Background

Graham Walker is a partner at our Vancouver office. Graham is the leader of the Insurance and Tort Law Practice Group in Vancouver and the Chair of BLG's National Transportation Group. Graham was admitted to the British Columbia Bar in 1994. He is a graduate of the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Laws in 1993. Prior to that, Graham received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Victoria in 1989.

Areas of Practice

Graham practises in the areas of transportation law (with a focus on maritime, rail and trucking), environmental law, insurance and tort law and general commercial litigation.

Professional Experience

• Graham's practice focuses on transportation (maritime, rail and trucking) and environmental matters. He is an active member of the Firm's Transportation, Marine, Environmental, and Construction and Engineering Groups.

Transportation

• Graham has acted as counsel on a wide variety of transportation matters including marine pollution, casualties, commercial disputes, cargo claims, bills of lading and contracts of affreightment disputes, collision, allision and grounding claims, derailments, ship arrest and sale, cargo arrest, mareva injunctions, dangerous goods, immigration, coasting permits and cabotage, purchase and sale of vessels, financings, terminal services agreements, warehouse leases, charterparties, charterparty negotiations, as well as many other matters.

Environmental

• Graham was lead counsel in the CN v. ABC Recycling case (April 2005; Court of Appeal, October 2006) - the first decision in British Columbia to consider what are reasonably incurred costs of remediation under BC's Environmental Management Act. He has acted as counsel on many insurance claims, environmental prosecutions and civil disputes involving environmental issues, including land development impacts, migrating pollution, fisheries issues, transport of dangerous goods, agricultural issues, heritage issues, aboriginal issues, mining issues, forestry issues and administrative matters. Graham also has broad experience drafting and negotiating environmental management and remediation cost agreements and access agreements.

Insurance and Tort

• Graham's practice focuses on issues of particular import to the transportation, environmental, and construction industries and includes advice on coverage issues, product liability and warranty issues.

General

• He has appeared before municipal councils, administrative tribunals, and provincial, superior, appellate and federal courts and conducted educational seminars for the bar, clients and businesses. Graham is also active in mediation and other forms of alternative dispute resolution.

Professional and Community Activities

Speaking Engagements and Publications

• Presenter on a wide variety of maritime, environmental and construction law matters
• Contributing author, Products Liability chapter for Business Disputes Textbook, published by The Continuing Legal Education Society of B.C.
• Contributing author, Transportation of Dangerous Goods chapter for Due Diligence Deskbook, published by the Continuing Legal Education Society of B.C.
• Contributing author, Maritime Law chapter for Annual Review of Law and Practice, published by The Continuing Legal Education Society of B.C., 2011
• International Bar Association Conference, International Carriage of Goods – A Canadian Perspective, October 2010
• Borden Ladner Gervais LLP's Client Seminar: Environmental Law – Environmental Case Law Update, June 11, 2009
• Grunt Club Seminar: Cami v. Westwood et al 2009 FC 664 "The Westwood Anette", December 4, 2009
• Lexpert: Recent Decisions in Canadian Maritime Law, May 2008
• The Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia's Environmental Law Conference 2007: Case Law Update / What Are Reasonable Costs of Remediation?, October 11, 2007
• Pacific Business & Law Institute's Seminar: Contaminated Sites Legal Update 2007 – Recovery and Allocation of Remediation Costs, May 16, 2007
• The Lawyers Weekly: Canada's Right to Detain Foreign Vessels, October 6, 2006
• P and I (Protection and Indemnity Insurance) Seminar (various): The Enforcement of Marine Ecology Laws in Canada (Bill C-15), September 2005
• Borden Ladner Gervais LLP's Client Seminar: Environmental Law – Litigation Update: Where Are We Now?, June 1, 2005
• Environmental Managers Association Seminar: Guidelines For Responding to an Environmental Incident, January 27, 2005
• Grunt Club Seminar: The Enforcement of Marine Ecology Laws in Canada, December 3, 2004
• US Maritime Law Association Seminar: The Enforcement of Marine Ecology Laws in Canada, November 11, 2004
• Insight Information Co.'s Seminar: Environmental Law in B.C. – The New Results Based Approach, December 4 and 5, 2003
• Borden Ladner Gervais LLP's Internal Seminar: Guidelines For Responding To An Environmental Incident
• Borden Ladner Gervais LLP's Internal Seminar: Defences to Environmental Charges – Due Diligence
• Borden Ladner Gervais LLP's Client Seminar: Environmental Law Seminar, October 17, 2001
• Trial Lawyers Association of BC Seminar: Business Suits: Expanding Your Commercial Litigation Wardrobe - Real Estate Litigation (Toxic Property), December 3, 1999
• Borden Ladner Gervais LLP's Client Seminar: Builders' Liens in British Columbia, May 27, 1999
• Borden Ladner Gervais LLP's Client Seminar: Environmental Law: Recent Developments in Law and Practice, February 17, 1999
• Borden Ladner Gervais LLP's Client Seminar: Builders Liens: A Property Manager's Guide, December 21, 1998
• Borden Ladner Gervais LLP's Client Seminar: The New Builders Lien Act - Bill 38, October 2, 1997
• Borden Ladner Gervais LLP's Client Seminar: Builders Liens and Collections, November 28, 1996
• Borden Ladner Gervais LLP's Client Seminar: Builders Liens and Collections, July 18, 1995
• Contributing author on British Columbia law for Environmental Spills: Emergency Reporting, Cleanup and Liability, Carswell, 1993, E. Gerlock & M. McConnell, Editors. [now discontinued]
• Editor, British Columbia Environmental Law Digest, 1998, 1999, published by Western Legal Publications. [discontinued]

Community Activities

• Past Co-chair of CBA Environmental Law Subsection (Vancouver)
• Member, CBA Maritime Law Subsection (Vancouver)
• Director, Canadian Maritime Law Association (CMLA)
• Member, Plimsoll Club
• American Bar Association, Environmental Litigation Subsection
• West Vancouver Field Hockey Club
• West Vancouver Yacht Club