Transportation: Shipping - Nationwide - Canada
What the Team is Known For
Bernard LLP is a pre-eminent Vancouver-based law firm with a particularly highly regarded admiralty and maritime practice group, notable for its effective transactional and litigation advice to domestic and foreign ship owners, terminal operators, P&I clubs, insurers and underwriters. Its marine lawyers are regularly mandated by clients to assist with ship purchases and sales, financings, and matters relating to construction and repair. The team often assists foreign companies with the establishment of branches in Canada, as well as advising on terminal service and security service agreements. The firm also provides representation in charter party disputes before regulatory bodies, environmental matters, cargo claims and casualties, and charges arising within Canadian regulatory provisions.
Notable Practitioners
Firm founding partner Peter Swanson has over three decades of legal experience and is highly respected in the shipping space. His maritime practice sees him engaged in a range of matters involving issues of cargo transportation and pollution, as well as chartering disputes. He is a director and past president of the Vancouver Maritime Arbitrators Association.
Catherine Hofmann is an experienced lawyer within the maritime and transportation industries. She frequently handles matters ranging from maritime transportation contracts to the financing of commercial vessels.
