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Shelby Liesch

Partner

Vancouver
[email protected]
604.640.4199

Expertise

Marissa Julmi

Practice Assistant

Vancouver
[email protected]
604.632.3520

Shelby’s practice focuses on all aspects of commercial litigation and arbitration. She acts for clients in a broad range of matters, including contract disputes, class actions, banking, fraud recovery, real estate litigation and appeals.

Shelby has successfully represented clients at all levels of court in British Columbia and assisted senior counsel on a number of complex commercial matters, including defending high profile class actions on behalf of clients. She has appeared as counsel before both domestic and international arbitration tribunals.

Shelby is a frequent author and speaker on a number of legal subjects. Shelby has served as Treasurer on the CBA Class Action Section executive since 2018. She is actively involved in the firm’s student recruitment, summer student and articling student programs.

Shelby completed a secondment with a national in-house legal team at one of BLG’s financial institution clients.

Prior to joining BLG as an articling student, Shelby clerked for six justices of the Supreme Court of British Columbia.

Experience

  • Lower v Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada, 2019 BCSC 2188 – counsel for the successful party on a summary trial application where the court dismissed each of the declarations sought by the plaintiff.
  • Counsel to the successful party in a domestic arbitration proceeding where the tribunal awarded the key declarations sought under a commercial agreement and a supplementary award for reasonable legal costs incurred in the arbitration (2019).
  • Coburn and Watson’s Metropolitan Home v. BMO Financial Group, 2019 BCSC 1456 – counsel for the successful party in relation to an application for disclosure of joint defence and tolling agreements.
  • Coburn and Watson’s Metropolitan Home v BMO Financial Group, 2019 BCSC 947 – counsel for the successful party in relation to an application for a declaration that privilege had been waived.
  • Intergulf Investment Corporation v. 0954704 B.C. Ltd., 2018 BCCA 337 – counsel for the successful party defending an appeal from a trial order declaring that contracts for the sale of residential properties were binding and enforceable.
  • Transnet Carrier Ltd. v. Vancouver City Savings Credit Union (unreported) – counsel for the successful party defending an action for negligence relating to fraudulent cheques drawn on the claimant’s account on the basis of the enforcement of an account verification provision in a business banking agreement.
  • Canadian Olympic Committee v. VF Outdoor Canada Co., 2016 BCSC 238 – counsel for the successful party on an application to dismiss or stay an action on the basis of territorial competence.
  • BC Ferry Services Ltd. v. Canadian Freightways (unreported) – counsel for the successful party in a regulatory dispute before the British Columbia Provincial Court.
  • Served as a prosecutor for the City of Vancouver for bylaw prosecutions, conducting seven trials before the British Columbia Provincial Court.
  • Completed a six month secondment with the in-house legal department of a leading financial institutions client.

Awards & Recognitions

  • Recognized in the 2023 edition (and since 2022) of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in Canada (Corporate and Commercial Litigation)

Beyond Our Walls

Professional Involvement

  • Treasurer, Class Action Section of CBABC
  • Member, Canadian Bar Association
  • Member, Law Society of British Columbia
  • Member, Vancouver Bar Association
  • Member, The Advocates Society
  • Member, Young Canadian Arbitration Practitioners

Community Involvement

  • Volunteer, Access Pro Bono Roster Program, Barrister and Court of Appeal
  • Volunteer, Pro Bono Students Canada ID Project – Downtown Eastside Clinic
  • United Way Campaign

Bar Admission & Education

  • British Columbia, 2016
  • JD, University of Victoria, 2014
  • BA (with Distinction), Simon Fraser University, 2011