abdel-Barr co-heads the Vancouver-based team and his expertise spans project-related matters, commercial agreements, and mine acquisitions and disposals. Practice co-head Karen MacMillan is also highly recommended for her focus on commercial law issues. Stuart Breen specializes in corporate finance transactions.Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Canada > Indigenous law Tier 2
The practice at Lawson Lundell LLP stands out for its ability to oversee significant natural resource development projects in the infrastructure, mining and oil and gas sectors. The team often advises Aboriginal governments and organizations, as well as corporate clients. Both Keith Bergner and John Olynyk head the practice, from the Vancouver and Calgary offices respectively. Bergner often advises those in the private and public sector, as well as government entities on regulatory and Indigenous law matters. Olynyk’s expertise includes both environmental and Indigenous law. Lana Shipley is a notable corporate and commercial specialist who handles Aboriginal law related matters.Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Key clients
Canadian Energy Regulatory
BC Hydro
Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers
Baffinland Iron Mines Ltd.
Agnico Eagle Mines Limited
Vancouver Fraser Port Authority
Canadian Natural Resources Limited
Canadian Pacific Railway Company
KGHM International Ltd.
Chevron Canada Resources and Woodside Energy
Pine Point Mining Inc.
Government of Alberta – Ministry of Indigenous Relations
Work highlights
Canada > Pensions Tier 2
Lawson Lundell LLP has a dedicated pension and employee benefits practice. Its Western Canadian presence attracts both corporate and union clients across the manufacturing, resources and financial services sectors. The team is geared to advise and assist clients through regulatory issues that arise in establishing, governing, litigating, investing, merging and terminating pension and employee benefit plans. The Vancouver-based practice is led by Murray Campbell who has reputable experience handling the reorganization and modernization of pension and benefit plans. In addition to advising clients on non-contentious issues, he is also known for overseeing related litigation matters.Practice head(s):
Murray Campbell
Other key lawyers:
Meghan Popp
Canada > Dispute resolution: British Columbia Tier 2
At Lawson Lundell LLP, the Calgary office is headed by Shannon Hayes, a litigator regularly involved in regulatory and administrative law matters within the energy, electricity and oil and gas sectors; her team is also highly acclaimed for its shareholder dispute, insolvency, indigenous law, employment, property, tax and commercial litigation knowhow, often handling proceedings of national and international significance. The firm is also a prominent player within the British Columbia market where Laura Bevan’s department runs a caseload spread across contentious constitutional and public law, climate change, construction, defamation, insurance, product liability and natural resources affairs. Craig Ferris KC is a star at the Vancouver office, often receiving instructions from household names within the mining, financial services, retail, communications and manufacturing fields.Practice head(s):
Laura Bevan
Other key lawyers:
Craig Ferris KC; Marko Vesely; Peter Roberts KC; Kinji Bourchier; Thomas Boyd
Key clients
Rio Tinto
Imperial Distributors Canada Inc.
Teck Metals Ltd.
Goldcorp Inc. and Newmont Corp.
Shaw Communications
Grieg Seafood B.C. Ltd.
Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Limited
Skookum Creek Power Partnership (owned by Concord Pacific)
Lehigh Hanson
Energy and natural resources > Power Tier 3
With a focus on Western and Northern Canada, Vancouver-based Lawson Lundell LLP brings extensive experience in representing developers, governments and crown corporations on power-related matters. The group is best known for its regulatory expertise, with Vancouver-based regulatory litigation chair Jeff Christian sought after for his depth of experience in this sphere, as evident by his role as relationship partner for BC Hydro. Other key regulatory contacts include senior counsel Lewis Manning in Calgary and up-and-coming Vancouver-based partner, Clara Ferguson. On the transactional front, Lana Shipley is a key contact.Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Key clients
British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority (BC Hydro)
Direct Energy Marketing Ltd.
Powerex Corp.
Greengate Power Corporation
Milner Power
Enel Green Power North America, Inc.
