Roy Millen is a litigation Partner with a wide-ranging practice. He has particular expertise and experience in commercial, aboriginal, energy, international trade and public law matters. His broad experience in corporate and commercial litigation includes representing clients in contract disputes, class actions, injunctions and claims of fraud, negligence, defamation, and misrepresentation. He has acted as lead counsel before all levels of court, including the Supreme Court of Canada, and numerous administrative tribunals.

In the fields of aboriginal and energy law, Roy advises clients on consultation and accommodation, land and resource issues, commercial ventures, aboriginal rights and title, fiduciary duties, and numerous other matters. He is a director of the Industry Council for Aboriginal Business and was an adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia Law School.

In the field of international trade and investment, Roy has experience in import/export issues, commodities, antidumping and subsidy inquiries, and related cross-border matters. In the area of public law, he is long-time counsel for the Federation of Law Societies of Canada in a leading constitutional case, and also represents clients in cases involving municipal, constitutional and administrative issues.

Representative Cases

Some of the significant cases in which Roy has acted as counsel include:

Danone Inc. v. Canada, 2010 FCA and CITT (counsel for Parmalat Canada Inc., intervening in respect of the customs classification of Danone's imported yogurt drink, and the impact of a lower-court injunction on the domestic yogurt industry)

Catalyst Paper Corporation v. North Cowichan (District), 2010 BCCA 199 (counsel for Catalyst, challenging a municipal bylaw that the court held created an "extreme imbalance" between industrial and residential property tax rates)

Westcoast Landfill v. CVRD, 2009 BCSC 53 (counsel for defendant Regional District, successfully defending claims by plaintiff composting facility in breach of contract, negligence, unlawful interference with economic relations, negligent misrepresentation and bad faith)

Dexia v. Rogan, 2008 BCSC 1406 (counsel for plaintiff bank, obtaining US$124-million "Mareva" injunction prohibiting defendants from fraudulently dissipating assets to avoid execution)

Ontario Corn Producers' Association v. Canadian Pork Council et al., 2007 FCA 216 (counsel for the U.S. Trade Representative, resisting an application for a declaration of injury caused by that the importation of U.S. corn into Canada)

Dahl v. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, 2006 BCCA 369 (counsel for CIBC, successfully defending prospective class action concerning interest charges on credit card transactions)

Bua v. Clegg, 2006 BCSC 802 (pro bono counsel for Mr. Bua, obtaining an order appointing him and a family friend as committee for the estate of Mr. Bua's injured wife)

B.C. Vegetable Greenhouse I, L.P., v. B.C. Vegetable Marketing Commission, 2005 BCCA 476 (counsel for the Marketing Commission, affirming its jurisdiction to impose levies on regulated tomato growers)

Tsimshian Tribal Council v. B.C. Treaty Commission, 2005 BCSC 860 (counsel for Treaty Commission, resisting an application for an injunction to prevent the disbursement of treaty negotiation funding to First Nations)

Federation of Law Societies of Canada v. Attorney General of Canada, 2001 BCSC 1593, 2002 BCCA 49 (counsel for Federation, obtaining exemption for legal profession from legislation that required lawyers to report to the government "suspicious" transactions engaged in by clients, contrary to lawyers' duties of confidentiality, loyalty and independence)

R. v. Pilarinos and Clark, 2001 BCSC 1332 (amicus curiae, providing independent legal brief to court on constitutional ramifications of media application to use television cameras to film trial of former Premier Glen Clark)

Roy is regularly invited to chair and speak at conferences across Canada and frequently publishes articles in his areas of expertise. He was a member of the National Pro Bono Law Committee of the Canadian Bar Association and past chair of the Aboriginal Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association - British Columbia. For his extensive community service and pro bono work, Roy was awarded the 2006 Blakes Volunteer of Distinction Award and named Lawyer of the Year for 2008 for the Court of Appeal Program by Pro Bono Law of British Columbia. Before joining Blakes, Roy served as law clerk to Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin of the Supreme Court of Canada.