Jeffrey Merrick, Vancouver

About Jeffrey

Jeff is the Chair of the Blakes Infrastructure group and the head of the Vancouver Real Estate group. He has substantial expertise in developing, buying, selling, leasing and financing major commercial real estate and infrastructure projects.

Jeff has particular expertise in P3s and other types of project financing transactions, including all aspects of major design, build, finance and operate projects working with private partners and governments to deliver infrastructure assets using private financing. His clients include private equity funds, major Canadian pension funds and their advisers, as well as other private investors and significant developers and users of real estate and infrastructure projects as well as public sector authorities.

Jeff provides legal services through Jeffrey Merrick Law Corporation.

Select Experience

Jeff's recent experience extends to major projects on the west coast of British Columbia, including:

Transportation

Sea to Sky Highway
Port Mann Bridge/Highway 1 improvement project

Energy

Trans-Mountain Pipeline Expansion project
John Hart Rehabilitation project
LNG Canada's LNG project in Kitimat, British Columbia

Jeff also has experience with major hospital and other social infrastructure projects in Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan, the Northwest Territories and British Columbia.

Awards & Recognition

Jeff is recognized as a leading lawyer in the following publications:

The Best Lawyers in Canada 2024 (Construction Law, Gaming Law, Project Finance Law, Public Procurement Law, Real Estate Law)
Chambers Canada: Canada's Leading Lawyers for Business 2024 (Real Estate – British Columbia)
The Legal 500 Canada 2024 (Infrastructure and Projects)
IFLR1000: The Guide to the World's Leading Financial and Corporate Law Firms – 2023 (Project Finance)
The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory 2023 (Property Development)
Lexpert Special Edition on Canada's Leading Infrastructure Lawyers 2022
Who's Who Legal: Canada 2022 (Real Estate)
Who's Who Legal: Global 2022 (Real Estate)
Business in Vancouver BC 500 2021 (Leading Lawyer – Commercial)
Thomson Reuters Stand-out Lawyers 2021 – Independently Rated Lawyers (As nominated by senior in-house counsel)
Chambers Global: The World's Leading Lawyers for Business 2019 (Projects: PPP & Infrastructure in Canada)
Best Lawyers: “Lawyer of the Year” 2012 (Real Estate Law, Vancouver)

Professional Activities

Jeff is a contributing author to a Continuing Legal Education (CLE) publication of annotated commercial lease precedents and has spoken on a variety of real estate-related matters at CLE seminars. He is also a former adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia Faculty of Law, where he taught real estate transactions for six years.

Jeff is a member of the Canadian Bar Association – Real Property Subsection and a member of the Association of Foreign Investors in Real Estate (AFIRE).