James Vance

James joined Eleanor as partner in 2009 and built the firm's estates and disputes practice. His view is that most disagreements are cheaper, quieter and better resolved before they ever reach a courtroom, and he has spent his career proving it.

He helps families and business owners put their affairs in order, and steps in when an estate or a commercial relationship goes wrong. A trained mediator, he is as comfortable at the negotiating table as in the courtroom, and honest with clients about which room a matter belongs in.

Representative work

• Estate plan for a blended familyTrust & will structure
• Contested probate, mediated to settlementResolved pre-trial
• Shareholder exit disputeNegotiated buy-out
• Succession plan, family manufacturerWith Business team

Bar admission & education

• Law Society of British ColumbiaCalled 2006
• Mediation certification, Justice Institute of BC2012
• J.D., University of Victoria Faculty of Law2005
• B.A., McGill University2001

Memberships

Canadian Bar Association (Wills, Estates & Trusts Section) · BC Mediator Roster · Trial Lawyers Association of BC.