Patrick Williams

In the bustling city of Vancouver, Patrick Williams has carved out a distinguished role as a litigator within the firm's Litigation Group. His professional journey is marked by his representation of top-tier Canadian and global entities embroiled in high-stakes commercial disputes. With a keen focus on contract disagreements and product liability issues, Patrick's expertise spans across an array of legal challenges, including arbitrations, class actions, and dealings with regulatory bodies. His legal acumen also extends to the realms of administrative and public law, where he navigates the complexities of disputes with governmental entities across various levels.

Patrick's legal prowess is not confined to a single industry. He skillfully advocates for clients across a diverse spectrum, including but not limited to, consumer products, energy, mining, real estate, technology, and transportation sectors. His extensive courtroom experience includes appearances before the Supreme Court of Canada, all judicial levels within British Columbia, the Federal Court of Appeal, the Federal Court, and numerous arbitration panels, both domestically and internationally, alongside various administrative tribunals.

Throughout his career, Patrick has tackled a wide range of notable cases. He has represented both claimants and respondents in arbitrations concerning real estate development, mineral royalties, energy agreements, and shareholder disagreements. His defense work includes representing prominent tobacco and pharmaceutical firms against health care cost recovery claims lodged by provincial governments, a leading railway company in forest fire-related litigation, automotive manufacturers in product liability cases, and a class of First Nations in a groundbreaking litigation concerning clean drinking water, culminating in an $8 billion settlement.

Moreover, Patrick's legal prowess has been instrumental in defending global online platforms in class actions over pricing displays, aiding a major ridesharing company through the regulatory maze of ridesharing laws in British Columbia, and representing a multinational engineering company in litigation stemming from the Mount Polley Tailings Storage Facility breach.

Beyond his casework, Patrick contributes his insights to the legal community as an author and editor, enriching the discourse on class action defense strategies and trends within Canada. His commitment to legal education and discourse is evident through his contributions to the fifth edition of "Defending Class Actions in Canada" and his role as National Co-Editor of the firm's Canadian Class Actions Monitor blog.

Patrick's dedication to service extends beyond the corporate realm, as he actively engages in pro bono work, representing individuals and nonprofit organizations. Notably, he represented a person with disabilities in a landmark case before the Supreme Court of Canada, which has become a pivotal reference in the discourse on discretionary trusts.

Educationally, Patrick's foundation is as impressive as his professional achievements, holding both a Bachelor of Commerce (Honors) and a Juris Doctor from the University of British Columbia. His early career was distinguished by a clerkship with Chief Justice Bauman at the Court of Appeal for British Columbia, setting the stage for his subsequent legal successes.

Recognition of Patrick's expertise and impact in the legal field is reflected in his inclusion in "Best Lawyers in Canada" across multiple categories, highlighting his influence in administrative and public law, corporate and commercial litigation, and class action litigation. A member of the British Columbia bar since 2015, Patrick Williams stands as a luminary in litigation and dispute resolution, appellate litigation, class actions, corporate commercial litigation, products liability, public law, and international arbitration. His work not only spans a broad spectrum of legal practices but also underscores a commitment to excellence in the fields of automotive, technology and communications, and global metals and mining industries.