Niall Rand is a senior associate in Fasken’s Vancouver office and a member of the firm’s Global Mining, Indigenous Legal Matters, and Global Energy and Climate groups. He advises clients in the energy, mining, natural resources and transportation sectors on complex regulatory matters, project approvals and Indigenous legal issues.
Since 2022, Niall has been recognized among the “Ones to Watch” in Environmental Law by The Best Lawyers in Canada, and in 2025, he was similarly recognized for his work in Aboriginal Law / Indigenous Practice. Niall is a past President of the Vancouver Bar Association, where he helped guide initiatives that support professional excellence and strengthen the legal community in the Vancouver area.
Strategic, Practical, and Client-Driven Advice
Niall helps clients make decisions and move projects forward in fast‑evolving regulatory environments. He brings a strategic, practical approach that aligns legal advice with business priorities, risk tolerance, and stakeholder dynamics — particularly where public policy, technical evidence, and regulatory discretion intersect. He has extensive experience working with professionals and experts across a diverse range of disciplines, including engineers, economists, accountants, scientists, and historians.
Guiding Mining Clients Through Approvals and Agreements
Niall supports mining clients through the full mine lifecycle, advising both operating mines and projects in development on regulatory pathways, permitting and approvals, and ongoing compliance. His work often sits at the intersection of environmental assessment, permitting, and Indigenous legal considerations, and includes structuring and negotiating agreements to support constructive engagement.
Where issues become contested, Niall has represented clients before all levels of Court in British Columbia, in Federal Court, in mediations, and before various regulatory tribunals, including helping clients develop practical strategies for challenges to government decisions (including judicial review) and other time-sensitive court applications, including requests to pause project activity while disputes are addressed.
Public Utilities Regulation and Tribunal Advocacy
Niall has advised a variety of regulated businesses, including BC’s largest natural gas utility, both of the province’s major electric utilities , a thermal energy utility, the provider of mandatory regulated automobile insurance in BC, and a company offering regulated ferry services. His experience spans, in particular: energy project approvals; rate-related applications (cost of service and performance-based); rate design; long-term resource planning; demand-side management; procurement and energy supply contracts; resiliency and emergency planning; force majeure; customer complaints; and compliance with electric mandatory reliability standards (MRS).
