Background
Stephen Antle is a partner at our Vancouver office. Mr. Antle was admitted to the British Columbia Bar in 1987. Prior to his call, he was a Law Clerk with the British Columbia Court of Appeal. He graduated with a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Toronto Law School in 1985. Prior to that, he received a Bachelor of Arts from Simon Fraser University in 1981. Mr. Antle is a Chartered Arbitrator.
Areas of Practice
- Commercial dispute resolution
Professional Experience
- Expertise in all forms of commercial dispute resolution: negotiation, mediation, arbitration, administrative proceedings and litigation.
- Areas of particular interest include disputes involving the relationships of companies and their shareholders, and disputes involving more than one jurisdiction.
- Experience as counsel before the Supreme Court of B.C., B.C. Court of Appeal, Supreme Court of Canada, mediators, and arbitration and administrative tribunals.
- Representative cases include:
- Represented purchaser of “Chinese Yellow Pages” business in arbitration of disputes with vendor.
- Representing software developer in minority shareholders lawsuit to have shareholders agreement declared invalid.
- Represented landlords in three commercial lease renewal rent arbitrations.
- Represented mining company in determination by independent expert of entitlement to break fee under arrangement agreement.
- Represented purchasers of shares in recreational development company in extending time to redeem security after default in payment of balance of purchase price.
- Represented independent committee of board of directors of public mining company in investigation of allegations of director wrongdoing.
- Represented minority shareholder of a courier company in resolution of shareholder dispute by purchase of majority shareholder's shares.
- Represented lumber and specialty food wholesalers in obtaining court approval of conversions from companies to income trusts.
- Represented U.S. manufacturer in obtaining evidence from B.C. witnesses for use in California military procurement bribery lawsuit.
- Defended floor-covering companies in shareholder oppression lawsuit and arbitration of share purchase price.
- Represented a software development company in responding to three competing share purchase offers.
- Defended B.C. Ministry of Forests in Forest Act Appeal Board appeal of cancellation of timber tenures, and appeals to Supreme Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court of Canada.
- Represented a software development company in commercial arbitration of shareholder's refusal to complete share put transaction.
- Defended minority shareholder of family fishing company in appeal of judgment ordering company to buy him out after it excluded him from management.
Professional and Community Activities
- Member of Law Society of B.C., B.C. International Commercial Arbitration Centre panels of experts, B.C. Arbitration and Mediation Institute, Canadian Bar Association, Alternative Dispute Resolution Institute of Canada, Young Canadian Arbitration Practitioners and American Bar Association.
Publications:
- “Commercial Arbitration Design Considerations”, Dispute Resolution, Winter 2008.
- “Shareholder Rights, Remedies and Proceedings” Chapter in “B.C. Company Law Practice Manual” Continuing Legal Education Society of B.C., 2007 (with Charmane Sing).
- “And Now For Something Slightly Different: The British Columbia Oppression Remedy,” Continuing Legal Education Society of B. C. ‘s “Shareholders' Remedies” course, November 2006, Vancouver (with Stephen T.C. Warnett and J. Tracy Li).
- “Commercial Arbitration Design Considerations,” presented to Canadian Bar Association's Business Law Section, November 2006, Vancouver.
- “Commercial Arbitration Design Considerations,” T.E. Ladner Business Law Symposium, October 2006, Vancouver.
- “Commercial Arbitration Design Considerations,” presented to Canadian Bar Association's Alternative Dispute Resolution Section, October 2006, Vancouver.
- "Resolving Disputes" chapter in "Advising B.C. Business", Continuing Legal Education Society of B.C., September 2006. (2007 ACLEA Award for Professional Excellence)
- “Arbitration May be the Answer When Parties Want to Avoid Going to Court”, Management Matters, April 2006.
- “Commercial Arbitration Design Considerations”, Canadian Institute's Managing Complex Litigation conference, April 2006, Toronto.
- “Conflicts of Laws Issues”, Canadian Institute's Managing Complex Litigation conference, April 2006, Toronto (with Ward B. Washington).
- “Obtaining Evidence in Foreign Jurisdictions and Dealing with Foreign Letters of Request in B.C.”, Continuing Legal Education Society of B.C.'s Conflicts course, April 2006, Vancouver (with Ward B. Washington).
- "Shareholders' Rights and Remedies", Professional Legal Training Course materials, 2006.
- “Commercial Arbitration Design Considerations", International Law Office Newsletter, December 2005.
- "The British Columbia Administrative Tribunals Act and Administrative Arbitration Design Considerations", Canadian Institute's Advanced Administrative Law and Practice conference, October 2005, Ottawa.
- "Court Proceedings Under the New British Columbia Business Corporations Act ", Continuing Legal Education Society of B.C., September 2004 (with Stephen T.C. Warnett).
- "Shareholder Oppression - What Is, What Isn't", September 2003.
- "Practical Legal Basics for Business", Business Law Gazette 2002.
- “Securities Litigation and the Oppression Remedy”, Insight Information Western Forum on Commercial Litigation, September 2002, Vancouver (with Stephen J. Mulhall and Stephen T.C. Warnett).
- "Enforcing Letters Rogatory in British Columbia: An Update", Washington State Bar News, June 2002.
- “Oppression, Just and Equitable Winding Up and the Family Company”, Canadian Bar Review, September – December 1997.
- “The Effect of Foreign Blocking Legislation in Canada”, The Advocate, March 1995.
- “Enforcing Letters Rogatory in British Columbia”, Washington State Bar News, February 1995.
- “A Practical Guide to Section 347 of the Criminal Code - Criminal Rates of Interest”, Canadian Business Law Journal, June 1994.
- “Solicitor's Charging Liens”, The Advocate, September 1990.
