Jeff Christian

Jeff is a litigation partner in the Vancouver office, with a practice focused on energy and regulated utilities. He appears regularly before administrative tribunals such as the B.C. Utilities Commission. In addition, he has acted for clients in the insurance, manufacturing and retail sectors at all levels of court, in arbitrations and in mediations.

Jeff is currently the head of the Litigation Group at Lawson Lundell.

Recognition and Ranking

• Chambers Global: recognized in the Energy: Power (Regulatory) (Canada) category
• Best Lawyers in Canada: recognized for energy regulatory law
• Best Lawyers: Energy Regulatory Law Lawyer of the Year in Vancouver for 2013
• Benchmark Canada: The Guide to Canada’s Leading Litigation Firms and Attorneys: recognized for energy and natural resources litigation in British Columbia
• Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory: consistently recommended as a Leading Practitioner for energy (electricity)

Professional Activities

• Green Energy Advisory Task Force (Procurement and Regulatory Reform Group), reporting to the British Columbia Cabinet Committee on Climate Action and Clean Energy, member
• University of British Columbia, Faculty of Law, occasional lecturer on the topic of public utility regulation
• Canadian Institute of Energy, BC Branch, past Director
• Lawson Lundell Energy Law Newsletter, past editor

Bar Admissions

• British Columbia (1994)
• Northwest Territories (2001, currently inactive)

Education

• University of British Columbia (B.A.Sc., Honours, Geotechnical Engineering, 1988)
• Dalhousie University (LL.B., 1993)

• Lead counsel to an electric utility before the B.C. Utilities Commission on facility approval, revenue requirements, wholesale transmission services, cost of service, and rate design applications, including conservation and time-of-use rates
• Advised developers and property owners on regulatory implications of district energy systems
• Advised U.S. financiers on regulatory proceedings in B.C. related to U.S. acquisitions of B.C. utilities
• Acted for a consumer group in a rate proceeding before the Northwest Territories Public Utilities Board
• Acted for a power marketing company in proceedings before the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board (now the Alberta Utilities Commission)
• Advised a potential buyer of a water utility on the exclusivity of the utility’s franchise
• Appealed to the Federal Court a metering approval decision made by Measurement Canada
• Represented clients before the National Energy Board and Federal Court on electricity export matters
• Acted for a party negotiating its participation in a regional transmission organization
• Advised an utility services company considering entering the Canadian sub-metering market
• Acted for a Canadian railway company in a rate dispute before the Canadian Transportation Agency