Gudmundseth Mickelson

British Columbia

Key contacts

Managing Partner: Janet Gartner

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Quick facts

Partners

Other qualified practitioners

Total number of lawyers

Practitioners (worldwide)

Languages spoken

English

Key practice areas

Dispute resolution

Firm overview

Gudmundseth Mickelson delivers exceptional advocacy in a boutique format. Our lawyers bring outstanding legal intelligence and reputational credibility, without the layers and distance that come with larger firms. Known for disciplined thinking, sound judgment, and uncompromising standards, we are unafraid to provide unvarnished and directive advice and have the depth and ability to move matters to their optimal resolution.

Our practice spans complex and high‑stakes disputes across multiple fields, including the commercial, insurance, and public law sectors. We frequently act in commercial disputes, society or corporate governance disputes, constitutional litigation, negligence, defamation, property matters, and civil sexual assault cases. We are frequently retained on matters involving judicial review, regulatory and licensing decisions, professional discipline, and government liability, where a precise understanding of institutional frameworks is essential. This breadth allows us to identify strategic opportunities and arguments that more narrowly focused counsel may overlook.

Many of our lawyers have clerked for justices of the British Columbia Court of Appeal or Supreme Court, giving us practical insight into how courts assess arguments, weigh evidence, and reach decisions. That perspective shapes how we litigate. We focus on what resonates, avoid what distracts, and present clear, persuasive cases aligned with how decisions are determined.

We use the law strategically to open paths to resolution and, where appropriate, to shape precedent in pursuit of practical outcomes. We focus our efforts where they make a difference. That means rigorous analysis, careful sequencing, and restraint when it serves the objective. Every step is designed to shift risk, create leverage, or improve the outcome, with clear reasoning that protects your litigation spend.

Clients are not kept at arm’s length. We bring you inside the strategy, including the options, trade‑offs, and reasoning behind key decisions. The result is a high‑trust client experience defined by clarity, responsiveness, and confidence at every stage.

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Key practice areas

Appellate
Arbitration
Class action
Commercial disputes
Dispute resolution
Government and regulatory
Insurance
Labor and employment
Estates and trusts
Professional discipline
Public law
Administrative law
Defamation
Constitutional law
Professional negligence
Catastrophic injuries
Tort litigation

Key practice contacts & recent matter highlights

Janet Gartner
Dispute resolution
jlg@lawgm.com

Counsel to Grant Thornton LLP in a partnership dispute, successfully defending an application for summary trial and motion to strike in favour of the firm, 2021 BCSC 2448.
Counsel to a Big Four accounting firm in a complex series of related trusts and estates actions, successfully obtaining a discharge and court‑ordered release for the firm’s Trustee in the face of allegations of negligence.
Counsel to several small and mid‑sized accounting firms providing risk‑management advice and successful representation before the Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia, including several pre‑investigation dismissals.

Andrew Gay, K.C.
Dispute resolution
adg@lawgm.com

Counsel to the Director of Civil Forfeiture (British Columbia) in a successful appeal upholding the constitutionality of a provision of British Columbia’s Civil Forfeiture Act, British Columbia (Attorney General) v. McDermid, 2025 BCCA 455.
Counsel to the Province of British Columbia in a leading case on the intersection of tort law and Charter law concerning the availability of Charter damages against government, Johnson v. British Columbia (Attorney General), 2022 BCCA 82.
Co‑counsel for the Attorney General of British Columbia in a successful appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada concerning production of Cabinet records, British Columbia (Attorney General) v. Provincial Court Judges’ Association of British Columbia, 2020 SCC 20.

Howard Mickelson, K.C.
Dispute resolution
ham@lawgm.com

Corporate governance dispute involving control and post‑departure conduct of a former CEO and Director, with successful injunctive relief restraining competitive activity.
Estates litigation successfully defending a multi‑million‑dollar estate claim raising contested issues of spousal status and enforceability of prenuptial agreements.
Eisler v. Connor, Clark & Lunn Financial Group Ltd. Significant private equity dispute engaging the doctrine of good faith in contractual performance, with successful leave to appeal from an arbitration award and a favourable resolution.

Sector expertise