Thank you for the good news and your determined effort to make it so.

Fortune 500 Manufacturer

On behalf of the Corporation, I wish to express our appreciation for the fine service provided by Steve Vorbrodt on this file.  Our adjuster has advised me that an excellent contribution was made to the result.

Director of Legal Services

Steve was on top of all the material issues.  I would be remiss if I didn’t report how well he handled the file.

Senior Claims Examiner

This was an episode which caused a great deal of worry for me and I must say I felt far more secure immediately when Steve became involved.

Defendant in a lawsuit involving allegations of professional malpractice

Professional Background

Steve Vorbrodt is a Partner at the firm with a practice focused on the areas of professional liability, insurance defence and construction law. He serves clients by striving to provide strategic and pragmatic legal solutions from the onset of every file.

Steve has prosecuted civil fraud claims on behalf of the insurer and has considerable experience in handling complex bodily injury claims. His clients include international, national, and regional insurance companies and their clients as well as self-insureds.

Steve has represented both corporate and individual clients in a wide variety of matters including the defence of:
• professional liability claims against accountants, financial planners, health care and other professionals
• engineers and engineering firms in complex construction disputes
• directors and officers (including civil fraud and conspiracy claims)
• coverage disputes against insurers (including breach of contract and bad faith claims)
• personal injury and property damage claims
• manufacturers and distributors in product liability claims

He acts for clients before all level of court in British Columbia as well as various administrative tribunals, including the Institute of Chartered Accountants of British Columbia, the Insurance Institute of British Columbia, the Workers’ Compensation Appeal Tribunal and the Human Rights Tribunal.

Education

  • Bachelor of Arts (Honours), University of Western Ontario: 1993
  • Exchange Program, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany: 1992
  • Bachelor of Laws, University of British Columbia: 2003
  • Called to the British Columbia Bar: 2004

Memberships

  • Member, Canadian Elevator Contractors Association
  • Member, Canadian-German Chamber of Industry and Commerce
  • Member, BC Bar Association (Construction Law, Insurance Law and Product Liability subsections)
  • Member, Law Society of British Columbia
  • Member, Canadian Bar Association

Community + Volunteering

  • Member of Board of Directors of Turning Point Recovery Society
  • Vice-President and member of Board of Directors of Vancouver Westside German School
  • Moot Court Judge, Professional Legal Training Course (2011-2014)
  • Obtained judgment of $212,000 plus court-ordered interest and costs in a counterclaim against the Plaintiff who was found to have breached his insurance policy as a result of being incapable of operating a motor vehicle due to the influence of alcohol (Hamman v. ICBC, 2018 BCSC 1120 and 2017 BCSC 1831). 
  • Obtained dismissal of personal injury claims on summary trial application in products liability case against a Fortune 500 company (Arellano v. Wong, 2015 BCSC 1705).
  • Obtained judgment of approximately $200,000 plus punitive damages and costs against two Defendants found liable for fraud and conspiracy to present a false witness in respect of a motor vehicle accident (ICBC v. Panag, 2013 BCSC 238).
  • Obtained punitive damages and special costs in addition to special and general damages on a summary trial application in respect of a fraudulent theft claim made to an insurer (ICBC v. Kooner, 2011 BCSC).
  • Obtained judgment including punitive damages in a claim based on civil conspiracy relating to material misrepresentations in an application for insurance (ICBC v. Thaci and Haliti, 2010 BCPC).
  • Successfully defended claims for a declaration of insurance coverage on the basis of willfully false statements (Gotsutsov v. ICBC, 2009 BCPC 154 and Prasad v. ICBC, 2008 BCSC 1855).
  • Successfully defended application by plaintiff to add new causes of action in a professional negligence action (Ewert v. Marshall, 2007 BCSC 1042).
  • Obtained dismissal of discrimination claim against a professional from the Human Rights Tribunal (Gallagher v. Henry, 2006 BCHRT 318 and correction).
  • Obtained dismissal of actions involving claims of professional negligence (Swityk v. Priest, 2006 BCPC 518 and 2006 BCPC 519 and Leung v. Godley, 2006 BCPC 436).
  • Worked in conjunction with senior counsel in obtaining judgment for investment losses against a financial advisor and an investment firm (Hawkenson v. Rogers, 2005 BCSC 318).
  • Obtained favorable damage awards in personal injury actions against corporate defendant (Hansen v. Overwaitea Foods, 2003 BCPC 466 and Schoenke v. Overwaitea Foods, 2003 BCPC 465).

Publications

  • Contractual hurdles: Professionals Looking to Limit their Liability through Contractual Wording have to Overcome a few Obstacles First, Canadian Underwriter (September 2019)
  • Who Do You Represent:  Vicarious Liability And Agency Issues In The Insurance Context, IBABC HyperArticle, BC Broker Magazine (April 2017)
  • Faulty Workmanship or Resulting Damage: Ledcor v. Northbridge, IBABC HyperArticle, co-authored with Brendan Ward, BC Broker Magazine (December 2016)
  • The Fine Art of Limiting Liability, IBABC HyperArticle, BC Broker Magazine (August 2016)
  • When Directors May Be Liable For Mispresentations Made by Other Directors, co-authored with Peter Mennie, Letter of the Law (Fall 2016)
  • Ledcor Construction:  Supreme Court Of Canada Clarifies Meaning Of “Faulty Workmanship” And “Resultant Damage” To Expand Coverage In A Builder’s Risk Policy, Letter of the Law (Fall 2016)
  • Objecting to Expert Evidence Based on Novel Science, Letter of the Law (Spring 2015)
  • Commercial Litigation for Junior Lawyers and Legal Support Staff, co-chair and contribution author (CLE, 2012)
  • Auto Insurance Clause Narrowed, Letter of the Law (Summer 2009)
  • Recent Criminal and Quasi-Criminal Developments in Securities Litigation, co-authored with Rod Anderson (CLE, 2005)
  • Barbarians Looking for the Gate, co-authored with Mark Tweedy, Pacific Law Institute, (2004)
  • Author of a variety of published articles and commentaries regarding various insurance issues

Presentations

  • Speaker, “Dealing with Ungovernable Registrants“, Seminar, RegPro2018 – Professional Regulation & Discipline, 2018
  • Speaker, “D&O Liability & Coverage Issues for BC Brokers“, Seminar, IBABC, 2018
  • Speaker, “Insurance Parties at Odds – Cases, Coverages and Opportunities“, 69th Annual Conference and Trade Show, Insurance Brokers Association of British Columbia, Whistler, British Columbia, June 2017
  • Speaker, “Oops … I did it again – Liability Issues for Insurance Brokers“, Webinar, IBABC, 2017
  • Speaker, “Beyond CGL – Coverage Issues for BC Brokers“, Webinar, IBABC, 2016
  • Speaker, “Anatomy of Investment Advisors’ Litigation“, Seminar, SU, 2009
  • Speaker, “Vicarious Liability and Agency:  An Overview“, Seminar, SU, 2008
  • Speaker, “Litigation, Arbitration, Mediation:  Choosing the Right Approach to Dispute Resolution in Canada“, Canadian-German Lawyers’ Association, Montreal, 2008

Case Studies | Dec 8, 2017

Powering fair procurement

Case Studies | Nov 29, 2017

Keeping things on track

Publications | Dec 7, 2016

Supreme Court of Canada Expands Coverage Under Builders Risk Policy

Publications | Oct 18, 2016

Misrepresentations by Other Directors Can Be Costly