Watson Goepel is thrilled to announce that six of our lawyers have been recognized in Best Lawyers in Canada™ 2026 and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch™ in 2026 for their remarkable success and excellence in their area of expertise.
We frequently receive questions from new directors elected onto boards of non-profit organizations about the extent of their liabilities, and how they can mitigate the risks and their personal exposure. While serving as a volunteer director on such organizations is a great opportunity to connect with members or give back to your community, few realize the practical implications of sitting on a board.
Jeremy D. West of Watson Goepel’s litigation team, successfully defended the earlier Summary Trial win by Serena and founding partner Bob Watson, in the British Columbia Court of Appeal in Alim Holdings Ltd. v. Tom Howe Holdings Ltd., 2016 BCCA 84 (reasons released February 24, 2016).
In Link v. ICBC, 2015 BCCA 509 Mr. Link, the plaintiff was driving in winter road conditions when the “front windshield of his vehicle was blanketed with snow by a passing sport utility vehicle” driven by an unidentified driver, subsequently he lost visibility, tapped his breaks and lost control of his vehicle resulting in a single vehicle accident.
A new post from the Family Law Team discusses child support obligations when the status of one of the parents changes. In some cases, this could be due to a change in career that makes the original payments a hardship.
The original ruling involving a mother and her (then) 8 year old child had the potential to define the age at which children can be left at home alone but the BC Court of Appeal was very careful to confine it’s decision to the facts of this particular case and did not rule on the Ministry of Children and Family Development policy that children under 10 should not be left unsupervised.
There is still no definitive age stipulation so what are parents to do? This is the question addressed in a recent post from the Watson Goepel LLP Family Law Team.
The Supreme Court of British Columbia has released its latest decision in an ongoing dispute that serves as a cautionary tale for those considering strata ownership. In Strata Plan NW 499 v. Kirk, 2015 BCSC 1487, the court considered cross-petitions by a small (17 unit) strata and an owner, respectively, engaged in protracted litigation regarding fees.
In Do v. Nichols, 2015 BCSC 1069, Ryan R. Lee of Watson Goepel LLP represented homeowners faced with an unusual foreclosure petition. The mortgage at issue was registered against the homeowners’ residential properties but arose from an agreement for sale and subdivision of two other, nearby development properties.
According to the Supreme Court of Canada in 1986, a real estate agent’s listing agreement is akin to a hunting licence. It mandates an agent to find and bag a purchaser. However, in a case decided by the SCC on June 25, 2015, depending on the terms of the listing agreement a commission may or may not be recoverable if a signed-up sale does not complete.
The talk dealt with “European Trade Policies and Seafood Business Opportunities” on the new market potential created for BC shellfish producers by the Comprehensive Economic & Trade Agreement (“ CETA”) negotiated between Canada and the European Union.
Watson Goepel LLP business lawyer J. Christopher Meyer provides a brief overview of Shareholder Agreements and why these legal contracts can be important to business owners.
Red Chris Development Company Ltd. v. Quock, 2014 BCSC 2399, involved the granting of an interlocutory injunction prohibiting certain individuals from blockading access roads to Red Chris mining operations located in northwestern British Columbia. As with most injunctions, the specific facts are important to the ultimate decision however the case highlights some general principles which are applicable to these types of applications.
