Olthuis van Ert is a litigation boutique renowned for its strong advocacy, primarily in the commercial litigation and administrative/public law spheres. Seven of the firm’s ten members are former judicial law clerks, and five of these – including the two partners – clerked at the Supreme Court of Canada.
The firm is led by Brent Olthuis, KC, and Gib van Ert, both of whom are recognized in numerous industry ranking publications in addition to Lexpert. Brent is a fellow of both the International Society of Barristers and Litigation Counsel of America, and was part of the 2022 cohort of King’s Counsel. Brent was recently honoured as Vancouver’s 2025 Lawyer of the Year in Administrative and Public Law (Best Lawyers). Gib is the author of Using International Law in Canadian Courts, now in its third edition, and was recently appointed to the Federal Government’s Special Advocates List for national security proceedings.
Both Brent and Gib started practising together almost 20 years ago as colleagues at another Vancouver litigation boutique. Over their years at the bar, they each developed solid reputations for legal acumen, persuasiveness and professional ethics. They struck out on their own in 2021, and have seen their already sizeable practices grow markedly.
The firm’s commercial litigation practice is driven primarily from referrals from other members of the bar. Its administrative and public law practice serves institutional clients as well as ministers and governmental departments. For these clients, the firm’s lawyers act in various capacities, including as advisors, as discipline counsel, and as courtroom barristers (typically in the prosecution of injunction and contempt of court applications against unauthorised practitioners). In 2024, the firm added the College of Veterinarians of BC and Engineers and Geoscientists BC as institutional clients, joining the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC, the BC College of Nurses and Midwives, the BC College of Oral Health Professionals, and the Director of Civil Forfeiture (BC). In addition to these institutional clients, the firm is also routinely retained by the Attorney General of British Columbia to serve as external counsel on high-profile litigation matters involving the provincial Crown.
The firm was substantially strengthened in 2024, in both the commercial and administrative/public law spheres, with the addition of Donnaree Nygard and Danny Urquhart. Donnaree spent nearly 30 years as a litigator with the federal Department of Justice, where she developed a great deal of expertise in constitutional, administrative and national security matters, as well as class proceedings. Danny is a rising star on the local commercial litigation scene, and left a large national firm to build his practice in a boutique setting.
