JoAnne Barnum

JoAnne maintains a broad litigation practice, focused on the areas of health, insurance, regulatory, and Aboriginal law.

JoAnne has been at Harper Grey for the bulk of her legal career, joining as an associate after summering with the Firm. Prior to that, she interned at the Legal Services Board of Nunavut and was a student clinician at the UBC Indigenous Community Legal Clinic. During this time, JoAnne discovered her passion for Aboriginal law. Now, after honing her practice over many years, she routinely acts for First Nations in a broad range of litigation matters. JoAnne has appeared at all levels of court in British Columbia, as well as Federal Court and numerous tribunals.

Her insurance practice includes both subrogation and defence work. She acts for insurers pursuing subrogated actions in property damage claims, and defends insurers in matters involving property disputes, bodily injury claims, and professional negligence.

In her health law practice, JoAnne assists medical professionals in a variety of situations. She defends medical professionals in malpractice claims, and also represents them in matters involving their respective Colleges, the Human Rights Tribunal, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner, and other tribunals.

An emerging leader in her field, JoAnne has been recognized by Best Lawyers as ‘One to Watch’ in the areas of insurance law and medical negligence.

JoAnne is passionate about contributing to the legal profession. She works with Access Pro Bono as duty counsel to provide free summary legal advice to low-income individuals and is a supervising lawyer for the Law Students Legal Advice program.