Ryan R. Lee* Managing Partner

Profile

Ryan is the Managing Partner of Watson Goepel LLP and a member of the Litigation and Dispute Resolution Group. He is an experienced advocate with a broad practice involving commercial and property disputes, trust and estates matters, construction matters, transportation law and insurance law. Ryan has represented clients at all levels of court in British Columbia as well as the Federal Court, the Federal Court of Appeal, the Canadian Transportation Agency, and at numerous mediations and arbitrations.

Outside of work Ryan enjoys many outdoor pursuits and spending time with his family.

 

Education 

LLB, University of British Columbia, 2007
BA (Honours), University of Toronto, 2001

Bar 

British Columbia, 2008

Representation

Work Highlights

Ryan has successfully acted for clients in resolving matters outside of court and/or provided legal opinions on numerous matters including:

  • Contractual interpretation;
  • Commercial disputes, including shareholder disputes;
  • Collapsed real estate transactions;
  • Property disputes involving mortgages, easements, rights of way, etc.;
  • Debt collection and foreclosure;
  • Enforcement of judgments including the enforcement of foreign judgments in British Columbia;
  • Construction disputes (residential and commercial) and builders liens;
  • Trust issues including constructive trusts and resulting trusts;
  • Wills and estates disputes;
  • Matters pertaining to the transportation industry (railways, trucking companies, municipalities); and
  • Insurance issues including coverage.

Publications and Presentations

  • Presenter, “Construction Law for Contractors,” Chinese Construction & Renovation Association of Canada (CCRA), September 2018.
  • Author, “Foreclosure and Unconscionability,” WG Publication, July 2017.
  • Author, “Strata owner cannot rely on Charter to avoid strata fees,” WG Publication, August, 2015.
  • Author, “BC’s Civil Resolution Tribunal (CRT). Is it an option to resolve your strata property dispute?,” WG Publication, March 2015.

Professional and Community Affiliations

  • Former Director, Pacific Parklands Foundation
  • Member, Canadian Bar Association, Civil Litigation, Insurance and Employment sections
  • Volunteer Lawyer, Access Pro Bono
  • Member, Canadian Transport Lawyer Association (CTLA)

* Practicing through a Professional Law Corporation.

Recent news from Ryan R. Lee

27 March 2020

COVID-19 and the BC construction industry: Builders liens

On March 23 the Ontario and Quebec governments ordered that “non-essential” businesses close down, shortly followed by a list of “essential” businesses that were exempt from the mandatory closure. Quebec took a more cautious approach and ordered that all non-essential construction sites close. Ontario adopted a less restrictive approach and included the construction industry on…

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Strata Law for Condos in BC

14 June 2019

Developers and stratas take note: Strata corps may not have to pay for shared facilities

It is common practice for developers of strata properties to enter into easement agreements granting future strata owners access to shared facilities before the stratas are actually incorporated. These agreements allow developers to structure future cost-sharing arrangements of strata projects at the early stages of a development. However, developers and strata corporations should be aware…

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