Course Chairs
Mary I.A. Buttery — Davis LLP, Vancouver
Geoffrey H. Dabbs — Gehlen Dabbs, Vancouver
About the Course Chairs
Mary I.A. Buttery is the lead partner in the Davis LLP Vancouver office’s insolvency group, and the co-chair of the firm’s national Insolvency and Bankruptcy Practice Group. She has been involved in numerous significant insolvency files in BC, and her expertise is recognized nationally. Specializing in commercial insolvency, Mary represents financial institutions, debtors and creditors, receivers and trustees in matters related to debt restructuring, corporate reorganizations, loan workouts, fraudulent preference actions, bankruptcy, and receiverships. She has experience in many different sectors, most notably, retail, real estate, forestry, and natural resources. Mary regularly advises clients who are experiencing financial difficulty, or whose customers’ or suppliers’ insolvency affects their business. In addition, she is an experienced commercial litigator, with expertise in the enforcement of foreign judgments, debt enforcement, and fraud.
Mary has appeared in all levels of the Ontario and British Columbia courts, the Federal Court, and was lead counsel at the Supreme Court of Canada in the Century Services decision. She is recognized by numerous legal directories as a leader in her field and is currently an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of British Columbia, where she teaches insolvency law to upper-year students. Mary has frequently presented in insolvency and litigation matters, and has authored several articles in her practice areas.
Geoffrey Dabbs is a founding partner with the Vancouver firm Gehlen Dabbs which recently had its 14th anniversary and is still going strong. His practice focuses on litigation aspects of commercial and insolvency law, including bankruptcy and receivership, commercial tenancy disputes, security recovery, and related matters. Geoffrey has appeared before all levels of court in commercial and insolvency related litigation, including the Supreme Court of Canada on behalf of a successful trustee in bankruptcy. Geoffrey also acts for various housing and strata management organizations as well as housing co-operatives and strata corporations in litigation involving tenancy and governance disputes.
Geoffrey has written and presented extensively for CLEBC and for PLTC as well as for the Canadian Association of Insolvency and Restructuring Professionals, the administrative national organization for restructuring professionals, including bankruptcy trustees and receivers. He was called to the BC bar in 1990.
Faculty
Mary I.A. Buttery — Davis LLP, Vancouver
Geoffrey H. Dabbs — Gehlen Dabbs, Vancouver
Sherryl Dubo — Fulton & Company LLP, Kamloops
Heather M.B. Ferris — Lawson Lundell LLP, Vancouver
Gregory J. Gehlen — Gehlen Dabbs, Vancouver
Benjamin La Borie — Hakemi & Ridgedale LLP, Vancouver
Anthony Leoni — Webster Hudson & Coombe LLP, Vancouver
Christopher J. Ramsay — Clark Wilson LLP, Vancouver
William D. Riley — Barrister & Solicitor, Vancouver
Katherine M. Wellburn — Murray Jamieson, Vancouver