David Madsen

KC, FCIarb

Partner

Calgary
[email protected]
403.232.9612

David practices in all areas of commercial litigation, in particular representing Canadian and international clients in litigation and alternative dispute resolution.

His practice focuses on:

  • all sectors of the oil and gas industry
  • electricity generation
  • cybersecurity
  • intellectual property including patent, trademark, copyright, software piracy, and the misappropriation of confidential information and technology
  • class actions defense
  • shareholders’ rights
  • mergers and acquisitions, including hostile take-over bids, Plans of Arrangement, and dissent valuation proceedings
  • insolvency and banking litigation
  • fraud and fidelity-related actions
  • Anton Piller Orders and Mareva Injunctions
  • land-related claims

David has dealt with matters in all courts in Alberta, including the Alberta Court of Appeal; courts in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Newfoundland; the Supreme Court of Canada; and the Federal Court of Canada.

He has also dealt with matters in the Alberta Securities Commission, and Canadian and international arbitrations.

David is a member of BLG's Partnership Board, our firm's governing body. 

David provides legal services through a Law Corporation.

Experience

  • Representing Weatherford International, an international oilfield services company, in the largest and most complex intellectual property (non-pharma) litigation in Canada recent years.
  • Representing Precision Drilling Corp., an international oilfield services company, in intellectual property claims including a claim for $500 million with concurrent proceedings in Canada, the U.S. and Europe.
  • Representing international oilfield services companies in relation to fraud in Canada, the U.S., India and Southeast Asia.
  • Representing the Bank of Nova Scotia, a Canadian chartered bank, in several class actions.
  • Representing DirecTV and Dish Network, international satellite television service providers, in combating theft of services and hacking by organized crime syndicates, including the execution of numerous Anton Piller Orders and Mareva Injunctions.
  • Representing numerous public companies in hostile take-over bid litigation including poison pills and dissent valuation proceedings.
  • Representing numerous Canadian chartered banks, national and international corporations, and other lending institutions in security enforcement proceedings, including CCAA, receivership and bankruptcy matters, large-scale agricultural-related work-outs and foreclosure litigation.
  • Representing electrical power generating companies in arbitration proceedings concerning their Power Purchase Arrangements.

Beyond Our Walls

Professional Involvement

  • Member, Canadian Bar Association (CBA) - Intellectual Property Section, Civil Litigation Section, Insolvency Subsection
  • Member, Alberta Mortgage Loans Association
  • Member, International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition
  • Lecturer, Continuing Legal Education Society of Alberta

Community Involvement

  • Extensive involvement with Calgary Minor Basketball and Calgary Minor Soccer
  • Volunteer with Canadian Cancer Society, Heart & Stroke Fund, Nothing But Nets, BLG Reads to Kids Program, Pro Bono Law
  • (Past) President, Lindsay Park Sports Society Board of Directors, Talisman Centre

Awards & Recognitions

  • Recognized in the 2025 (and since 2015) edition of The Best Lawyers in Canada® (Class Action Litigation and Corporate and Commercial Litigation)
  • Recognized in the 2025 (and since 2020) edition of Chambers Canada - Canada's Leading Lawyers for Business (Litigation: General Commercial - Alberta).
  • Recognized in the 2024 edition (and since 2015) of Benchmark Canada – The Definitive Guide to Canada’s Leading Litigation Firms and Attorneys as a "Litigation Star: Arbitration, Class Actions, Commercial, Intellectual Property, Securities."
  • Recognized in the 2022 edition of The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory (Litigation - Corporate Commercial)
  • Recognized in the 2022 edition of Lexpert Special Edition: Energy
  • Recognized as the Intellectual Property Litigator of the Year by the 2018 Benchmark Canada Awards.
  • Recognized in the 2015 edition of Benchmark Canada – The Definitive Guide to Canada’s Leading Litigation Firms and Attorneys as a "Local Litigation Star: Alberta" and "Litigation Star: General Commercial and Aboriginal."
  • Martindale-Hubbell® BV® Distinguished™ 4.4 out of 5 Peer Review Rated.

Bar Admission & Education

  • Alberta, 1988
  • LLB (with Distinction), University of Saskatchewan, 1987
  • BA (with Distinction), University of Saskatchewan, 1985