Spencer Keys

I became a lawyer because I like taking care of people so they can relax and focus on living their lives.

Before law school I spent years as a government relations professional, explaining the effects of laws and policies to politicians so they could understand how their decisions affect people- from students to small business owners. Through my professional and personal experience, I know first hand that the law is a blunt instrument and a skilled lawyer can make it work for an individual’s needs.

Our practice at Charthouse includes corporate and commercial law, wills and estates, and real estate law, serving a variety of sectors, such as doctors, restaurants, medical marijuana and recreational cannabis investors, and developers. What that means is we can give you actionable advice to help you grow and protect the benefits of your life’s work. You don’t need to be concerned about the unexpected risks that you would never (and should never have to) think about.

My aim is always to ensure you feel listened to, understand not only what we are doing but why, and feel you have someone in your corner who you can talk to candidly about your legal issues in the future.

Spencer is the managing lawyer of Charthouse Lawyers, the Sunshine Coast’s law firm for business and estates. He is a lawyer, entrepreneur, former lobbyist, and essayist who has appeared in national and local publications and broadcasts including The Globe and Mail, Maclean’s, The Vancouver Sun, The Province, CBC’s The Passionate Eye and CTV News, and has won numerous writing and debating awards, including the Dalton Camp Award, the Canadian Media Lawyers’ Association’s Freedom of Expression Writing Prize, and the McGoun Cup, amongst others. Currently, he’s a trustee with the Sechelt Downtown Business Association.

Spencer holds degrees in law, philosophy and political science, and a diploma in accounting from the University of British Columbia, where he served on the board of the UBC Alumni Association, Vice-President of the Student Legal Fund Society, Editor-in-Chief of the UBC International Law Journal, and as the elected student president of the 45,000 member Alma Mater Society of UBC. He is the only Trusts and Estates Practitioner (TEP) on the Sunshine Coast, certified by the international Society of Trusts and Estates Practitioners, which accredits professionals who focus on estate planning, administration, and tax.

Spencer lives in Gibsons with his partner Veronica, a local elementary school teacher, their children, Shep and Dottie, and the world’s most tolerant cat, Hammy.