Mr Rick Williams Partner Borden Ladner Gervais LLP - Lawyer Biography - International Law Office

International Law Office

Lawyer Biography

Background

Rick Williams is a partner in our Vancouver office. Mr. Williams was admitted to the British Columbia Bar in 2000. He is a graduate of the University of Victoria with a Bachelor of Law in 1999. He also received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Ottawa in 1995.

Areas of Practice

  • Mr. Williams practices general civil litigation with a focus on maritime, oil and gas, environmental, insurance, and commercial litigation.

Professional Experience

  • Mr. Williams has appeared at all levels of court in British Columbia and in the Supreme Court of Canada. He has also represented clients before the British Columbia Utilities Commission and the Mediation and Arbitration Board of British Columbia.
  • He is an active member of the firm’s Environmental, Maritime, Insurance and Commercial Litigation Practice Groups.
  • Has acted as counsel on a wide range of environmental prosecutions and civil disputes involving environmental issues, including land development impacts, oil and gas, contaminated sites and migrating pollution, Fisheries Act issues, transportation of dangerous goods, commercial leasing, construction and forestry issues.
  • His experience in marine matters includes: commercial disputes, cargo claims, pollution charges, bills of lading, arrests, dangerous goods, collisions, the purchase and sale of vessels and other matters.
  • In the oil and gas area Mr. Williams has represented clients in common carrier/common processor and rateable take applications and in surface right disputes.
  • In the insurance area, his practice focuses on defence of dental malpractice, occupiers liability and motor vehicle matters.
  • He also practices general civil litigation, including contractual disputes, product liability, customs and excise matters and commercial landlord and tenant disputes.

Professional and Community Activities

  • Director, Environmental Managers Association of British Columbia.
  • Member, Air and Waste Managers Association.
  • Member, American Bar Association.
  • Member, Canadian Bar Association – Environmental Law, Maritime Law, Insurance Law and Civil Litigation sub-sections.
  • Member, Canadian Maritime Law Association (CMLA).
  • Member, Law Society of British Columbia.
  • Member, Plimsoll Club.
  • Presenter and author on a wide variety of litigation topics:
  • Speaking Engagements include:
    • Co-chair of the Environmental Managers Association 2007 Workshop – Environmental Risk Management – How Are you Managing Your Risks? – February 22, 2007
    • Borden Ladner Gervais LLP’s Client Seminar: Environmental Law Seminar - June 1, 2006
    • Insight Environmental Management Conference: Litigating Contaminated Sites: Recovering your Costs of Remediation, a British Columbia Case Study – February 22, 2006 (Toronto)
    • EPIC Environmental Management and Compliance Seminar: Federal Case Law Update, November 24 – 25, 2005 (Vancouver)
    • Borden Ladner Gervais LLP’s Internal Seminar: Update on Recent Changes to the Rules of Court – November 10, 2005
    • Insight Environmental Management Conference: Recent Legal Cases and Development – Case Study – CN v. ABC Recycling – September 30, 2005 (Vancouver)
    • Canadian Home Builders Association BC Meeting: Litigation Changes and Strategies – June 9, 2005
    • Borden Ladner Gervais LLP’s Client Seminar: Environmental Law Seminar - June 1, 2005
    • Greater Vancouver Home Builders Association Renovation Council: Litigation Changes and Strategies – May 30, 2005
    • Borden Ladner Gervais LLP’s Internal Seminar: New Expedited Procedure – Rule 68 Overview and Issues - April 2005
    • Borden Ladner Gervais LLP’s Internal Seminar: Update on Environmental Law – 2004
  • Publications include:
    • Environmental Law chapter, 2007 edition of the Annual Review of Law & Practice, co-authored with Carleigh Whitman
    • Litigation Update: Further Lessons Learned (June 1, 2006) Borden Ladner Gervais LLP Environmental Law Seminar Materials, co-authored with Jason Murray.
    • Litigating Contaminated Sites: Recovering your Costs of Remediation, a British Columbia Case Study (February 22, 2006), Insight Environmental Management Conference.
    • Update on Federal Environmental Case Law, (November 2005), EPIC Environmental Conference.
    • Significant Changes to British Columbia’s Civil Litigation Rules (November 2005), National Credit News Journal, Vol. 11, No. 9 co-authored with Peter Eastwood.
    • Commentary: B.C. Board’s Decisions Undermine Polluter’s Pay Principle (June 17, 2005) Lawyers Weekly, co-authored with Jason Murray.
    • Civil Litigation Changes: Good News for Landlords (May/June 2005) Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) Newsletter, Vol. 27 No. 3.
    • Litigation Update: Where Are We Now? (June 1, 2005) Borden Ladner Gervais LLP Environmental Law Seminar Materials, co-authored with Graham Walker.
    • Key Contaminated Site Decision: Canadian National Railway Co. v. ABC Recycling Ltd., (May 2005) Environmental Managers Association Journal , Vol. 24, co-authored with Graham Walker.
    • Comment - BC’s New Expedited Procedure – A Step in the Right Direction (May 13, 2005) Lawyers Weekly.
    • Environmental Law chapters, 2004, 2005 and 2006 editions of the Annual Review of Law & Practice , co-authored with William K. McNaughton.
    • Contributor to the Borden Ladner Gervais, LLP Mari-Times.
    • Contributor to (and past editor of) the Borden Ladner Gervais, LLP Environmental Law News.

Practice areas to which Rick Williams belongs:

  • Commercial Litigation
  • Environmental Law
  • Environmental, Municipal, Expropriation and Regulatory Group
  • Health Law
  • Insurance and Tort Liability
  • Marine
  • Oil and Gas
  • Product Liability
  • Regulatory Law
  • Transportation