Brett is an associate lawyer at Owen Bird Law Corporation specializing in wills, estates, trusts and corporate law. Rooted in her desire to help clients navigate the invaluable yet often emotionally charged areas of estate and trust law, Brett finds great fulfillment in the human connections made throughout her files.
In her estate planning practice, Brett has experience drafting estate and incapacity plans to suit her clients’ needs, as well as family business succession plans to help prepare families for the next generation. Brett has attended hospitals and care homes to take instructions from her clients and has worked with blended families to ensure their estate planning documents capture their specific family dynamic.
When assisting executors, administrators, and trustees, Brett takes a pragmatic approach in helping her clients untangle the affairs of the deceased. She has experience advising on and obtaining grants of probate, selling the deceased’s assets, advising on foreign-owned assets, reaching agreements with beneficiaries and assisting with the formal accounting of the estate.
Isabella has a broad litigation practice at Owen Bird in areas including insurance defence, construction, property damage, product liability, occupier’s liability, and personal injury claims. Isabella has appeared on behalf of clients in the BC Provincial Court and the Supreme Court. She has also represented clients in alternative dispute resolution processes.
Prior to joining Owen Bird, Isabella practiced at a boutique insurance litigation firm in Vancouver. Isabella received her Juris Doctor from the University of Victoria, and her B.A. from the University of British Columbia.
Outside of work, Isabella enjoys spending time hiking in and around Vancouver.
Andrew Stainer is a Vancouver-based lawyer with a litigation practice emphasizing commercial, maritime, transportation and insurance-related disputes. He has extensive experience with matters involving casualty and emergency response (including dealing with the Transportation Safety Board, Transport Canada and other regulatory agencies), fires, floods, bodily injuries and fatalities, pollution incidents, maritime collisions and claims, cargo claims, and property loss. He represents a diverse array of clients, including underwriters, ship owners, P&I clubs, corporations, professionals, and individuals.
He is experienced with vessel arrest and the application of international conventions to maritime proceedings. Andrew has represented clients in proceedings before the courts of British Columbia, Ontario and Alberta as well as the Canadian Federal Court and Federal Court of Appeal and various tribunals. He has also achieved many successful results for clients through mediation.
Geoff’s practice focuses on resolving construction disputes, including relating to procurement. Geoff is also well-known for helping his clients take practical and strategic steps throughout the life of a project to reduce legal risk and resolve disputes efficiently.
Geoff also has experience in insurance defence and technical cases, specifically professional negligence of architects and engineers, acting as a long-standing advisor to the largest professional liability insurer in Canada. In addition to his proficiency in construction and insurance, he assists clients on a broad range of general commercial disputes. He is a former chair of the CBABC construction subsection.
Outside of the office Geoff enjoys spending time with his family, very often in hockey rinks.
Jennifer completed her law degree in her hometown of Liverpool, England and moved to Vancouver shortly thereafter, joining Owen Bird in 2017. Prior to being called to the British Columbia Bar, Jennifer worked as a paralegal, gaining valuable experience and contacts in the areas of Business Law and Securities. Outside of work, Jennifer enjoys reading, painting, and making cocktails.
Jennifer’s personal drive and commitment to clients’ interests enable her to achieve the best resolution in a timely and efficient manner. Jennifer works for a wide variety of clients and tailors her approach to the specific needs of each situation.
Jennifer’s ultimate goal is to always achieve the best possible result for clients; whether through negotiations, formal dispute resolution, or litigation. Jennifer works hard to focus on cost-efficient results for her clients while protecting their interests. In the employment context, Jennifer provides strategic advice to clients to prevent and resolve employment disputes and provides effective advocacy and representation for clients if a complaint or lawsuit is made.
Jennifer has appeared at the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal as well as in front of various tribunals. She utilizes her litigation skills in a wide variety of ways to advocate for clients and achieve a favourable result both inside and outside of the courtroom. Jennifer has experience working with clients in a wide range of practice areas and works hard and takes pride in developing her expertise. She uses this experience to remain adaptable and find the best resolution for each individual client’s needs.
Outside of work Jennifer spends time with her family paddleboarding, hiking, and snowshoeing in many of British Columbia’s beautiful parks. Jennifer is also involved in local sports and enjoys coaching youth baseball.
Harleen has a broad litigation practice at Owen Bird in areas including commercial litigation, insurance defence, tort claims, employment matters, construction disputes, and defamation law. She has assisted on matters before various courts across Canada.
Harleen obtained her J.D. and M.B.A. at the University of Victoria, and her B.Com (Hons.) from the University of British Columbia. Her business background complements her practice of law and allows her to better assist her clients through a legal, business, and strategic lens.
Harleen is a director of the South Asian Bar Association of British Columbia and co‑chairs its Membership and Outreach Committee. She is also an active volunteer with Access Pro Bono.
Outside of work, Harleen enjoys traveling, cooking and baking with new plant-based recipes, and spending time outdoors.
Jean regularly advises clients on corporate, commercial, real estate and estate planning.
She advises businesses of different sizes in various stages on a wide range of issues to safeguard their execution of business plans, such as merges and acquisitions, reorganization, financing, leasing and franchising.
She also works closely with business owners in business succession and estate planning to ensure the continued growth of wealth among generations.
With her personal knowledge and experience in Chinese law, she is in a unique position to help clients with business or disputes involving the laws of both jurisdictions. Her clients benefit from her unique background and her practical approach to solving legal problems.
Jean has been actively involved in the Chinese community in Vancouver, lecturing in S.U.C.C.E.S.S. and several other non-profit organizations. She has also acted as a legal commentator in local media.
Jean is fluent in both English and Mandarin.
Nikta is a civil litigator with extensive experience handling construction defect, contractual dispute, product liability, professional liability and administrative law matters. Prior to joining Owen Bird, Nikta practiced at one of the leading litigation boutiques in Canada focusing on complex torts and commercial litigation matters. Nikta has been recognized in the 2022 and 2023 editions of Best Lawyers in Canada: Ones to Watch for her work in insurance law.
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.
Nikta 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.
