Claire gets results. She was laser focused on my concerns and goals. She anticipated both opportunities and challenges and provides real leadership to the client. Anyone who has legal issues related to property would be extremely lucky to have her represent them. She is BY FAR the best in her field.

Vancouver Landlord

Professional Background

Claire Immega has a broad civil litigation practice with a focus on real estate litigation. She is a member of our Commercial Litigation, Insurance, Commercial Real Estate and Professional Liability Groups.

She delivers focused results based on an in-depth understanding of her clients’ business needs. She is also passionate about Vancouver business and community interests, and chairs the firm’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

Claire represents commercial and residential landlords and property managers, real estate owners and developers, corporate stakeholders, and a wide variety of regulated professionals. She regularly appears in British Columbia Supreme Court, the British Columbia Court of Appeal, and a variety of regulatory bodies and administrative tribunals, and has assisted clients before the Supreme Court of Canada.

 

Education

  • Bachelor of Arts (Honours), University of Toronto: 2006
  • Juris Doctor, University of British Columbia: 2011
  • Called to the British Columbia Bar: 2012

Memberships

  • Member, Board of LandlordBC
  • Member, Vancouver Bar Association
  • Member, Canadian Bar Association
  • Co-chair, Diversity and Inclusion Committee

Claire’s experience includes:

• Complex corporate and commercial disputes, including shareholder disputes and directors and officer’s liability, including:
-lead defence counsel in ongoing corporate officer’s negligence and fraud litigation surrounding the negotiation of an liquefied natural gas deal and the purchase of real estate worth $37 million
-key legal team member in complex securities fraud and negligence disputes worth over $500 million and a shareholders’ dispute worth approximately $250 million

• Leasing and development, including managing commercial, residential, and long-term leasing disputes, and advising landlords and developers on tenant relocation and development planning, including:
-advising landlords and property owners through renovation and repair of low and high-rise properties in various municipalities, including Vancouver, Richmond, Surrey, and Victoria
-assisting apartment building owners through renovation and redevelopment processes in a changing legal and regulatory environment
-managing legal issues related to a $20 million downtown Vancouver apartment building renovation
-acting for industry organizations in appellate matters regarding landlord issues

• Real estate litigation, including real estate fraud and contract disputes, including:
-acts as lead plaintiff counsel in ongoing $1.5 million real estate fraud litigation, in which she secured Mareva freezing orders over $1.7 million of assets
-acts as lead plaintiff counsel in dispute over investment in a Caribbean property worth $10 US million

• Representing regulated professionals in disciplinary matters, including dentists, geoscientists, registered clinical counsellors, and others, and settling most disciplinary matters with minimal fines and penalties.

Publications

  • Landowner Transparency Act – More Taxes, Less Privacy,  The Goodman Report
  • Considering Renting Your Home as a Vacation Property? Understand the Risks
  • How To Operate When You Cooperate
  • Witnesses In Vinculis – Insurers And Sworn Affidavits
  • Duties Owed Between Primary Insurers, Excess Insurers, and Insureds

Presentations

Speaker, LandLordBC, The Province and the Cities: Navigating Government Responses to the Rental Housing Crunch, June 2019

Articles | Jul 25, 2018

Tough New Privacy Rules For Landlords

Publications | Jan 6, 2018

Landlords: Look Out for Stringent New Privacy Rules

Publications | Dec 21, 2017

The Ins and Outs of Tenant Relocation

Publications | Jul 4, 2017

Professional Insurance - Are you Fully Covered?

Publications | Mar 23, 2017

The Duty of Good Faith, or: How Not to Let Courts Rewrite Your Lease

Publications | Jun 28, 2016

New Guide Dog Rules: Best Practices for Businesses

Publications | Apr 28, 2016

Obtaining Evidence: A Challenge in the Internet Age