How it started
It all began in October 1984, on a fall afternoon when three legal colleagues—Bob Watson, Tim Maledy, and Richard Goepel—sat down for lunch on Richards Street. By the end of that day, they had laid the groundwork for what would become Watson Goepel Maledy. Within weeks, the doors officially opened in a small, subleased space in Vancouver’s financial district. A few legal assistants joined their team at the time, including lawyer Nancy Wilhelm, who went on to become the future mayor of Whistler.
Over the next few years, they had their challenges as well as great success, from landing their first major client, Canadian National Shield, to hiring Christopher Meyer in January 1985 to help the booming business practice group. With office relocations from Bentall One to Bentall Three, Managing Partner Bob Watson helped grow the team with solid hires that would help shape the firm’s future. By the late ’80s, Watson Goepel brought on Thomas Keast (now a part of the King’s Counsel and our future Managing Partner), Anastase Maragos (our future Personal Injury Practice Group Leader), and Celso Boscariol (now a part of the King’s Counsel).
In the 90s, the hiring continued with Craig Neville (now King’s Counsel) joining the firm as the first Family Law Partner, paving the way for a new service offering.
By 1999, Richard Goepel was appointed to the Queen’s Counsel and two years later, was appointed to the Supreme Court of British Columbia, British Columbia Court of Appeal, marking a significant moment in our firm’s history.
The expansion continued in the 2000s, filled with mergers and acquisitions: Fox, Morgan & Brown, bringing on top commercial real estate lawyer John Morgan, Quorum, which brought on Miles Alperstein, now our Business Practice Group Leader, Stewart & Winch, allowing us to expand our reach across the North Shore and Scarborough Herman Bluekens, expanding our Personal Injury capabilities.
Where we are today
Today, Watson Goepel is a pillar of legal excellence with a broad range of practice areas, led by an impeccable team of leaders. With Ryan Lee as Managing Partner, our leadership consists of Miles Alperstein (Business), Janet De Vita (Personal Injury), Laurence Klass (Family), Jeremy West (Litigation), and Tammey George (Chief Operations Officer). From commercial litigation and corporate law to personal injury and real estate, our team is dedicated to delivering impactful solutions that help our clients achieve their unique objectives.
In addition to our multi-services, we have global reach through our partnership with Lawyers Associated Worldwide (LAW), enabling us to help clients expand operations and relationships into new domestic and foreign markets.
We continue to give back to the communities where we live and work. We’ve partnered with the North Shore Crisis Centre, Qmunity, and the Greater Vancouver Food Bank, to name a few. Aligned with our commitment to making a difference in the communities where we live and work, many of our lawyers provide pro bono services through Access Pro Bono.
Moving forward
Most recently being named one of Canada’s Best Law Firms™ and with eight of our lawyers featured as Best Lawyers in Canada™ and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch™, we continue to be recognized for our outstanding work within the industry.
Our legacy is built on hard work, collaboration, and outstanding client service — and our future will be no different. Thank you for being part of our journey, and we look forward to continuing to serve our clients, our community, and all British Columbians with excellence and dedication.