Gavyn B. Backus

Valerie is the Chair of the firm’s Technology Group and the Social Impact and Sustainable Business Group. Val’s practice is transactional (M&A, private equity/venture capital and corporate finance) and advisory including corporate governance including advising boards and special committees. Val is the former Managing Partner of the Firm. Val has been lead counsel on a number of large and mid-market transactions focused on private equity and venture capital financings, mergers ...

Rebecca Cleary is a member of the firm’s Construction + Engineering, Insurance and Environmental Practices. Rebecca has an active commercial construction practice. She has assisted owners, trades and consultants with contract disputes, builders’ liens and construction litigation. Rebecca also defends construction professionals including developers, architects, engineers, trades and land surveyors, in a wide variety of error and omission claims.

Irv focuses his practice on acting for banks and other lenders and borrowers in secured and unsecured financing and leasing transactions. His clients include financial institutions, merchant banks and other lenders, and a mix of borrowers who are engaged in financing transactions at the local, national and international level. Irv has been involved in the financing of an extensive range of businesses including aircraft, forest and mining products, farming, merchant banks, hotels, oil and gas ...

Growing up working Saturdays and summers in the small business his father started, Richard experienced firsthand the things that are needed to keep a business going. Early mornings. Hard work. Keeping customers happy. Today, with a legal practice focused on providing tax, trust and estate advice, Richard still draws on those early lessons, recognizing that he is dealing with people’s livelihoods and families. He works with our clients to define their family, business and tax objectives ...

Cheyenne Reese is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Tax Law and Trusts and Estates. Cheyenne, who practices law in Vancouver, British Columbia, has been recognized since 2020. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Cheyenne is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

As the managing partner of one of Western Canada’s largest law firms, Emily’s leadership and strategic vision ensures that Clark Wilson delivers excellent service to our clients across Canada and around the globe. She is consistently recognized by her peers across the country as a Best Lawyer® in Canada for Trusts and Estates, and is a repeatedly recommended lawyer by Lexpert. Emily has been lead litigation counsel on cases at all levels of Court. She has acted as counsel in c...

Greg Plater is Head of the Real Estate Group in the Vancouver office, lead partner of the Real Estate Group for Western Canada, Co-Head of the National Real Estate Group and a member of the Projects & Infrastructure Group. Greg provides advice with respect to all aspects of real estate acquisitions, dispositions, financings, pre-purchase transactions, development projects, joint ventures, construction arrangements and leasing (including ground leases of private and government owned land) ...

Michael Steinbach is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Corporate and Commercial Litigation. Michael, 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 Michael is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Andrea is a lawyer in the Private Wealth Group at Farris LLP. She focuses her practice on assisting clients with sophisticated estate and trust planning and administration. She provides succession planning advice and works with clients to craft trust documents, wills and testamentary instruments, powers of attorney and representation agreements which respond to their specific needs. Andrea also provides services to executors and trustees. Andrea is a frequent speaker for a wide variety of gro...

Approachable, relentless, and hard-working, Tony has over 15 years of experience litigating tort cases, including product liability, professional negligence and major personal injury. Before joining Rice Harbut Elliott, Tony started his career as a law clerk to Justices of the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench and Court of Appeal, and then spent nearly a decade as a defence lawyer, gaining a keen perspective on how defendants assess and handle claims. Tony has conducted dozens of trials, c...