Western Canada Class Actions Conference 2024

Course Chairs
Brad Dixon, KC — Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, Vancouver
Avichay Sharon — Branch MacMaster LLP, Vancouver

About the Course Chairs
Brad Dixon is a partner in the Vancouver office of Borden Ladner Gervais. He is recognized nationally and in BC as a leading counsel in class action defence and complex commercial litigation matters. Called to the bar in 1990, Mr. Dixon has acted as defence counsel in numerous class actions involving product liability, consumer and competition law claims against some of Canada's largest corporations and multi-nationals. He has also defended class actions brought against government and governmental agencies on various public law claims. Mr. Dixon is a frequent speaker on class actions and is recognized for class action litigation in Best Lawyers in Canada, the Legal Lexpert Directory, Benchmark Canada, and Chambers Canada. He is a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America. He is the co-chair of BLG's national Class Action practice.

Avichay Sharon is a partner with Branch MacMaster LLP. Avichay has a broad civil litigation practice acting on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants, with particular focus in class actions, constitutional law and Charter litigation, administrative law, and insurance defence. Avichay has worked on class actions involving Charter claims, mass torts, price fixing and consumer protection laws, privacy rights, and environmental wrongs. Avichay also represents Canadian governments in complex litigation, both individual actions and class actions, including the governments of BC and Alberta as well as provincial regulators. Avichay is also adjunct faculty at Peter A. Allard School of Law, UBC, co-teaching a seminar on Mass Torts and Class Actions. He is a frequent speaker on class actions and other areas of civil litigation and has been recognized in Best Lawyers in Canada.

Faculty
The Honourable Chief Justice Paul Crampton — Federal Court of Canada, Ottawa
The Honourable Justice Ward K. Branch — Supreme Court of BC, Vancouver
Angela Bespflug — Murphy Battista LLP, Vancouver
Theodore P. Charney — Charney Lawyers, Toronto
Craig P. Dennis, KC — Dennis James Aitken LLP, Vancouver
Kajal Ervin — Jensen Shawa Solomon Duguid Hawkes LLP, Calgary
Nicola Hartigan — Klein Lawyers LLP, Vancouver
Peter R. Lawless, KC — Legal Services Branch, Ministry of Attorney General, Victoria
Anthony Leoni — Rice Harbut Elliott LLP, Vancouver
Shelby Liesch — Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, Vancouver
Michelle T. Maniago — Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, Vancouver
Siobhan McConnell — Branch MacMaster LLP, Vancouver
Dawn McPherson — Vice President of Class Action and Mass Tort Solutions, Epiq, Palm Springs
Jason Mohrbutter, KC — MLT Aikins LLP, Regina
Amanda M. Quayle, KC — McDougall Gauley LLP, Regina
Christopher Rhone — Branch MacMaster LLP, Vancouver
Andrea Roulet — Slater Vecchio LLP, Montreal
Karine Russell — Blake Cassels & Graydon LLP, Vancouver
James M. Sullivan, KC — Blake Cassels & Graydon LLP, Vancouver
Jamie L. Thornback — CFM Lawyers LLP, Vancouver
Anthony A. Vecchio, KC — Slater Vecchio LLP, Vancouver
Rick Williams — Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, Vancouver
Jen Winstanley — CFM Lawyers LLP, Vancouver
Jill S. Yates — McCarthy Tetrault LLP, Vancouver

Click here for full faculty bios