Nikta Shirazian
Shareholder
Nikta Shirazian is a civil litigator with extensive experience handling construction defect, contractual dispute, product liability, professional liability, and administrative law matters. She also acts on complex insurance coverage matters for insurers, which includes routinely providing opinions on coverage under CGL, Course of Construction, and Wrap-Up policies. In addition to advisory work, Nikta litigates coverage disputes on behalf of insurers, including those involving policy interpretation, exclusions, and equitable contribution. Nikta has been recognized since 2022 by Best Lawyers in Canada: Ones to Watch for her work in insurance law. Her practice further includes class action work, both on the defence and plaintiff sides.
Nikta also has significant experience in commercial litigation, including disputes involving shareholders, partnership breakdowns, and corporate governance issues. She regularly advises and represents clients in matters involving oppression remedies, breaches of fiduciary duty, and other complex business conflicts.
Nikta also has a keen interest in the law of privacy, particularly in relation to privacy torts and legislation pertaining to safe handling and non-disclosure of information. She has presented numerous times on these topics and co-authored an article with Dr. Chris Hunt titled “Canada’s Statutory Privacy Torts in Commonwealth Perspective” which was published in the Oxford University Comparative Law Forum. This article was cited by the British Columbia Supreme Court in Douez v Facebook Inc. 2022 BCSC 914 (a breach of privacy class action), on the issue of which party ought to bear the onus of proving consent in a breach of privacy claim.
Prior to joining Owen Bird, Nikta practiced at one of Canada’s leading litigation boutiques, where she focused on complex tort and commercial litigation matters.
Nikta has successfully represented clients and appeared before all levels of court in British Columbia. She has also successfully represented clients in administrative tribunals and alternative dispute resolution procedures such as arbitrations.
Nikta also contributes to various continuing legal education programs and often presents at seminars and conferences on new developments in the law. Nikta is also a contributing author to CanLII’s “Manual to British Columbia Civil Litigation”, the first-ever openly available online manual for BC civil litigation.
As a law student, Nikta served as a research assistant to five professors and as an editor of the Canadian Journal of Comparative and Contemporary Law. She was the recipient of the course prize in the law of unjust enrichment and also earned a place on the Dean’s list for academic achievement.
- Called to the British Columbia Bar, 2017
- JD, Thompson Rivers University, 2016
- BA, University of British Columbia, 2013
- Member, Canadian Bar Association
- Member, Vancouver Bar Association
- Member, The Advocates Society
- Best Lawyers in Canada - Ones to Watch 2022-2025 (Insurance Law)
- Fisher v Airfoam Industries Ltd. (Quad-Lock Building Systems), 2025 BCSC 758 – Successfully obtained a stay of proceedings in favour of arbitration in a construction defect claim for insured defendant.
- Brown Bros. Motor Lease Canada Ltd. v Workers’ Compensation Appeal Tribunal, 2021 BCSC 53 (co-counsel) – Successful on the dismissal of an application for judicial review of a decision of the Workers Compensation Appeal Tribunal concerning whether residents of the United States were “workers” within the Workers Compensation Act RSBC 1996 c 492
- Kim v. Choi, 2020 BCCA 98(co-counsel) – Successful on the dismissal of an appeal concerning the application of the doctrine of ex-turpi causa non oritur actio to unjust enrichment claims
- Perrick v RJS Electrical Contract Ltd. 2020 BCSC 211– Successful on the dismissal of a construction defects/faulty workmanship claim seeking over $700,000 in damages
- The Owners, Strata Plan BCS 1589 v. Nacht 2019 BCSC 1785 (co-counsel) – Successful on the dismissal of the statutory appeal of a decision of the Civil Resolution Tribunal concerning whether a Strata Corporation could charge back its insurance deductible to an owner.