Best Lawyers in British Columbia, Canada for Administrative and Public Law
Matt Pierce is a partner with a broad litigation and dispute resolution practice. Matt advises and represents clients across a wide range of civil and commercial disputes including complex contract disputes, shareholder disputes, construction and real estate disputes, corporate and securities law matters, employment law matters, class actions, insolvency matters, regulatory matters, and judicial review of administrative action. Matt appears regularly before the British Columbia Supreme Court ...
Andrew Nathanson, KC focuses on complex commercial litigation and white collar crime. He is Co-Chair of Fasken’s Commercial Litigation Group in BC and Co-Leader of the firm’s national White Collar Defence and Investigations group. Andrew is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and has been ranked as a leading litigator in diverse areas including corporate and commercial litigation, directors and officers' liability, securities litigation, public law and criminal defen...
Ludmila is an experienced litigator. For 25 years, she has acted for clients in corporate, commercial, regulatory and public law matters dealing with shareholder and other corporate disputes, contractual issues, real property (including property tax), energy regulation, anti-money laundering issues and many others. She has represented clients before all trial and appellate courts in British Columbia as well as the Federal Court and the Supreme Court of Canada. Ludmila also often argues cases ...
Nick Hooge is a Partner in Farris’ litigation group. He has a general litigation practice and has appeared in all levels of courts in British Columbia, as well as in the Federal Court of Canada, the Federal Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada. Nick has experience in a wide range of complex civil and commercial matters including contract disputes, product liability claims, real property litigation, corporate and securities law, administrative law, competitioner & antitrus...
Randy J. Kaardal, K.C. is a senior litigator handling a wide range of commercial litigation for clients in the financial, mining, forestry, and manufacturing sectors. He has conducted hearings before all levels of Court in Canada, including the Supreme Court of British Columbia, the British Columbia Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada. He also regularly appears before various administrative tribunals including the B.C. Securities Commission, the Federal and Provincial Human Rights...
Claire Hunter, K.C. is an experienced litigator with a broad civil litigation, public and administrative law and appellate practice. She appears regularly as counsel at both the trial and appellate level, including all levels of court in British Columbia and the Supreme Court of Canada, and before arbitration tribunals and administrative boards. She has experience working on complex commercial matters, including conducting internal investigations and conducting trials and appeals in high prof...
William Smart, K.C. is a senior litigator who has over 45 years of experience primarily in the areas of criminal, administrative and regulatory law. This includes representing clients under investigation or charged pursuant to various federal and provincial Acts such as the Income Tax Act, Canada Labour Code, Fisheries Act, Customs Act, Excise Act, Workers Compensation Act, Mines Act, Securities Act, Police Act, Gaming Enforcement Act and Elections Act, as well as representing lawyers, teache...
Jeff Langlois practices civil litigation and Aboriginal law in JFK’s Vancouver office, focusing on constitutional litigation, Crown consultation and environmental law. In his Aboriginal law practice, Jeff strives to support his clients’ efforts to protect and advance their Aboriginal and Treaty rights and expand First Nations’ self-determination over their lands and waters. Jeff advances his clients’ interests in a broad range of contexts, including through the courts,...
Paul Heisler is counsel at the firm and practices in the areas of employment law, constitutional litigation, and commercial litigation. Paul has extensive experience representing clients in disputes relating to wrongful dismissal, privacy law, workers’ compensation, post-employment competition, human rights, public law, labour relations, shareholder rights, and commercial matters. Paul also regularly provides legal and strategic advice to both employers and senior employees in the publi...
Kim is a senior partner at Harper Grey and an elected member of our Practice Management Committee. Routinely recognized by various legal ranking publications, Kim is known among clients and colleagues as strategic, tenacious, and knowledgeable. At the beginning of her career, Kim represented the College of Physicians and Surgeons of B.C. and had a general litigation practice. She currently maintains a busy broad-based practice. Her civil litigation practice has, over the years, included profe...
Mark Oulton is senior litigation counsel practicing general commercial and administrative litigation with a focus on forestry related matters. For over 20 years, Mark has appeared regularly as counsel before the Forest Appeals Commission, all levels of the British Columbia Courts and the Supreme Court of Canada. He also has an active commercial arbitration and mediation practice, representing clients in all manner of disputes. Mark’s focus is on solving his clients’ problems, whet...
Tom is a founding partner* at Roper Greyell where he advises employers on all aspects of employment law and labour relations and represents clients in employment related litigation. A tireless advocate for the highest standards of employment and labour practices, Tom’s expertise is sought after by clients, organizations, educators and colleagues. During his career, spanning over five decades, Tom has shared his extensive experience and technical understanding of the law with young lawye...
Laesha J. Smith is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Administrative and Public Law and Appellate Practice. Laesha, who practices law in Vancouver, British Columbia, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Laesha is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
William is a senior partner at Harper Grey, the chair of our professional regulation group and co-chair of our health law group. William represents clients in both civil and regulatory matters. His primary areas of practice include professional regulation and discipline, civil sexual assault litigation, civil and billing fraud, credentials proceedings, human rights and discrimination in a professional context, privacy, professional ethics, and fitness to practice. He acts both for professiona...
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.