Sophie Mansfield Associate | Calgary

About Sophie

Sophie has a broad commercial and civil litigation practice. Sophie's experience covers a variety of areas, including corporate litigation, insurance litigation, professional liability, class actions, insolvency and restructuring, Indigenous matters, and oil and gas litigation. She takes a practical approach to the litigation process and has experience resolving litigation matters through alternative dispute resolution.

Sophie has appeared before all levels of courts in Alberta and the Ontario Superior Court of Justice and has assisted with matters before the Federal Court of Canada.

Select Experience

Representative matters in which Sophie has been involved include:

Successfully representing an energy company in a C$65-million expedited private arbitration that progressed from notice of arbitration to final award within 2.5 months
Successfully obtaining Summary Dismissal at the Alberta Court of King's Bench of an action brought by a landlord against a parent corporation in relation to a commercial lease entered into by its subsidiary
Representing an employer in an action against employees for breach of an employment agreement, breach of fiduciary duty, and the use of confidential information
Representing an international crude oil and natural gas producer as a creditor in CCAA proceedings to successfully exempt certain assets from inclusion in proceedings
Advising insurer-side parties on coverage disputes involving limitation periods, interpretation of policy provisions, peril exclusions, and liability coverage
Representing an administrative body in the statutory interpretation of its bylaws and interaction with its enabling statute in order to resolve board disputes
Representing the chief of a First Nation in an action for allegations of breach of fiduciary duty and inter-band governance disputes

Recent reported decisions in which Sophie has been involved include:

1533794 Alberta Ltd. v. Sintana Energy Inc. (Mobius Resources Inc.), 2019 ABQB 647;
Dirk v. Toews, 2019 ABQB 176; and
Dirk v. Toews, 2020 ABQB 16

Professional Activities

Publications

Co-author : Comply with Demands by Regulators and "Waive" Goodbye to Privilege? New Alberta Guidance on Scope of Regulatory Requests
Blakes Bulletin on Litigation & Dispute Resolution, May 7, 2024.
Co-author : Not Fair, Not Reasonable: Alberta Court Declines to Heal a Flawed Plan of Arrangement
Blakes Bulletin on Litigation & Dispute Resolution, August 22, 2023.
Author : Staying Connected While Socially Distanced: Tips for Conducting an Arbitration during COVID-19
ADR Perspectives, Vol. 7, No. 4, December 2020.
Author : Staying Connected While Socially Distanced: Tips for Conducting an Arbitration during COVID-19
ADR Perspectives Newsletter, December 2020.

Professional Appearances

Speaker : Comply with Regulatory Demands & “Waive” Goodbye to Privilege?
Blakes Presentation to In-House Counsel, June 11, 2024.
Speaker : Common Insurance Issues in the Construction Industry
Blakes Business Class Seminar, June 4, 2024.
Speaker : Consumer Protection Class Actions in Canada
Blakes Business Class Seminar, February 22, 2024.
Speaker : Business Disputes: Key Canadian Rulings of 2023
Episode 30, Blakes Sound Business Podcast, December 20, 2023.
Co-speaker : Legal & Class Action Update Panel
Calgary Risk and Insurance Education Forum: Insurance and the Energy Industry - A Look-Ahead to 2023, Calgary, Alberta, February 13, 2023.
Speaker : The Art and Science of Settling Litigation and Arbitration
Blakes Presentation to In-House Counsel, National Webcast, November 5, 2021.