Partner Shad Chapman is a corporate litigation and insurance litigation lawyer, whose practical approach and extensive trial experience at all levels of Court have made him the go-to lawyer for his clients.

Shad is trusted by a number of Fortune 500 companies on their outside litigation matters. He is experienced with a broad range of claims, from product liability on oil pipeline and gas blowouts, to contract and shareholder disputes, to insurance coverage disputes, as just a few examples.

“Resolving difficult issues for my clients, and helping people through difficult problems – that’s the most rewarding part of it,” says Shad, who acts throughout Canada and is licensed in Alberta, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories and the Yukon.

Shad’s practice areas include construction, products liability, commercial general liability defence (CGL), fire and property losses, fuel and energy, environmental law and litigation, coverage/insurance, bodily injury, motor vehicle accident defence; professional negligence, professional errors and omissions (E&O), directors and officers liability (D&O), corporate commercial and contracts litigation, finance/shareholder disputes, occupiers liability, intellectual property disputes, and cyber liability.

Additionally, his practice includes mediation and other forms of alternative dispute resolution, such as working as an arbitrator for insurance companies and conducting judicial dispute resolutions and settlement conferences. He also acts as an electoral review adjudicator for First Nations.

Shad writes and speaks regularly on legal developments affecting litigation and risk management for multiple industries. He is an instructor for the Legal Education Society of Alberta, teaching bar admission courses on interest-based negotiation and interviewing.

Born in Edmonton, Shad grew up in Edmonton and Calgary. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of Calgary (1996) and a law degree (LL.B.) from the University of Alberta (2000). He joined Brownlee in 2000 as an articling student, and was called to the bar in Alberta in 2001. He was also called to the bar in the Northwest Territories, Yukon and British Columbia.

Shad chose law as his career because he enjoys debating, making deals, and the competitive nature of litigation.

He advises a first year associate or law student to “listen, read, and ask a lot of questions. We can always find the answers if we ask the questions.”

Shad thinks the strength of Brownlee’s team approach brings significant benefits to clients. “Our bench strength ensures that we move files efficiently, and that we have the right person on the right task,” he says.

Brownlee has been growing, and Shad sees the firm continuing to expand, to become Western Canada’s leading regional firm for litigation, business and municipal law.  His goal is to make Brownlee the best regional law firm in western Canada.

Shad is a speaker for the Canadian Bar Association; and is the editor of Strong Defence, Brownlee LLP’s Insurance Law Bulletin. He is director of External Affairs for NARIMS (Northern Alberta Risk and Insurance Management Society); and was a director and vice-president of Tennis Alberta for four years.

Shad is married and the father of three girls, all of whom are competitive tennis players. Shad’s own hobbies include basketball, hockey, surfing, snowboarding, skiing, tennis, mountain and road biking, running, painting, the pursuit of the perfect sandwich, and art history.

REPRESENTATIVE WORK

  • Fuel and Energy
  • Product Liability
  • Construction/Fire
  • Environmental
  • Coverage/Insurance
  • Bodily Injury
  • E&O/D&O
  • Contract/Finance/Shareholder Disputes
  • Occupier Liability
  • Intellectual Property Disputes
  • Cyber Liability

MEMBERSHIPS

  • Northern Alberta Risk and Insurance Managers Society
  • CBA Canadian Litigation Counsel-The Harmonie Group DRI

COMMUNITY

  • Chair of the Glenora Elementary School Council and Parent Teacher Association
  • Member of the Membership and Marketing Committee of the Royal Glenora Club