Biography

Spotlight

Cliff advises on a range of matters including environmental assessments and court challenges to the issuance of mining permits. One client shared: "His record is extraordinary. He is my trusted adviser and a leading regulatory lawyer in Canada."

- Chambers Canada, 2021 Guide

Cliff is the Managing Partner of Lawson Lundell. Cliff’s practice is focused on environmental and Indigenous litigation. His clients include companies in the forestry, manufacturing, mining, real estate development, hydro-electric power generation industries. Cliff has represented his clients in environmental prosecutions, administrative actions, permit appeals, environmental assessments and has helped clients respond to a wide variety of environmental investigations and prosecutions.

Cliff advises clients respecting compliance with environmental laws and regulations, due diligence and environmental auditing. He also assists clients in developing corporate environmental policies, contingency plans, operating manuals, and standard operating procedures. Cliff advises clients faced with a variety of issues surrounding contaminated sites including those clients in the oil and gas, forestry, mining and chemical industries as well as private landfill operations.

He has successfully defended clients against numerous regulatory and environmental prosecutions and has appeared as counsel in British Columbia, Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba and before the Supreme Court of Canada. In addition to this court work, Cliff has also conducted administrative hearings before the BC Environmental Appeal Board, BC Forest Appeals Commission, the Natural Resources Conservation Board of Alberta, the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board, the Workers Compensation Appeal Tribunal of BC, and the BC Tobacco Control Act Administrative Board.

Cliff acts for resource developers in a number of major Indigenous litigation cases including actions involving land claims and the infringement of treaty and Indigenous rights. Cliff has also acted for industry on numerous court and administrative actions in which First Nations are challenging regulatory permits or appeals. He also has extensive experience in negotiating and drafting co-operation agreements, consultation protocols and impact benefit agreements.

Before becoming Managing Partner in 2016, Cliff was the Head of the Litigation Group in 2011. He is also a member of the Executive Committee.

Cliff was previously Lawson Lundell’s Chief Inclusiveness Officer where he was responsible for designing, implementing and managing the firm’s diversity and inclusiveness improvement programs.

(Pronouns: He/Him)

Professional Activities

  • 2023 Canadian General Counsel Awards Advisory Board, Member
  • Allard School of Law Centre for Business Law’s Dean’s Advisory Committee
  • Law Society of BC Finance and Audit Committee
  • 7-Eleven Canada Inc., Board Member (past)
  • BC Oil and Gas Commission, Statutory Advisory Committee Member (past)
  • CBA Environmental Law Subsection, Executive Member (past)
  • Environmental Law for Environmental Specialists Douglas College, Lecturer (past)

Community Activities

  • Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers Foundation, Board Member and Corporate Secretary (Past)
  • Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers, Board Member and Corporate Secretary (Past)
  • Integrated Vegetation Management Association, Board Member (Past)
  • Mount Seymour Little League, Coach and Manager (8 Years) (Past)
  • North Vancouver Minor Hockey Association, Coach (Past)
  • Seycove Secondary School, Cross Country Coach (Current)
  • Seycove Secondary School, Track Coach (Current)

Personal Interests

Cliff is married with two boys and is very active coaching and managing various sporting activities that his sons participate in.

Cliff is also a lifelong runner and ran competitively for two universities. Other interests include: music, wine, cooking and walking his two English Springer Spaniels, Phoebe and Farley.

Recognitions & Rankings

Recognitions & Rankings

  • Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory: recommended as a leading practitioner for Aboriginal Law (2023) and Environmental Law (2023-2024)
  • Chambers Global 2024recognised for Environment (Eminent Practitioner)
  • Chambers Canada 2024: recognised for Environment - Nationwide (Eminent Practitioner)
  • Best Lawyers in Canada 2012-2024: recognised for Aboriginal Law / Indigenous Practice, and Environmental Law 
  • Named for Law - Managing Partners in Business in Vancouver’s Inaugural BC500 List of the 500 most influential business leaders in British Columbia, 2021-2023
  • Chambers Global 2023recognised for Environment (Band 3)
  • Lexpert's Leading Canadian Energy Lawyers 2014
  • Legal 500 Canada: recommended in the Environment category
  • Martindale-Hubbell International Law Directory: BV Peer Review rated

Experience

Experience

Cliff has had considerable experience in complex litigation and was one of four trial counsel in one of the longest trials in B.C. history, Privest Properties Ltd. et al. v. W.R. Grace & Co. of Canada Ltd. et al. in which Lawson Lundell successfully defended W.R. Grace & Co. in a products liability suit.

