Michael Ng

B.Comm. (UBC), LL.B. (UBC), LL.M. (Queen's)

Telephone: 604.331.1155
michael@ngariss.com 

Michael was called to the bar in BC in 1994, and has a background in complex commercial litigation. Michael directs legal research and written advocacy for the firm. His practice focuses on developing legal strategy, uncovering useful law, designing arguments, and writing submissions for courts and tribunals. Michael's work is respected for its clarity, concision and depth.

In the professional regulatory context, Michael provides legal advice, writes bylaws and policies, and creates or improves regulatory documents like registration materials and codes of ethics. He also writes procedural or legal primers for regulatory boards and committees, and submissions for use before disciplinary tribunals, review boards, and courts conducting judicial reviews or appeals.

Michael provides consulting services to other boutique law firms and organizations in and outside of British Columbia, and often works with senior counsel on disputes both large and small. Michael's civil litigation work is trusted for use before tribunals, arbitrators, and courts, including the BC Supreme Court, the BC Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court of Canada.

Michael has written winning arguments relating to professionals in ground-breaking cases like Newman v. Halstead, 2006 BCSC 65, which addressed an Internet-based campaign of defamation against teaching professionals; Stuart v. British Columbia College of Teachers, 2005 BCSC 645 which confirmed the need for mental culpability in cases of professional misconduct in BC; and British Columbia College of Teachers v. Mitchell, 2005 BCCA 76, concerning the reasonableness of regulatory decisions on penalty and name publication. His work is often pivotal to cases in many other areas, from contentious family law disputes (like Jamieson v. Loureiro, 2008 BCSC 998) to complex commercial disputes (like Craigdarloch Holdings Ltd. v. Syscon Justice Systems Canada Ltd., 2010 BCSC 1186 [agent commission] and Wah Fai Plumbing & Heating inc. v. Ma, 2011 BCCA 26 [builders liens]).

Depth of knowledge:

Michael has worked on a wide array of cases and issues. Here is a small sampling:

  • Administrative tribunals (standards of review, bias, natural justice, intervenors, professional regulation, professional discipline, competence, publication and anonymity)
  • Company and Securities (shareholders' remedies, directors' liabilities, brokerage regulations, public disclosure obligations, penalties)
  • Constitutional and Human Rights (Charter rights and freedoms, sections 1, 2, 7, 8, 15, 35 and remedies, human rights discrimination and remedies, intervenors)
  • Construction (pure economic loss, professional negligence, condominium law, construction tenders)
  • Contracts (formation, breach, variation, remedies)
  • Environmental (environmental assessment, ministerial discretion, water reserve, water licenses)
  • Equity (injunctions, fiduciaries, trusts, confidentiality, subrogation, tracing, specific performance)
  • Family law (support and property division)
  • Insurance (subrogation, good faith, duty to defend, coverage exclusion)
  • Land and Realty (commercial leases, easements, First Nations, realtor's negligence, occupier's liability)
  • Labour and Employment (collective agreements, union and management obligations, union executive and member obligations, dismissal, discipline, pensions, trusts)
  • Practice (territorial competence and convenient forum, court rules, discovery, evidence, costs, appeal process and factums)
  • Restitution (unjust enrichment, quantum meruit, payments under mistake, or under invalid contracts)
  • Torts (nuisance, conspiracy, fraud, misrepresentation, pure economic loss, abuse of public office, professional negligence)
  • Trademarks (commercial use, confusion, internet domain names)
Publications: Michael is the author of Fiduciary Duties: Duties of Loyalty and Faithfulness, published by Canada Law Book, and has co-authored papers including Fong, Ng and Swartz, The Duty of Professionals to Report (Acuity Forum's Professional Regulation and Discipline Conference, 2009) and Fong, Ng and Morey, Registration Decisions and the Health Professions Review Board (CLE BC's Self-Governing Professions, 2011). Michael writes regularly on professional regulatory law on our blog, suite210.

Educational background: LL.M. (Queen's University, 1995); LL.B. (UBC, 1993); B.Com. [Urban Land Economics] (UBC, 1990)

Academic Awards: Queen's University Fellowship (1994); Law Foundation Scholarship (1991); Russell & DuMoulin Scholarship (1991); Thomas Francis Hurley Prize (Criminal Law, 1991); Rank of 4th out of 234 (First Year Law, 1991); Dean's Honour Roll (Commerce, 1987, 1988, 1990); Annie B. Jamieson Scholarship (Commerce); Porte Realty Scholarship (Commerce)

Personal interests: Michael's interests include yoga, computers, writing, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His travel destinations have included England, France, Italy, Germany, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania and Kenya.