Karine Russell

• Defending national class proceedings, including product liability, pharmaceutical, medical device, price-fixing, competition, gaming, data breach and privacy, residential care and franchise claims

• Co-counsel at a certification hearing of a national class proceeding in relation to allegations that a personal care product is related to serious injury

• Successfully striking the majority of a plaintiff’s evidence in a proposed class proceeding as inadmissible prior to certification

• Successfully obtaining leave to appeal a “sequencing” decision of a case management judge in a proposed class action regarding the hearing of pre-certification applications

• Successfully obtaining interim injunctive relief requiring a defendant to comply with the terms of a services agreement, thereby allowing the client's business operations to continue unaffected during a breach of contract dispute

• Successfully obtaining interim injunctive relief requiring a defendant to return seized equipment as part of a broader commercial dispute in the crypto mining industry

• Successfully obtaining a stay of a court action due to a mandatory arbitration agreement in the governing contract between the parties to the dispute

• Representing a biotechnology company in the cannabis industry in defending claims by a competitor relating to breach of confidence and related claims with respect to testing methodologies

• Co-counsel at trial defending claims arising out of property disclosure statements in a real estate transaction

• Representing a client in a lease dispute regarding non-payment of rent due to the COVID-19 pandemic and related impacts on business operations

• Successfully representing corporate clients in confidential arbitration hearings

• Assisting with a successful application for interim injunctive relief to freeze funds alleged to have been received through fraudulent conduct pending the resolution of the dispute

• Defending a publicly listed company in a claim involving allegations of fraud, negligence, and conspiracy

• Representing financial institutions in prosecuting and defending claims with respect to conduct of investment advisers, regulatory oversight, and contractual relationships

• Negotiating the successful resolution of a dispute between a purchaser and a property developer involving allegations of fraud and bad faith in contractual performance

• Working on a team to advance and defend claims involving cost overruns and alleged deficiencies in a private arbitration between a contractor and owner arising out of a multi-billion dollar transmission line construction project

• Representing an international pulp producer in an action against a former director and competitor alleging improper use of confidential corporation information, breach of fiduciary duties, and loss of opportunity as a result of the defendants' conduct

• Successfully resolving a dispute between a customer and a technology service provider with respect to a failed online marketplace platform launch

• Assisting with the successful resolution of a claim against a pharmaceutical company client following the recall of a pharmaceutical drug

Karine is recognized as a leading lawyer in The Best Lawyers in Canada 2022 - Ones to Watch (Corporate and Commercial Litigation).

Karine is a member of the Canadian Bar Association British Columbia (CBABC) Branch and sits on the Executive of the CBABC’s Class Action Section.

Karine is a member of the Advocates’ Club, a group of Vancouver litigators who regularly meet with members of the British Columbia judiciary to discuss recent legal developments.

Karine is a member of the Firm’s Student Committee and is actively involved with the Firm’s recruitment of law students and interview processes.

Karine acts as a mentor within the Firm and to law students enrolled at the University of British Columbia (UBC). She has been recognized as a "Mentor of the Year" for her involvement with the joint CBA/UBC Law Students Mentorship Program. Karine also provides pro bono legal advice to individuals, societies, and non-profit organizations.

• Co-author: The Supreme Court of Canada Applies General Rules of Contractual Interpretation to Releases, Overtaking a 150-year-old Rule
  Blakes Bulletin on Litigation & Dispute Resolution, July 29, 2021.
• Speaker: Climate Harm Class Action Claims
  17th National Symposium on Class Actions, Osgoode, Webcast, April 22, 2021.
• Co-author: SCC Waves Goodbye to Waiver of Tort
  Blakes Bulletin on Litigation & Dispute Resolution, July 27, 2020.

• Speaker: Defending Consumer Protection Class Actions in Canada
  Blakes Business Class Webcast, Vancouver, British Columbia, June 7, 2022.
• Speaker: Climate Harm Class Action Claims
  17th National Symposium on Class Actions, Osgoode, Webcast, April 22, 2021.
• Speaker: Class Actions in 2021: Trends and Developments
  Blakes Business Class Webinar, March 9, 2021.

Admitted to the British Columbia Bar - 2009
LL.B., University of Victoria, Faculty of Law - 2008
B.A. (Hon., History), University of British Columbia - 2005