"Bryan has been my lawyer for the past 16 years. His advice and keen insight into the complexities and, often times, ridiculousness of legal niceties have steered this firm well. He is very articulate and a great teacher with a wonderful sense of humor, good understanding of the odds, excellent taste in art, and a principle who answers his own phone. Enough can't be stated in this little comment box - it has a been a privilege to work with him."
Colin Kwok - Managing Director / Chief Border Collie
Azurean Sculpture + Architecture
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"Bryan is:
-Very accessible.
-Extremely quick to respond, even if time is
not of the essence.
-Aware that the decision has to be a good
business decision with the correct legal
advice.
-Meticulous in preparation or perusal of
documents.
-Highly experienced in the Construction
Industry.
-Able to open access to a large network in which
he is highly respected.
In general, he is understanding and easy to work with as part of our team.
"
William R Thomson - Preisdent
TIL Construction Ltd. and PWC Constructors Ltd.
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"Bryan has been advising our firm on both Client-Architect and Construction contracts since our company was founded over 25 years ago. We continue to keep going back to Bryan and his colleagues at SH&K because of their enormous depth of experience and terrific responsiveness.
I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending Bryan to other architects and clients. He is one of the best around.
"
Michael Heeney - Principal and Executive Director
Bing Thom Architects Inc
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"Experience - A +
Ease of working - A +
Timeliness - A +
Effectiveness - A +
Clarity - A +
Brian has immediate grasp of complex issues, the related law,and the sound judgement to recommend the optimum course of action. He has successfully guided our firm in legal matters related to our ever growing practice since 1972."
John R. Griffin - Senior Partner
DGBK Architects
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"I have had the pleasure of working with Bryan Shapiro on several construction contracts related to our British Columbia retail development projects. Those contracts have included Fixed Price, Guaranteed Maximum Upset, and Construction Management formats. Bryan's expertise, timely, and efficient delivery of his service, and calm, professional demeanor in negotiations have all been greatly appreciated. The quality of the final work is consistently impressive; I would highly recommend Bryan to anyone entering into complex construction contract negotiations."
Geoff Nagle - Director, Development, Western Canada
Morguard Investments Limited
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"Bryan Shapiro has represented our company's legal needs since its inception over 11 years ago. The small size of our practice and naive nature of our inquiries have never discouraged Bryan's direct and focused attention. We're certain that his involvement with our practice has protected us from significant unwanted legal exposure. Bryan's cordial manner is matched by his forthright and considered advice. He is a consummate professional."
David Battersby - Partner
BattersbyHowat Inc.
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"My comments center around my relationship with Bryan and his firm while I was Director of Facilities at the Insurance Corporation of BC.
I was hired to undertake a rigorous building program for ICBC. We were to build nine new Claim Centers in a very short period of time.
The approach was to use a design-build process based on a functional program developed by ourselves. It was agreed by ICBC's Corporate Law Department that we would need the help of a top Construction Litigator to ensure that everything we did was bullet proof.
In short, a major Design Builder was successful and was awarded two projects. During the Design process they requested an alternate and were referred to the Documents that were part of the bid process. They chose to go with an alternate and when the buildings were commissioned, it was found that they did not meet the functional standards required.
They came after the Corporation for $950,000, as that was the cost to make the project right.
It cost us $66k as our part of the arbitration fee, which still aggravates me to this day. Our documents were bullet proof and the President of that Company admitted that they took a chance and lost.
Bryan taught me a lot about avoiding conflict by doing your due diligence at the front end and it has served me well.
When I left ICBC to become Assistant Deputy Minister of Government Services for the Province of Manitoba, I continued to contact Bryan for advice and, to this day, I have never forgotten his sage advice.
Why am I telling you all this? First, you asked, and secondly (and I think most importantly), Bryan's relationship with ICBC was more than Lawyer to Client. He partnered with us and didn't do his work "to us"; he did it "with us." There is a huge difference in those two approaches and I have not had the same experience with other firms since.
"
Hugh Swan - Executive Director, Facilities
University of Winnipeg
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"Mr. Bryan Shapiro is one of the most prompt and efficient lawyers that I have worked with. In the world of mining projects, the pace at times is extremely difficult, if not impossible to keep up with, and I have found that over the years Mr. Shapiro is ready, able, and willing to provide legal direction, advice, and details on very short notice. I know I can always count on Bryan to answer a question thoroughly, efficiently, and, above all, quickly. There are no long waits for an e-mail or telephone response. The answer is usually made available within hours of having asked the question. The service and turn-around time are exceptional!"
