Robert Dawkins

Associé

Vancouver

Rob has a wide-ranging financial services litigation, commercial and regulatory compliance practice. His expertise includes:

  • financial services industry litigation
  • financial crime compliance, including anti-money laundering and economic sanctions compliance and administrative monetary penalty appeals
  • consumer protection law compliance
  • assisting in FinTech and other financial services product design (advising on regulatory compliance issues and assisting with customer facing agreements)
  • advising cryptocurrency exchanges, payment processors and digital wallet providers on financial crime compliance and consumer protection matters

Rob also acts in fraud recovery and securities fraud litigation, including financial institutions in Ponzi scheme and consumer protection class actions, anti-piracy litigation, and general commercial and shareholder disputes.

Rob's clients include:

  • banks
  • credit unions
  • FinTech companies and cryptocurrency exchanges
  • business clients ranging from large public companies to individual local entrepreneurs

Rob frequently acts as a supervising solicitor and as plaintiffs' counsel with respect to enforcement of civil search (Anton Piller orders). He was a member of the Law Society of British Columbia's Model Order Committee, tasked with establishing model civil search and asset freezing (Mareva orders) for use in British Columbia litigation.

He is a member of our Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Steering Committee.

Experience

  • Acted for financial institutions, fidelity insurers and business owners in fraud litigation and investigations, and in designing and implementing commercial fraud recovery plans.
  • Acting for clients defending claims of third-party and vicarious liability for fraud.
  • Acted for financial institutions in negligence, misrepresentation, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty and Bills of Exchange Act disputes.
  • Advises financial institutions on risk management and operational risk issues, including design and review of anti-money-laundering compliance regimes, account-operating agreements, duties of confidentiality and responding to third-party claims on customer funds (e.g., constructive trust claims, Mareva injunctions, garnishing orders, seizures and CRA requirements to pay).
  • Acted in commercial disputes, including contract disputes, shareholder remedies litigation and oppression claims, termination of agency relationships, and matters before the BC Securities Commission.
  • Assists clients in pre-litigation risk management, including advising boards of directors with respect to fiduciary obligations and conducting litigation risk audits of standard form contracts.
  • Acted for commercial landlords in lease disputes, including termination, drafting surrender of lease documentation and distraint proceedings.

Beyond Our Walls

Professional Involvement

  • Member, Canadian Bar Association
  • Member, Law Society of British Columbia (LSBC)

Awards & Recognitions

  • Recognized in the 2019 edition of Benchmark Canada — The Definitive Guide to Canada's Leading Litigation Firms & Attorneys (commercial)
  • Recognized in the 2018, 2017 and 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: Commercial"

Bar Admission & Education

  • Colombie-Britannique, 2004
  • LLB, Université Dalhousie, 2001 (Hons.)
  • BA, Université de Toronto, 1998 (High Dist.)