TransAlta Corporation
Province of British Columbia
Remington Development Corporation
Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers
Work highlights
- Advised BC Hydro and Power Authority on all aspects of the development of its 2021 Integrated Resource Plan and the related BC Utilities Commission application.
- Advised Direct Energy Marketing Limited on its application with the Alberta Utilities Commission for approval of its 2020-2022 Energy Price Setting Plan.
- Represented Enel Green Power North America on the structuring of wind farm projects, including advising on the regulatory approval process, and negotiating and preparing development and operating agreements with certain third-party regulators and operators.
Canada > Environment Tier 3
With ample project approval and regulatory defence expertise, the team at Lawson Lundell LLP has overseen matters in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Yukon, NWT and Nunavut. The team often integrates its regulatory, environmental and Indigenous law practices to advise clients seamlessly. Expertise also lies within the negotiation of environmental management and monitoring agreements, whereby they assist government agencies and Indigenous and Inuit organizations. Brad Armstrong and John Olynyk co-lead the practice. Armstrong operates from the Vancouver office, while Olynyk oversees the team from Calgary.Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Key clients
Pure Environmental Waste Management Ltd.
TMAC Resources Inc. (TMAC)
Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers
Baffinland Iron Mines Corporation
Vancouver Fraser Port Authority
Agnico Eagle Mines Limited
New Gold Inc.
Cheetah Resources Corp
Work highlights
Canada > Labour and employment Tier 3
Vancouver-headquartered Lawson Lundell LLP houses one of BC’s leading labour and employment practices. Handling a mix of advisory, contentious and corporate-support work, the group is particularly recognized for its close relationships with clients in the manufacturing, mining, retail, transport, forestry and energy sectors. Department head Robert Sider KC advises on the labour and employment aspects of commercial transactions, as well as day-to-day matters, both contentious and non-contentious. The team also includes increasingly prominent sector specialist Nicole Skuggedal, privacy and employment lawyer Ryan Berger and Deborah Cushing, who brings to bear strong public- and private-sector in-house experience.Practice head(s):
Robert Sider KC
Other key lawyers:
Canada > Dispute resolution: Alberta Tier 3
At Lawson Lundell LLP, the Calgary office is headed by Shannon Hayes, a litigator regularly involved in regulatory and administrative law matters within the energy, electricity and oil and gas sectors; her team is also highly acclaimed for its shareholder dispute, insolvency, indigenous law, employment, property, tax and commercial litigation knowhow, often handling proceedings of national and international significance. The firm is also a prominent player within the British Columbia market where Laura Bevan’s department runs a caseload spread across contentious constitutional and public law, climate change, construction, defamation, insurance, product liability and natural resources affairs. Craig Ferris KC is a star at the Vancouver office, often receiving instructions from household names within the mining, financial services, retail, communications and manufacturing fields.Practice head(s):
Shannon Hayes
Other key lawyers:
Michael Donaldson; Grant Vogeli KC; Tamela Coates KC; Shannon Wray; Alexis Teasdale
Key clients
Shaw Communications Inc.
TransAlta Corporation
Remington Development Corporation
Jones Day and Pamela Taylor
Crescent Point Energy Corp.
Jane Hawkins
MNP Ltd.
Pieridae Energy Limited
Canada > Corporate and M&A Tier 4
Founded over 130 years ago, Lawson Lundell LLP boasts specialist knowledge in a plethora of different sectors such as mining, energy, forest, technology, financial services, manufacturing, transportation and real estate. The team excels on the full spectrum of relevant matters, from M&A, corporate finance and securities through to governance, private equity and fund formation matters and is co-led by a Vancouver-based quartet, consisting of Valerie Mann, Jagdeep Shergill, Greg Hollingsworth and David Allard.Practice head(s):
Valerie Mann; Jagdeep Shergill; Greg Hollingsworth; David Allard
Energy and natural resources > Oil and gas Tier 4
With platforms in British Columbia, Alberta and Northern Canada, Lawson Lundell LLP‘s oil and gas practice advises major and junior producers on exploration, transportation, transactional and regulatory matters. Calgary-based Paul Negenman focuses exclusively on oil and gas work, with experience in both transactions and disputes. John Olynyk, also in Calgary, has a more general energy and natural resources practice, which is weighted towards environmental regulatory matters and Indigenous law.Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Key clients
Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers
Surge Energy Inc.
