Michelle Pockey is a Partner practising with Fasken Martineau's Global Energy, Global Mining, Aboriginal, and Corporate Social Responsibility ('CSR') Law Practice Groups. She has more than 15 years of experience as a litigation and business lawyer.
Michelle principally advises project proponents, including joint venture partnerships involving First Nations peoples, on obtaining land development and natural resource development project approvals. She also advises operating facilities on the environmental and regulatory aspects of operating, decommissioning, reclamation and project closure.
Michelle is well known in the business community as a strong connector and a collaborator, and particularly for supporting clients to obtain timely project approvals, increase certainty, and minimize project risk by taking a interest-based, collaborative approach to overcoming the challenges of project development.
Having acted for many years for several forestry, mining and energy companies and for land developers, Michelle understands corporate matters and business drivers, risk factors, political influences, indigenous issues and the complex environmental and regulatory landscape in Canada. Through her experiences and uniquely collaborative approach to problem-solving, she has built strong relationships of trust within all levels of government, with regulators, First Nations groups,industry groups and associations, technical advisors, local community leaders, NGOs and with clients. These relationships have facilitated the development of innovative, respected and often win-win solutions to difficult regulatory, cultural, and political challenges faced by project proponents.
As part of her work, Michelle assists clients to develop and implement effective corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies and strategies. She has appeared for a variety of clients before the B.C. Environmental Appeal Board, the Yukon Water Board and various environmental assessment authorities to obtain project approvals. She helps clients to assess and minimize environmental risk in business transactions and commercial arrangements, and supports clients in the resolution of matters concerning contaminated property.
Michelle has acted as counsel in precedent-setting complex, multi-party contaminated site litigation to resolve issues of responsibility and liability for contaminated land. She regularly advises with respect to waste management and compliance with environmental laws and has appeared in all levels of court in B.C. and in other jurisdictions on environmental matters, successfully defending individuals and organizations against alleged environmental and other regulatory offences.
Michelle is a respected speaker and publisher on topics in environmental law. She serves a director and an advisory board member for several Canadian businesses, business associations and non-profit organizations. She is a founder and the National Chair of the Professional Women's Network with chapters in Vancouver and Calgary. She serves on the board of the Sarah McLachlan School of Music Society, and in 2011, Michelle received from The International Alliance for Women a World of Difference Top 100 Award for her efforts to advance the economic empowerment of women.
Michelle provides legal services through Michelle Pockey Law Corporation.
Honours and Awards
- 2011 TIAW World of Difference 100 Award, Entrepreneurial Category
- Finalist in 2011 for an Association of Women in Finance PEAK award and for a Business in Vancouver Influential Women in Business Award
- Finalist for the 2011 YWCA Women of Distinction Award in the Entrepreneurs and Innovators Category
- Nominated for the 2010 YWCA Women of Distinction Award in the Business and Professional Category
- Rated by Canadian Lawyer media publication, Lexpert, in environmental law
Community Involvement
- Founder and Co-Chair, Professional Womens' Network (1997 - present)
Membership/Affiliations
- Law Society of British Columbia
- Environmental; Administrative; and Civil Litigation Subsections; and Women Lawyer's Forum of Canadian Bar Association
- Directing Editor, Environment Law Journal, Federated Press
- Women President's Organization, Vancouver Chapter II
- Board Member, Board of Advisors for Young Women in Business
- Editor, Canadian Environmental Law Guide, Specialty Technical Publishers
- Advisory Board Member, GroYourBiz.com
- Former Director, Women Lawyer's Forum of Canadian Bar Association (2004-2006)
- Former Director Environmental Managers' Association of B.C. (formerly, the ici EMA) (1999-2004) (Vice-President, Communications 2000-2004)
- Former Director, Vancouver Bar Association (1999-2001)
- Advisory Board member, Vertical Bridge Consulting Inc.
- Director on the Board of WEConnect Canada
- Director, Sarah McLachlan School of Music Society