Skip Navigation

About Ken

Ken retired as a Blakes Partner in December 2023. Ken's practice involved commercial litigation, regulatory compliance and alternative dispute resolution. He has expertise in class action, construction, energy, environmental, intellectual property, insurance and tax dispute matters. Ken was also the Managing Partner of the Blakes Calgary office.

Ken  garnered considerable experience in the area of injunctive relief, including handling a number of such claims in the pipeline and energy industry and successfully staying civil proceedings in favour of arbitration. Ken is highly experienced in both mediation and arbitration.

Select Experience
  • Experienced counsel in mediations and arbitrations with a proven track record of success

  • Prevailed as counsel on a leading Court of Appeal decision on the issue of waiver and abandonment of privileged communications

  • Resolved a complex tax dispute with direct savings to the client in excess of C$70-million

  • Lead counsel on one of the largest and most complicated environmental site contamination cases in Alberta

  • Advising clients on issues involving directors and officers liability, product liability and insurance concerns

  • Acted on some of the most significant class/representative action litigation in Alberta

  • Resolved one of the largest and most complex intellectual property claims involving disputed technology in the automatic welding and construction of large diameter pipelines

  • Lead counsel on issues concerning the fire rebuild of a portion of an oil sands plant

  • Acted as counsel on issues arising from construction defects in a multi-storey downtown office tower

  • Successfully represented clients in patent infringement, trade-mark, trade secrets and copyright cases

  • Represented clients on environmental remediation claims involving pipeline construction breaks

Awards & Recognition
  • The Best Lawyers in Canada – 2012–2021, 2023–2024 (Alternate Dispute Resolution, Appellate Practice)

  • Benchmark Canada: The Definitive Guide to Canada's Leading Litigation Law Firms and Attorneys – 2019–2023 (Litigation Star: Energy and Natural Resources, Environmental, General Commercial, Insurance, Intellectual Property)

  • Benchmark Canada: The Definitive Guide to Canada's Leading Litigation Firms and Attorneys – 2022 Edition (Litigation Star: Commercial, Construction, Energy, Environmental, Insurance, Intellectual Property)
Professional Activities

Ken is a past instructor at the chambers advocacy section of the Alberta bar admission course. He has volunteered his time in several charitable and community causes over the years.

As the former Calgary Office Managing Partner over a 16-year period, Ken has taken a leadership role in supporting many community and diversity initiatives.

Education

Admitted to the Alberta Bar – 1985
LLB, Dalhousie University – 1984
BA (Hon.), University of Calgary – 1980

More insights

Save Profile

Select sections to customize your PDF

Cancel