NuVista Energy Ltd.
West Lake Energy Corp.
Pure Environmental Waste Management Ltd.
Canadian Natural Resources Limited
Altura Energy Inc.
City of Coquitlam
Work highlights
- Advised Surge Energy, as title due diligence counsel, on the acquisition of Astra Oil Corp.
- Provided a title review for West Lake Energy Corp on its corporate purchase of Boulder Energy.
- Advised Canadian Natural Resources Limited on Indigenous and regulatory matters related to its oil sands mining and thermal operations, conventional oil and gas operations, and heavy oil operations.
Canada > Real estate Tier 4
Operating from Vancouver, Lawson Lundell LLP’s real estate team is acclaimed for its transactional, leasing, development, redevelopment, real estate litigation, property tax, financing and ownership structuring capabilities. Practice head Peter Tolensky is a key port of call for office, retail and industrial leasing and is likewise relied upon by utility, mining, and pipeline companies.Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Jack Yong; Shaun Partridge KC; Aubrey Guild-Young; Maxwell Carroll; Chad Travis
Testimonials
‘wide coverage of different subjects and fields, all the team members are very efficient, with excellent professional knowledge.’
‘Jack Yong is the team leader, he is very organized, professional, with deep knowledge, pays attention to a lot of details and provides fast response.’
Work highlights
Canada > Tax Tier 4
Lawson Lundell LLP enjoys a strong reputation for its experience in representing Canada-based institutional investors, including pension plans, on tax matters. The group also frequently advises on the tax structuring of M&A, corporate restructurings, securities offerings and finance transactions, and is additionally equipped to advise on contentious tax issues. Leonard Glass and Reinhold Krahn jointly lead the team from Vancouver. Calgary-based Nancy Diep is noted for her resource tax expertise.Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Lawson Lundell LLP > Firm Profile
Lawson Lundell is a full-service business law firm in Western and Northern Canada, known for its practical and strategic approach to legal services. Our clients are leaders in the jurisdictions where we are located and around the world. Our offices are in Vancouver, Calgary, Yellowknife and Kelowna. Our diverse client base requires that we also focus on activities in other parts of the world, which offers us ever increasing opportunities to stay aware of changes and developments worldwide.
The firm is a recognised leader in mining, energy, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, banking, pensions and employee benefits, real estate and tax. The firm is equally strong in regulatory and commercial litigation with recognised experience in indigenous, environmental, labour and employment, and insolvency. Our practice areas and some of the industries we serve are listed here.
The firm and its lawyers are consistently recognised in leading directories, including Chambers Canada, Chambers Global, Lexpert, Benchmark Canada and Best Lawyers in Canada. The approach and philosophy that guides the firm’s legal work has been developed through decades of working with its clients and understanding their business and industry objectives.
Lawyer Profiles
Photo | Name | Position | Profile |
---|---|---|---|
![]() | Keith Bergner | Keith advises private sector, public sector and government clients on Indigenous law… | View Profile |
![]() | Jeff Christian | Jeff is a litigation partner practicing exclusively in the energy, utility and… | View Profile |
![]() | Clara Ferguson | Clara practices primarily in the area of energy and regulatory law with… | View Profile |
![]() | Shannon Hayes | Shannon Hayes practices commercial litigation and arbitration and is the Leader of… | View Profile |
![]() | John Olynyk | John is a member of Lawson Lundell’s Indigenous, Environmental, and Project Development… | View Profile |