YUKON

Paul McGivern, Q.C.

Toronto, ON

Paul McGivern, Q.C., a senior litigator and founding member of the Birth Injury Lawyers Alliance, specializes in plaintiff’s medical negligence and infant birth trauma cases in British Columbia, with 35 years of experience. His unique background includes 17 years as a medical malpractice defense counsel. Paul is consistently recognized as a leader in medical malpractice litigation by the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory and Best Lawyers in Canada, where he was named Vancouver’s 'Lawyer of the Year' multiple times. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia and actively involved with the Cerebral Palsy Association of B.C.

Michael L. Colwell

A trial lawyer for insurers, surety providers, and other businesses, Michael Colwell has conducted numerous trials in jury and non-jury settings, as well as appeals across Western Canada. Called to the Bar in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and Yukon, Michael’s legal practice includes insurance defence, professional liability, surety, personal injury, and class actions. Michael also handles a broad variety Strata Property Act disputes and related claims before the British Columbia Civil Resolution Tribunal. “If it matters to you as my client, it matters to me,” he said. “I want to learn more about my clients. I am curious about day-to-day company strategy. The more I learn, the more effective I can be.” One of his favourite aspects of practicing litigation law is the strategy it requires. “It is ever-evolving,” he said. “There are ‘unknown unknowns’ - situations that are so unexpected that they would not be considered. This is a challenging yet rewarding aspect of practicing law.” Michael also has experience in giving coverage advice to insurers, and in representing insurers in the context of auto, accident benefits, injury claims, construction claims, product liability and medical malpractice claims as well as errors and omissions claims pertaining to various professionals. He has appeared as counsel at courts in Alberta, BC, and the Yukon including their respective trial and appellate levels. A legal instructor at Vancouver Community College, his advice for first-year lawyers is to be careful to avoid assumptions. “Language is often a clumsy tool for conveying meaning, and it can hide assumptions,” he said. “If you are given an assignment, you may need to challenge the research question or its author.” As someone who likes to travel the world, Michael earned his private pilot’s licence in 2020.

Susanne Raab is a lawyer at Pacific Medical Law, focusing on medical malpractice, birth injuries, and catastrophic brain and spinal cord injuries. She is recognized as a leading practitioner in medical negligence by Best Lawyers in Canada and the Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory, and is a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America. Susanne has appeared before various courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada, and is an adjunct professor at UBC Allard School of Law. She is also actively involved with the Cerebral Palsy Association of British Columbia.

Shad Chapman

Member of the Bars of Alberta, British Columbia, the Yukon and the Northwest Territories. Trial lawyer with a focus on commercial litigation and insurance defence including Products liability, Construction, Fire, Shareholder disputes, Environmental litigation, Oil and gas, Coverage and policy interpretation, Professional liability/E&O, Occupier's liability and bodily injury, Corporate and Contract disputes, Defamation and slander defence, significant injury claims, leasing/financing disputes, arbitration and mediation.

Lindsay McGivern

Toronto, ON

Lindsay McGivern represents plaintiffs in medical negligence and birth injury litigation at Pacific Medical Law. Her primary focus is on infants injured at birth or within the first month of life. With experience on both plaintiff and defense sides of civil litigation, she brings a broad perspective to her cases. Lindsay received her Bachelor of Science from UBC and her Juris Doctor from Dalhousie University, where she won several awards. She is a member of the Law Society of British Columbia and the Trial Lawyers Association of British Columbia.

Andrea Donaldson

Toronto, ON

Andrea Donaldson focuses her practice on advocating for individuals and families affected by medical negligence, particularly birth injuries. She joined Pacific Medical Law as an articling student in 2015 and became an associate in 2016. Andrea is a member of the Law Society of BC and the Trial Lawyers Association of BC, regularly attending medical-legal conferences to stay current. She also volunteers with Vancouver Adaptive Snow Sports.