Sarah's practice includes all aspects of commercial arbitration and litigation. Sarah acts for clients in a broad range of matters, including contract disputes, defamation law, real estate disputes and appeals, and has a particular expertise assisting construction clients with disputes arising from their projects.
Sarah has successfully represented clients and assisted senior counsel on a number of complex disputes at all levels of court in British Columbia. She also regularly appears as counsel in significant domestic and international commercial arbitration proceedings in a wide variety of industry sectors, including construction and infrastructure, energy, mining, pharmaceuticals, and manufacturing.
Sarah is also routinely asked to advise on drafting and interpreting arbitration and multi-step dispute resolution clauses, as well as helping clients navigate their related procedures, including settlement meetings, referee procedures and hearings, and jurisdictional issues.
Prior to joining BLG, Sarah clerked for the Honourable Madam Justice Gagné of the Federal Court and Court Martial Appeal Court of Canada.
Sarah is fluently bilingual in French and English and can advise on matters in both official languages.
Experience
- Sarah's experience includes, but is not limited to, the following.
- Counsel to the successful party in a joint venture dispute arising in relation to a major mine in an Asian state (UNCITRAL).
- Counsel in an expedited arbitration proceeding with respect to a dispute under a manufacturing agreement for a life sciences and biotechnology research client (VanIAC).
- Counsel to a general contractor in a dispute relating to non-payment, successfully advancing a claim to obtain compensation for services rendered, and defending against claims for alleged defects, and deficiencies (ad hoc).
- Counsel to the purchaser of shares in a post-closing adjustments dispute, focusing on the application of generally accepted accounting principles (VanIAC).
- Counsel to a British Columbia energy utility in a series of construction-related claims arising from a major public infrastructure project (VanIAC).
- Counsel to an energy purchaser in a dispute relating to the construction of a run-of-river hydroelectric project (VanIAC).
- Counsel to a major British Columbia insurer in respect of a dispute with a broker.
- Counsel to the successful respondent on an application for leave to appeal from an arbitration award issued by the Honourable Ian Binnie (Clemina Hydro Power Limited Partnership v. British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority).
- Counsel in four actions, involving multiple applications to have certificates of pending litigation cancelled because the underlying pleadings did not claim an interest in land, successfully obtaining cancellation orders, with an order of special costs in three applications (1113464 B.C. Ltd. v. 1207795 B.C. Ltd., 1267070 B.C. Ltd. v. 1208471 B.C. Ltd., Maharaj v. Chou).
- Sarah's experience includes, but is not limited to, the following.
- Counsel to the successful party in a joint venture dispute arising in relation to a major mine in an Asian state (UNCITRAL).
- Counsel in an expedited arbitration proceeding with respect to a dispute under a manufacturing agreement for a life sciences and biotechnology research client (VanIAC).
- Counsel to a general contractor in a dispute relating to non-payment, successfully advancing a claim to obtain compensation for services rendered, and defending against claims for alleged defects, and deficiencies (ad hoc).
- Counsel to the purchaser of shares in a post-closing adjustments dispute, focusing on the application of generally accepted accounting principles (VanIAC).
- Counsel to a British Columbia energy utility in a series of construction-related claims arising from a major public infrastructure project (VanIAC).
- Counsel to an energy purchaser in a dispute relating to the construction of a run-of-river hydroelectric project (VanIAC).
- Counsel to a major British Columbia insurer in respect of a dispute with a broker.
- Counsel to the successful respondent on an application for leave to appeal from an arbitration award issued by the Honourable Ian Binnie (Clemina Hydro Power Limited Partnership v. British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority).
- Counsel in four actions, involving multiple applications to have certificates of pending litigation cancelled because the underlying pleadings did not claim an interest in land, successfully obtaining cancellation orders, with an order of special costs in three applications (1113464 B.C. Ltd. v. 1207795 B.C. Ltd., 1267070 B.C. Ltd. v. 1208471 B.C. Ltd., Maharaj v. Chou).
