Ross McGowan

Partner

Vancouver
RMcGowan@blg.com
604.640.4173

Ross provides a broad range of compliance, risk management and litigation support, with a focus on assisting financial institutions in combating fraud and corruption. He also advises clients in operations, payment systems, policy advice and regulatory compliance matters.

Within his practice, Ross works with a variety of insurers to provide coverage and subrogation advice relating to fraud losses, bondability of employees, policy design and defence of claims. Ross’ expertise also extends to commercial leasing disputes, advising landlords, property managers and tenants on an array of issues.

Ross has represented Canadian banks and credit unions at trial and appellate courts across Canada on national and provincial class action defence matters, including ones requiring extensive knowledge of the Bills of Exchange Act, Payment Canada’s Automated Clearing Settlement System Rules and Standards, the Bank Act, the Credit Union Incorporation Act, the Financial Institutions Act, and other legislation.

Ross provides legal services through a Law Corporation.

Experience

  • Litigation and compliance counsel for Canadian financial institutions and others engaged in the Canadian financial services sector.
  • Litigation counsel and strategic advisor for numerous specialty insurers (fidelity, D&O, professional E&O) on a range of compliance obligations, policy design, coverage opinions, subrogated claims and defence matters.
  • Advisor to organizations on anti-corruption and bribery policies, also providing investigation support, incident response and litigation counsel to organizations and boards facing crises.
  • Advised and drafted account-operating agreements and operation protocols for multi-provincial, national and international use by credit unions and banks for both retail consumer banking and business banking.
  • Provides internal training seminars to credit unions, banks and financial services industry groups on a wide array of risk management and regulatory compliance matters including privacy law, AML, payments systems, retail banking operations, compliance and risk management.

Beyond Our Walls

Professional Involvement

  • Associate member, Association of Certified Fraud Examiners
  • Member, Risk Management Association

Awards & Recognitions

  • Recognized in the 2025 edition (and since 2024) of Best Lawyers in Canada® (Banking and Finance Law & Insurance Law).
  • Recognized in the 2024 (and since 2016) editions of Benchmark Canada — The Definitive Guide to Canada's Leading Litigation Firms & Attorneys as a "Local Litigation Star: British Columbia" and a "Litigation Star: Arbitration, Class Actions, Commercial, Securities, White Collar Crime"
  • Recognized as a 2023 Thomson Reuters Stand-out Lawyer
  • Recognized in the 2023 edition (and since 2020) of Who's Who Legal: Canada (Asset Recovery and Business Crime Defence)
  • Recognized in the 2017 edition of Who's Who Legal: Asset Recovery
  • Recognized in the 2016 edition (and since 2010) of Who’s Who Legal: Canada (Business Crime Defence)
  • Winner of The Columbus International Film and Video Festival’s “Chris Award,” for production of a video about the consequences of employee fraud, 1996

Bar Admission & Education

  • British Columbia, 1988
  • LLB, University of Toronto, 1987
  • BA (cum laude, economics), University of Saskatchewan, 1984