Services

Our Cannabis Group provides timely, technical, and practical advice which minimizes risk and maximizes growth for clients involved in the cannabis industry.

We take an innovative and strategic approach to helping clients achieve their business goals. By collaborating with a range of professionals including accountants, specialized tax counsel and financial advisors, we maximize efficiencies and minimize risk.

Our Business Law team advises clients on all aspects of corporate law. From the planning and startup of your business, through financing and growth phases, to final transitioning via succession planning or sale, we provide knowledgeable guidance each step of the way.

Our Indigenous Law Group lawyers advise and represent individuals, communities, industry and government on matters concerning the rights and responsibilities of Indigenous people and those who seek to do business with them.

Our Business Law team has extensive experience with the leasing, financing, developing and conveyancing of real estate in British Columbia, with a highly skilled conveyancing department for both residential and commercial transactions.

Whether you are an entrepreneur, a startup, or an established private or public company operating in B.C., Canada, or abroad, our Securities & Capital Markets Group is committed to helping you reach your business goals.

Whether you’re just starting out with a new idea or are already an established player in the industry, our technology law lawyers work hand-in-hand with entrepreneurs and start-ups from the initial organization and structuring of the company, to the handling of investor-related documents, to preparing the company for a public listing.

We understand how important benefits are for those living with a short or long-term disability. If an insurance company refuses to pay a claim, or has terminated, denied or delayed benefits, the claim should be investigated as soon as possible. Having a trusted lawyer on your side to advocate on your behalf with the insurance company makes all the difference.

When disputes arise between employers and employees, it is in the best interests of all parties that they be resolved as efficiently and cost sensitively as possible.

Canada has laws which protect against discrimination on the basis of race, colour, place of origin, gender, gender identity or expression, political affiliation, sexual orientation, age, religion, marital or family status, and union membership. Laws are also in place to protect employees from bullying and harassment in the workplace.

Privacy Law deals with regulations surrounding the storage, collection, and use of personal information and images between private citizens and public and private organizations.

Our experienced litigation and dispute resolution team assist businesses in many areas of privacy law including:

Our Family Law team has experience helping prospective adoptive parents, birth parents and step-parents understand their rights and obligations, as well as helping them navigate the challenges that may arise throughout the process.

Federal Child Support Guidelines determine appropriate support levels based on factors including where the children live and parental income. Child support provides for basics such as food, clothing and shelter costs, while extra expenses including child care and medical or dental expenses, activities and extracurricular items, or RESP contributions or post-secondary university costs are typically shared in proportion to parental income.

With an emphasis on consensus building, Collaborative Family Law, also known as Collaborative Practice, strives to replace the adversarial component inherent in many family law situations with an environment that encourages mutual respect, team problem solving and peacemaking.

When it comes to parenting time arrangements, it is in the child’s best interest to have maximum access to both parents, when appropriate. Our Family Law team works to facilitate co-parenting arrangements that ensure clients have regular and consistent contact with their children. With extensive experience in this area, we work to resolve custody, guardianship and parenting time issues in a cost sensitive and efficient manner, so clients can get back to the business of raising their children.

When negotiations or alternative dispute resolution strategies do not succeed in resolving all family issues, court intervention may become necessary.  Our Family Law lawyers have extensive experience at every level of court in British Columbia and are fully prepared to act on your behalf.

Mediation provides couples the opportunity to work together to resolve their disputes outside of the traditional court process with support from a neutral third party trained in facilitating a safe space for open communication. If an agreement is not reached on any or all of the issues, the parties are at liberty to proceed to court, or may wish to consider arbitration. In some cases our mediators will travel to remote locations within BC or work via videoconference.

Couples involved in a serious relationship, who live together or are about to get married, may wish to consider entering into a legal agreement governing their assets or even future support issues. An experienced lawyer can make this a relatively pain free process by sensitively guiding couples toward practical solutions for potential outcomes.

When a relationship comes to a close and basic custody and financial arrangements have been resolved it is not always easy to negotiate the day to day decisions that still need to be made regarding shared children. Our Parenting Coordinators act as a neutral third party, helping to resolve ongoing parenting disputes using mediation and consensus building.

The allocation of property, protection of assets and attending to family debts during a divorce can be a complex and emotionally charged process. Many legal factors come into play, not the least of which is to determine if any property claims are excluded from division or sharing. We seek to minimize conflict by providing clarity and guidance regarding your legal rights and obligations. In addition we can draw upon a strong network of professional accountants and financial specialists to assist with tax and estate issues, as needed.

Whether you have separated from a common-law relationship or are married and facing a divorce, it is typically a stressful and upsetting time for all concerned. There are many issues to consider, including interim financial and child related arrangements. Our lawyers outline your legal options and guide you throughout the separation or divorce process, advising on matters including spousal support, child support, property debt and asset division, and parenting arrangements. We balance alternative dispute resolution methods including collaborative law, mediation, and arbitration, with litigation services when a settlement cannot be reached.

When a relationship breaks down it affects all concerned, including children, extended family and friends. Timely resolution of parenting issues, financial support arrangements and division of family property can alleviate some of those stresses.

