Sophie Mansfield Partner | Calgary

About Sophie

Sophie practises all aspects of commercial litigation and arbitration with a focus on complex contract, construction, and energy disputes. She regularly represents clients in both international and domestic commercial arbitrations, including the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the ADR Institute of Canda (ADRIC). Sophie takes a practical, results-oriented approach to disputes and has experience resolving complex matters through negotiation, mediation, and other forms of alternative dispute resolution.

Sophie’s experience covers a variety of areas, including corporate and shareholder litigation, insurance litigation, professional liability, insolvency and restructuring, and First Nations matters. Sophie has appeared before all levels of Court in Alberta, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, the Saskatchewan Court of King's Bench, and the Federal Court of Canada.

At Blakes, Sophie is a co-chair of the Calgary Student Committee which is responsible for and oversees the recruitment, development and evaluation of all Blakes students in Calgary.

Select Experience

Representative matters in which Sophie has been involved include:

ATCO and Canadian Utilities on the merger of equals between Emera and Canadian Utilities, the largest merger in Canadian history with a combined enterprise value of C$72-billion, and ATCO’s related spinoff into a new publicly traded company
Successfully representing a contractor in an international arbitration about increased project costs that were as a result of COVID-19-related project delays on a major power project
Successfully representing Advanced Upstream Ltd. in defence of a Mareva injunction brought by Yangarra Resources Ltd. that sought to freeze more than C$60-million in assets, including obtaining a costs award of approximately C$450,000 (costs decision reported at Yangarra Resources Ltd. v. Advanced Upstream Ltd., 2026 ABKB 158)
Successfully represented a Canadian Bank to obtain Norwich, freezing, and sealing orders to facilitate the recovery of funds misappropriated through unauthorized and fraudulent transfers across multiple jurisdictions
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

Professional Activities

Publications

Co-author : Reasonableness or Correctness? Supreme Court Grants Leave in Buffalo Point to Address Standard of Review in Arbitral Appeals
Blakes Bulletin on Arbitration and Litigation & Dispute Resolution, August 4, 2026.
Co-author : Alberta Adopts Mandatory Litigation Plans for Civil Actions
Blakes Bulletin on Litigation & Dispute Resolution, July 18, 2025.
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 : Litigation Literacy for Non-Litigators
Association of Corporate Counsel, Calgary, Alberta, May 8, 2026.
Speaker : Corporate Law Developments: Recent Decisions & their Practical Effect
In-House Counsel Network, Calgary, Alberta, March 19, 2026.
Speaker : From Court to Contract
Blakes Business Class Seminar, April 16, 2025.
Speaker : Recent Arbitration Decisions in Canada
In-House Counsel Network, Calgary, Alberta, February 20, 2025.
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.