Cliff also acts for industry clients in a number of major Indigenous litigation cases including actions involving land claims and the infringement of treaty and Indigenous rights.

News & Publications

News & Publications

Speaking Engagements

Speaking Engagements

  • Pacific Business & Law Institute Seminar on Contaminated Sites: New Law and Emerging Issues, Vancouver, BC, April 23, 2015, Speaker
  • "Fisheries Issues in Environmental Assessment", 7th Edition Environmental Law in BC Conference, Insight Information, Vancouver, BC, October 18-19, 2013, Speaker
  • "Core Contaminated Sites Legislation and Case Law", September 26, 2012, Speaker
  • "Update on B.C. Oil and Gas Commission Consultation Process Agreements", September 20-21, 2012, Speaker
  • "Environmental Enforcement and Penalties", Environmental Law: Managing Risk, November 18, 2011, Speaker
  • "First Nation Consultation", 3rd Annual Northeast BC Natural Gas Summit, Insight Information, Calgary, AB, September 20-21, 2011, Co-speaker
  • “Dealing with Contaminated Sites”, Educational Program Innovations Center (EPIC), Vancouver, BC, February 2 - 4, 2011, Speaker
  • "Core Legislation and Cornerstone Caselaw", Pacific Business and Law Institute, April 28, 2010, Co-speaker
  • “Inter Provincial Water Regulation, Jurisdiction and Disputes”, December 7 – 8, 2009, Co-chair
  • "The Energy and Mining Sectors: Evolution of the Duty and Practical Insight", Pacific Business and Law Institute, October 8, 2009, Co-speaker
  • “Successful Strategies for Navigating Through the Minefield of Inter-jurisdictional Water Disputes”, The Canadian Institute, September 29 – 30, 2009, Co-speaker
  • “Recent Contaminated Sites Case Law in British Columbia”,, February 23 – 24, 2009, Co-speaker
  • “Spills”, EPIC Educational Program Innovations Center, February 4 – 6, 2009, Co-speaker
  • “BC and Alberta: Federal Jurisdiction Over Water and Interprovincial Water Aspects”, 4th Annual Water & Land Management in Alberta, Insight Information, December 8 – 9, 2008, Co-speaker
  • “The Duty to Consult”, November 19 – 20, 2008, Speaker
  • “Updates on Consultation Developments Across Canada”, October 22, 2008, Speaker
  • 4th Annual Western Canada Contaminated Sites, Insight Information, June 12 – 13, 2008, Speaker
  • Fundamentals of Environmental Law and Regulation, The Canadian Institute, May 15 – 16, 2008, Speaker
  • “Resolving Past Grievances: Managing the Impact of Past Breaches on Agreements, Permit and License Renewals”, The Canadian Institute, September 18 – 19, 2007, Speaker
  • “Accommodation: Agreements between Industry and First Nations: A Primer”, The Canadian Institute, December 4 – 5, 2006, Speaker
  • “Industry’s Role in Consultation Under the New Relationship Document”, November 6 – 7, 2006, Speaker
  • “Accomplishing Shared Decision Making”, Aboriginal Law Conference, The Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia, June 23, 2006, Speaker
  • Environmental Management and Compliance, EPIC Educational Program Innovations Center, November 24 – 25, 2005, Speaker
  • Aboriginal Law and Natural Resource Use, October 7, 2005, Speaker
  • “Legal Perspective of the IPM Act”, Integrated Vegetation Management Association of B.C., November 18 – 19, 2004, Speaker
  • “The Duty to Consult With First Nations Regarding Pest Management Plan on Private and Public Lands”, November 4 – 5, 2004, Speaker
  • “Working with the Community on Environmental Issues”, EPIC Educational Program Innovations Center, May 17 – 18, 2004, Speaker
  • “The New Act: Changes of Control and Tenure Transfers”, May 17 – 18, 2004, Speaker
  • “Environmental Case Law Update”, The Continuing Legal Education Society of BC, February 5, 2004, Speaker
  • “Professional Practice Under the New Code”, Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of BC, October 23 – 25, 2003, Speaker
  • “Case Study-Inspection, Investigation, & Defense”, EPIC Educational Program Innovations Center, April 23 – 24, 2001, Speaker
Clifford Proudfoot, KC, Lawson Lundell Photo
Vancouver
t 604.631.9217
f 604.669.1620
* Law Corporation

Assistant Contact

Bar Admissions

  • Manitoba (1990)
  • British Columbia (1992)

Education

University of Manitoba (LL.B, 1988)

University of Cambridge (LL.M., 1989)

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