Team > Lawyers > Dafoe, Christopher
Chris practices general civil litigation with a particular interest in class actions, complex litigation and defamation law. While attending law school, Chris served as researcher for the Uniform Law Conference of Canada’s Committee on the National Class and Related Interjurisdictional Issues, later joining the committee as a member and assisting in the preparation of its 2005 report. He subsequently explored some of the issues raised by the report in a paper, which won the 2006 Harvey T. Strosberg Essay Prize for the best student essay on class actions in Canada.
As a student, Chris worked as clinician in the Law School Legal Advice Program, advising low-income clients on a variety of issues. He appeared in Provincial Court in small claims and minor criminal matters, as well as before several tribunals.
After graduation, Chris served as a law clerk at the B.C. Supreme Court, assisting six judges with research and the preparation of judgments.
Prior to enrolling in law school, Chris worked as reporter, columnist and critic in Toronto and Vancouver, covering news and cultural issues for two of Canada’s largest newspapers.
Professional Activities
- Canadian Bar Association, Member
- Vancouver Bar Association, Member
Bar Admissions
- British Columbia (2007)
Education
- University of British Columbia (LL.B, 2005)
- Carleton University ( B.J. Hons. 1987)
- University of British Columbia (B.A. English, 1986)
Experience
- Assisting senior counsel in preparing a successful motion to strike pleadings
- Assisting senior counsel in preparing a successful motion to produce documents
- Assisting senior counsel in preparing a successful defence of a challenge to jurisdiction
- Assisting senior counsel in preparing a successful application to set aside the arrest of an $8 million yacht
- Worked with senior counsel in drafting intervener’s factum on professional discipline issue
- Appeared in judges and masters chambers and small claims court in a variety of matters
News / Publications
"SCC says 'yes' to secret sources, 'no' to constitutional immunity", Canadian Corporate Counsel, (June 2010), co-authored with Marko Vesely
"Just a click away?: Internet hyperlinks and defamation liability", Canadian Corporate Counsel, Vol. 18 No. 3 (Nov/Dec. 2008), co-authored with Marko Vesely
“Safe to Slander City Hall? Ontario Court Bars Defamation Suits by Government Bodies” 17. Canadian Corporate Counsel, 70 (2008), co-authored with Marko Vesely
“Cusson v Quan: The ‘Responsible Journalism’ Defense Comes to Canada” 17 Canadian Corporate Counsel 105 (2008), co-authored with Marko Vesely
“A Path Through the Class Action Chaos: Selecting the Most Appropriate Jurisdiction with a National Class Action Panel" 1 Can. Class Action Rev. 541 (2006). Awarded the 2006 Harvey T. Strosberg Essay Prize for the best student essay on class actions in Canada
“Focus on Civil Litigation: Inter-jurisdictional Muddle Inspires Class Actions Report Recommendations” The Lawyers Weekly, p. 9 (May 26, 2006), co-authored with Rodney L. Hayley
“Towards Order and Fairness: Reforming the National Class” 1 Class Action Def. Q. 19 (2006) , co-authored with Rodney L. Hayley
Case Comment: “B.C. Tobacco Certification: Limited on Appeal” 1 Class Action Def. Q. 59 (2006) , co-authored with Rodney L. Hayley
"'A Two-Way Street’: Comity and Conflicting Certifications of National Classes" 3 Class Action Def. Q. 20 (2008), co-authored with Rodney L. Hayley and Gordon Kuski, Q.C.
"Evidence on Certification/Authorization Motions: Est-ce qu’il y a vraiment ‘Deux Solitudes’?," presented at Le Barreau du Québec conference, Montreal, (October 2007), published in Développements Récents En Recours Collectifs, Volume 278, Les Éditions Yvon Blais Inc., 2007, at pp. 127-168, co-authored with Rodney L. Hayley and Jude Samson
