Michelle Pockey

Michelle Pockey is a partner in the firm's Energy, Environmental, Climate Change and Regulatory Law Group. She offers more than 10 years of experience assisting individuals and organizations to understand and comply with environmental and other regulatory laws. Michelle provides advice in relation to a wide variety of personal and business transactions so that clients can minimize or eliminate the environmental risks and liabilities facing them. She is also involved in the environmental assessment and permitting of proposed projects in British Columbia and in Canada's North, including the provision of strategic advice relating to First Nations negotiations and agreements with First Nations.

Michelle has appeared for a variety of industrial, institutional and commercial clients at all levels of court in B.C., before the B.C. Environmental Appeal Board and before environmental assessment authorities. She has successfully defended individuals and organizations in a variety of sectors against alleged environmental and other regulatory offences prosecuted under federal, provincial and municipal laws. Michelle has also acted as counsel in precedent setting complex, multi-party contaminated sites litigation in British Columbia to resolve issues of responsibility and liability and regularly supports clients in the management and resolution of matters concerning contaminated property.

Michelle is a frequent speaker and publisher on topics in environmental law and a former director of the Environmental Manager's Association of B.C. Lexpert's U.S. Guide lists Michelle as a "Canadian Litigation Lawyer to Watch."

Selected Experience

• BHP Billiton Canada acquires Athabasca Potash in $331 million deal
• Merit Mining and Osoyoos Indian Band achieve milestone Impacts and Benefits Agreement

News

• Fasken Martineau's Michelle Pockey nominated for a YWCA distinction award
• Michelle Pockey featured in BC Business magazine

Publications

• A Landlord's Liability and Remedies Against the Tenant Who Contaminates
• B.C.'s New Climate Change Legislation

Presentations

• Environmental Issues in Real Estate Transactions
• Environmental Legislative Updates for 2006-2007

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
• 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)
  

Community Involvement

• Founder and Co-Chair, Professional Womens' Network (1997 - present)

Honours and Awards

• Michelle is rated by Canadian Lawyer media publication, Lexpert, as an "up and coming" environmental law practitioner
• Nominated for the 2010 YWCA Women of Distinction Award in the Business and Professional Category