Commercial Litigation 2026

Course Chairs
Danny Urquhart — Olthuis van Ert, Vancouver
Taylor-Marie Young — Rush Ihas Hardwick LLP, Kelowna

About the Course Chairs
Danny Urquhart is a lawyer with Olthuis van Ert in Vancouver, joining the firm in 2024 after practicing with a large national firm. Danny has a diverse commercial and regulatory practice. Danny's experience includes Aboriginal, class action, competition, construction, contract, estates, fraud, insolvency, intellectual property, pension, product liability, real estate, and securities litigation. He has appeared before all levels of court in BC and Ontario, as well as in Federal Court. He also appears before a variety of regulators. 

Many of Danny's clients are involved in commercial or business disputes. These include contract disputes, insolvency, shareholder oppression, director liability, and corporate governance matters. He has advised public companies, private companies, charities and trusts as well as their directors and officers. Danny frequently acts for regulators and regulated persons. He has considerable experience before provincial securities commissions and the BC Financial Services Tribunal. He has also advised clients before and professional regulators, agricultural marketing boards, and environmental regulators.

Taylor-Marie Young is a barrister with a broad civil practice at the trial and appellate level, focused namely on corporate and commercial litigation. She routinely represents clients on a wide range of issues, including shareholder remedies, property, contract, employment, and other business-related disputes. She is experienced acting for clients to resolve trust issues at the intersection of commercial and estate law, as well as estate litigation more generally.

Taylor-Marie is a partner with Rush Ihas Hardwick LLP, joining the firm in 2016 after practicing with an esteemed insurance defence firm in Vancouver. She is a graduate of Thompson Rivers University and the University of Victoria, holding degrees in journalism, a Master of Arts in linguistics, and a JD in law. A member of the inaugural class of Thompson Rivers University's Faculty of Law, Taylor-Marie has the distinct honour as recipient of the Law Society of BC Gold Medal.

Committed to practice development and valuing mentorship as a cornerstone to the practice of law, Taylor-Marie regularly contributes to CLE publications and presentations.

Faculty
Greg Allen — Allen McMillan Litigation Counsel, Vancouver 
Connor Bildfell — McCarthy Tétrault LLP, Vancouver
Lars Brusven — Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, Vancouver
Samantha Chang — Dentons Canada LLP, Vancouver
Chilwin Cheng — Ascendion Law, Vancouver
Andrew Crabtree — Crabtree + Senkpiel Litigation LLP, West Vancouver
Craig P. Dennis, KC — Dennis Dawson James Aitken
Claire E. Hunter, KC — Hunter Litigation Chambers, Vancouver
Amy M. Nathanson — Lawson Lundell LLP, Vancouver
Mark A. Weston, CPA, CBV, ESG.D — Davidson & Company LLP, Vancouver

Click here for full faculty bios

• the law of good faith performance
• what you need and what you ought to plead
• relationship to other causes of action
  

• Rule 9-5 basics and strategy
• issues with novel, bald, and fixable claims
• timing and practical considerations 

• the do's and don'ts of surviving and thriving with a commercial litigation practice

• statutory bases and jurisdiction
• process and payouts
• strategic consideratons

• garnishing
• seizing property
• examinations in aid of execution

• what are the rules and tools
• when are they available
• why they might be appropriate
  

• how to approach anticipated or incomplete contracts
• restitution, unjust enrichment, and quantum meruit
• measures and methods of damages

• conflicts of interest in shareholder disputes
• developments in litigation funding agreements
• developments in limitation periods for derivative actions