One of Vancouver’s premier litigation boutiques, Nathanson Schachter & Thompson maintains its coveted dominance in the city’s dispute resolution community, a position it has held for decades thanks to the individual and collective vision of name partners Irwin Nathanson and Stephen Schachter. Both partners, despite their senior status, continue apace with a robust litigation schedule and remain in demand by clients. “The big energy at Nathanson still seems to be Irwin and Stephen,” observes a peer, “but of course those guys can’t continue forever so fortunately they are handling the generational change very well. They have a very strong team coming up right after them, and in some cases now taking the lead.” Another peer concurs: “Nathanson has done a good job in succession planning – they made a point of beefing up some of their younger and mid-ranks.” This has not gone unnoticed by clients, either. One raves, “They are top-notch lawyers who work cohesively as a team, and they are very capable and have great judgment. The mentorship from senior lawyers is readily apparent. I would give them any work in their specialty. They are hands-down the best legal team in Vancouver.” Another client cheers the firm’s lawyers as “bright and energetic lawyers, with creativity and professionalism.” This same client testifies, “The firm acted for us on a dispute over a contract. We terminated the contract, believing this was within our rights within the contract, and the other, much larger, party disputed that right. Nathanson is very intelligent and experienced, particularly on this type of litigation.”
Nathanson made a strategic recruit over the past year in luring Mark Oulton to the firm. Oulton, who generated considerable acclaim while at another boutique, Hunter Litigation Chambers, boasts a well earned reputation as an authority on forestry litigation, a reputation that a client supports: “Mark is incredibly hard working, and likely the most knowledgeable lawyer in the province when it comes to the forestry industry.”
James MacInnis, championed by peers as “incredibly smart,” acted for Taplow Ventures in a dispute regarding a divestiture process for the sale of the business.
Peter Senkpiel, who a peer declares is “really getting out there and building his reputation in the market,” has illustrated substance to this claim with several pieces of commercial litigation. Senkpiel acts for the plaintiffs in connection with their claim against the defendants for, inter alia, breach of fiduciary duty relating to real estate ventures in Vancouver and Prince George. The plaintiffs invested millions into the projects by providing funds to the defendant corporations, and they allege that the defendants used those funds for their personal benefit, including to fund other side projects and their lifestyles. Senkpiel also acts for the plaintiff in an appeal by the defendant from a decision granting judgment regarding players in the bitcoin industry. Karen Carteri is also enjoying an increased level of market recognition. “Karen had a huge piece of litigation with that PacNet case,” insists a peer. “She doesn’t get as much press as she deserves.” The referred-to PacNet case involved two civil forfeiture proceedings brought by the Director of Civil Forfeiture in British Columbia, as well as in a related claim in British Columbia under the International Business Association Act. Both cases involve allegations of participation in money laundering and involve coordinating with counsel in other jurisdictions.
