Laura Cundari

Major Projects Litigation and Arbitration

• Acting for Suncor Energy Inc., Imperial Oil Limited, Husky Oil Operations Limited, Cenovus Energy Inc. and Canadian Natural Resources Limited in a successful ruling at the Supreme Court of Canada against B.C. blocking the Trans Mountain expansion project

• Acting as arbitration counsel to a major utility corporation in a dispute involving delay and disruption claims in connection with the construction of significant energy infrastructure

• Acting as arbitration counsel in a LCIA arbitration involving the sale of mining assets in Mongolia

• Advising clients in the finance, retail, mining and aerospace industries on arbitration procedures and drafting arbitration clauses for inclusion in transactional and consumer contracts

• Acting as arbitration counsel to a contractor in a dispute regarding the construction of a high voltage transmission line

• Assisting clients to efficiently resolve urgent issues such as lien claims, project disruptions and bond claims

Complex Commercial Litigation and Arbitration

• Trial counsel on the leading case in British Columbia on economic impacts and force majeure arising out of the 2008 financial crisis

• Successfully defending a claim brought against a vendor corporation for a C$17-million brokerage fee arising from the sale of a business following a 43-day trial

• Successfully defending class actions brought against major retailers and financial industry participants, including dismissal at the certification stage

• Acting as litigation and arbitration counsel in a wide range of shareholder disputes

Laura has been recognized as a leading lawyer in the following publications:

• The Best Lawyers in Canada 2020 (Corporate and Commercial Litigation)

• Benchmark Canada: The Definitive Guide to Canada's Leading Litigation Firms and Attorneys - 2018 & 2019 Editions (Future Litigation Star - Litigation & Dispute Resolution)

• Benchmark Litigation, 40 & Under Hotlist – Canada, 2018 & 2019

Laura is part of the legal team that has been recognized as “Arbitration Firm of the Year” by Benchmark Litigation in 2018 and 2019.

Laura is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) and a director of both the Canada Branch and the Vancouver Chapter of the Canadian Branch of the CIArb. She is a director of the British Columbia International Commercial Arbitration Centre and an invited member of the Western Canada Commercial Arbitration Society (WCCAS). Laura is also an expert annotator for Quickscribe, a legislative publishing company, in the areas of domestic and international arbitration legislation.

She regularly speaks at legal conferences and contributes her time as a coach of Allard Law School’s Willem C. Vis International Arbitration Moot team, and as a guest instructor for Allard Law School’s Trial Advocacy Course and the Professional Legal Training Course (the Law Society of BC’s Bar admission course).

Laura is a member of the Executive Leadership Team (BC – Yukon Region) for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of BC.

• Co-author: Changes Coming to Domestic Arbitrations in British Columbia
  Blakes Bulletin on Arbitration, February 24, 2020.
• Author: Examination in chief and Re-examination
  The Law of Objections in Canada: A Handbook, LexisNexis Canada, Published November 30, 2019.
• Co-author: Canada: International Arbitration
  The Legal 500 & The In-House Lawyer Comparative Legal Guide, (4th ed.), November 2019.
• Co-author: What Law is it Anyways? An Overview of the Systems of Law in Arbitration
  Commercial Litigation and Arbitration Review, (2019) 8:3, 29 August 1, 2019.
• Co-author: Court of Appeal Unanimously Rules Against B.C. Blocking Trans Mountain Pipeline
  Blakes Bulletin on Litigation & Dispute Resolution, May 28, 2019.
• Co-author: B.C. Supreme Court Extends Arbitration Agreement to Non-Signatories
  Blakes Bulletin on Arbitration, November 29, 2017.
• Co-author: Supreme Court Rejects First Nation's Spiritual Objection to Ski Resort
  Blakes Bulletin on Aboriginal Law, November 3, 2017.
• Co-authors: Accessing Justice from Your Smartphone: The Civil Resolution Tribunal
  Blakes Bulletin on Litigation & Dispute Resolution, April 13, 2017.

• Chair: Prompt Payment and Adjudication Symposium
  Presented by CIQS and RICS, Calgary, Alberta, February 27, 2020.
• Co-chair: Direct Examination Skills Workshop
  The Advocates' Society, Vancouver, British Columbia, November 13, 2019.
• Panellist: Tour d’horizon: New Developments in International Arbitration
  ICC Canada International Arbitration Conference, Banff, Alberta, October 18, 2019.
• Panellist: From Plan to Action: Building Successful ADR Counsel and Neutral Practices
  The 2019 ADR BC Symposium - The Differences that Unite Us!, ADR Institute of BC, Vancouver, British Columbia, June 11, 2019.
• Co-panellist: The Art of Arbitration
  Blakes Business Class Seminar, Vancouver, British Columbia, November 21, 2017.
• Co-chair and Speaker: Aboriginal and Environmental Law 2017: Legal Reforms and Nation to Nation Consultants
  Pacific Business and Law Institute, Vancouver, B.C., October 10-11, 2017.

Admitted to the British Columbia Bar - 2008
J.D., University of Victoria - 2007
B.A. (Class 1 Distinction), University of British Columbia - 2004