Andrea Zaradic - Sr. Project Manager
Kobex Resources Ltd
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"I have worked with Bryan over the years since 1993. I found him to definitely be one of the top lawyers in Vancouver. His ability to cut through the complex issues to get to a high-level strategic position and to move a project forward is outstanding. His company has always communicated extremely well with ours, which is wonderful, especially considering the complexity of the issues our firms normally get engaged in with his company."
Steven Elias - Director
Altus Group
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"Bryan can read a contract and provide appropriate comments like no one I have ever met in the industry. He is always "right on the money." He really helps to mitigate problems before they ever become one."
Geoffrey Glotman - Managing Principal
Glotman.Simpson Consulting Engineers
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"He is very experienced in all fields of construction law. He thinks very fast and can outline any potential problems in any contractual agreements in the very complex construction field. He is well spoken, and he is able to explain all complex legal problems to business people."
Franz Gehriger - President
Swissreal Investments LTD.
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"Bryan excels at drafting and reviewing the wording of contract provisions.
The best lawyers are those who make the effort to get to really know and understand their client, and Bryan falls into that category.
"
Don Nishimura - President & COO
Scott Construction Group
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"Mr. Shapiro was referred to me by one of my clients who is a developer in Vancouver. His words were "You need to have Mr. Shapiro on your side if you ever need to deal with anyone regarding encroachment agreements or air rights." Well, the day did come when a developer approached me on one of my rental properties to build a hi-rise next door to me. I hired Mr. Shapiro and he set the guidelines straight from day one with my developer neighbor, which made my life so much easier. He took care of all the details and protected my interests better than I ever anticipated. I now know why he is tops in his field. I strongly recommend him."
Gomes Adrian - Realtor
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"Mr. Bryan Shapiro is capable of talking to his clients in a straight-forward manner that provides a dose of reality. Construction professionals, whether they be contractors or owners, have to make difficult and timely decisions that involve large sums of money and they are dependent on evaluating the legal side as well as the business side of their positions. Bryan is capable of providing the no-nonsense side of the legal issues based on his extensive background and experience. Bryan Shapiro is highly recommended to people in the construction industry.
"
Al Morgan
Revay and Associates Ltd.
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"Mr. Shapiro of SHK delivers timely effective responses, strong communication skills and a high level of knowledge in the area of construction contract law. He has provided our team excellent advice and support."
Chris Ford - Senior Adjuster
FM Global
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"Delivering successful large projects on-time and on-budget in an overheated construction market requires a delicate balance between thorough assessment of risk, optimization of costs by transferring risk to the right party, and timely execution of contracts to keep contractors engaged and escalation costs down.
Bryan Shapiro has a keen awareness of this balance, and of the many lawyers and law firms that I deal with, he has without question been the most responsive, supportive and pragmatic in putting effective contracts in place, all while making me feel like I am his most important client.
"
Reimer Barry - President
Acumen Consulting Ltd.
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"I have known Brian professionally for over 25 years and believe he is one of the most knowledgeable and professional lawyers active in the construction and development industry in British Columbia. He has always been very active in providing professional advice to architects and engineers in assisting particularly the young professionals in understanding their respective professional responsibilities. His assistance is always extremely thoughtful and thorough."
Bob McKay - SR. Vice President
Concert Properties
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"Mr. Shapiro is one of the most knowledgeable, professional, and respected lawyers in the filed of architecture and construction in British Columbia. I have had the distinct pleasure of knowing Mr. Shapiro for over 25 years. He has lectured many architects during registration courses, mentored and inspired many young people, and provided state-of-the-art legal advice to many clients and our architectural firm."
Helen Avini Besharat - Architect
BESHARAT FRIARS Architects
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"I am an insurance broker who specializes in professional liability for Architects and Engineers. I have worked with Brian when he has represented my clients in professional liability claims. He has always been very professional, very technical, and very successful.
I have also given numerous loss control talks with Brian to the various professional associations. Again, I have found him to be very knowledgeable and an excellent speaker.
"
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