Spousal support can be a complex and unpredictable area of family law, with many variables to consider. Legal guidance will help ensure that your best interests are protected and that an equitable financial arrangement is made between separating and divorcing spouses.

Whether a Canadian employer requires large numbers of temporary foreign workers for a short-term project, or a steady flow of skilled individuals on assignment to fill multiple roles at multiple Canadian locations, Watson Goepel makes these employment transitions work smoothly for employers and individual workers and their families.

Did your insurance broker place enough coverage? We provide clarity in times of uncertainty, guidance in times of instability, and tailored solutions to meet your unique needs.

An insurance broker’s responsibility is to anticipate your needs and show you the policy options that are available to you. They also have to notify you if your insurance policy has expired. If they fail to do so, they could potentially be found liable for losses you have suffered.

In times of financial challenge, you need experienced guidance you can trust.  We act for both creditors and debtors in all areas related to bankruptcy, foreclosure claims and complex reorganizations. We have experience assisting business owners, financial advisors, insolvency professionals and creditors with complex and sophisticated business structures, unique industries, and unusual assets that make traditional procedures challenging.

We help you resolve outstanding disputes so you can focus on growing your business. We act for a broad range of corporate and commercial clients, from individuals to companies, in every area of business.

We provide litigation services to a broad range of construction clients, including owners, strata council, developers, general contractors, subcontractors, architects, engineers and material suppliers. From individual residential properties to large scale development projects, we are dedicated to helping you resolve your dispute as efficiently and cost consciously as possible.

We understand how important benefits are for those living with a short or long-term disability. If an insurance company refuses to pay a claim, or has terminated, denied or delayed benefits, the claim should be investigated as soon as possible. Having a trusted lawyer on your side to advocate on your behalf with the insurance company makes all the difference.

When disputes arise between employers and employees, it is in the best interests of all parties that they be resolved as efficiently and cost sensitively as possible.

Canada has laws which protect against discrimination on the basis of race, colour, place of origin, gender, gender identity or expression, political affiliation, sexual orientation, age, religion, marital or family status, and union membership. Laws are also in place to protect employees from bullying and harassment in the workplace.

We act for Canadian and international insurance companies and policy holders for losses ranging from catastrophic to nuisance. We represent clients at all levels of court throughout the province of British Columbia, providing occasional counsel in Alberta, Ontario and at the Federal courts.

Privacy Law deals with regulations surrounding the storage, collection, and use of personal information and images between private citizens and public and private organizations.

Our experienced litigation and dispute resolution team assist businesses in many areas of privacy law including:

When conflicts arise between professionals and the regulatory organizations that govern them, there is a risk of disciplinary action, including financial penalties, license suspensions or termination. Our team of experienced litigators act for a diverse range of professionals facing regulatory challenges, including lawyers, accountants, real estate agents, health professionals and engineers.

In an increasingly specialized world, businesses and individuals look to professionals for advice and assistance with growing regularity. When a professional fails to meet the standards expected of them, or acts in a manner that goes against the best interests of their client, the results can range from undesirable to catastrophic. Our team of litigators has experience assisting clients with professional negligence or liability claims against a variety of professionals including, accountants, engineers, lawyers and medical professionals.

Our experienced securities litigation team acts for a broad range of individuals and corporations including investment dealers and advisors, securities issuers, directors, shareholders, and other professionals and securities industry participants.

When disputes arise between strata corporations, management companies or owners, our team of experienced lawyers provide the guidance needed to reach an efficient and cost sensitive solution, regardless of the size or complexity of the issue.

We have extensive experience acting for a range of transportation clients including shippers, carriers, port service providers, municipalities and other related parties. We have negotiated settlement based resolutions, and have represented clients in trials and arbitrations as required.

When will or estate disputes arise, they can be emotionally fraught and disruptive to families. Our team of estate litigators has the experience and knowledge to assist you in the resolution of your dispute in the most efficient and cost-sensitive manner possible, bearing in mind the complex sensitivities of family dynamics.

Brain injuries can range in severity, from a mild concussion to a severe traumatic brain injury. A serious brain injury is a devastating and life changing event, and can leave the injured person unable to work, care for their family or in some cases even function normally on a day to day basis.

Our experienced team of neck and back injury lawyers will help you source the medical treatments needed to ensure your best chances for recovery, and will help you receive the compensation you are entitled to.

A slip and fall is often a sudden and confusing event that you may wish to minimize in the moment to avoid embarrassment. A slip and fall may result in an obvious injury at the time of the event, or the severity of your injury may emerge later or worsen over time. If your slip and fall injury is the result of someone else’s negligence, you are likely entitled to compensation to help with your recovery and ease your pain and suffering.

If you or someone you love has sustained a spinal cord injury as a result of someone else’s negligence, you want to know that your rights are being protected and that you receive all the support you are entitled to including medical expenses, pain and suffering including emotional destress, and lost wages. Reach out to one of our Spinal Cord Injury lawyers today for a free consultation, to ensure that your rights are being protected.

When will or estate disputes arise, they can be emotionally fraught and disruptive to families. Our team of estate litigators has the experience and knowledge to assist you in the resolution of your dispute in the most efficient and cost-sensitive manner possible, bearing in mind the complex sensitivities of family dynamics.