Nicholas Tollefson Associate | Vancouver

About Nick

Nick has a broad litigation practice, with a particular focus on complex commercial, regulatory, and administrative law disputes.

In his commercial litigation practice, Nick has acted for clients in disputes regarding contracts, real estate transactions, commercial leasing, claims of fraud and bribery, construction and infrastructure projects, injunctions, and a wide range of general civil litigation matters.

In his regulatory and administrative law practice, Nick has particular expertise in disputes regarding the environment and Indigenous rights and title. He works on contaminated sites litigation, judicial reviews of environmental assessment and regulatory permitting decisions, and defending clients charged with environmental and other regulatory offences.

Nick has appeared as counsel before all levels of court in British Columbia, as well as the courts of Alberta and Yukon. He also represents clients in proceedings before administrative boards and tribunals. Prior to joining Blakes, Nick developed a keen understanding of the governmental regulatory process while working as a policy analyst at a provincial regulator within the BC Ministry of the Attorney General.

Select Experience

Environmental Law

Part of counsel team for a government agency and statutory decision maker in a complex civil action relating to remediation clean up criteria and regulatory management of a contaminated site
Counsel to an international mining company in responding to a complex Fisheries Act investigation regarding releases of mine-impacted water
Counsel to a utilities company in responding to a Fisheries Act investigation arising from a spill from utility infrastructure
Part of counsel team for a real estate development company in obtaining a successful summary trial verdict on the interpretation of a contractual indemnity regarding environmental contamination
Counsel to an energy production company defending an application for judicial review of a pipeline permit amendment

Indigenous Law

Counsel to an Indigenous group seeking judicial review of an environmental assessment decision before the Yukon Supreme Court
Counsel to a large pipeline company engaging an Indigenous group in mediation and alternative dispute resolution

Commercial Litigation

Part of counsel team for an international mining company in successfully defending an application for an injunction to prevent the transaction of business under a joint venture agreement
Counsel to a commercial tenant in a dispute regarding the negotiation and formation of a commercial lease agreement
Counsel to an Indigenous group pursuing claims of fraud and bribery against former fiduciaries and officers
Counsel to a commercial landlord in defending an unlawful termination claim brought by a former tenant

Arbitration

Part of arbitration counsel team for an owner defending a C$1-billion ICC arbitration claim regarding construction of energy infrastructure
Part of arbitration counsel team for an independent power producer in a contractual dispute regarding an energy purchase agreement

Constitutional & Charter of Rights

Counsel to the Federation of Law Societies in successfully obtaining an injunction providing a temporary constitutional exemption to legislation imposing new regulatory disclosure obligations on lawyers: 2023 BCSC 2068
Counsel to a charitable organization seeking leave to appeal a Fisheries Act conviction based on Charter and evidentiary issues