Our History
Celebrating over 15 years together as Roper Greyell LLP.
Roper Greyell LLP was formed in July 2006 by bringing together two leading employment and labour law practices in British Columbia.
After 10 years together at 800 Park Place, in 2016 we introduced our new look and new office space at 745 Thurlow . While our location and look are different, what remains unchanged is our commitment to providing clients with the highest quality legal representation and strategic advice in all areas of workplace law.
Timeline
2006: The beginning
Two leading BC employment and labour law practices merge when Roper Greyell LLP is created on July 1, 2006 by nine founding partners: Thomas A. Roper Q.C.; Bruce Greyell Q.C.; Duncan MacPhail; Gregory J. Heywood; Graeme McFarlane; Delayne Sartison Q.C.; Gabrielle Scorer; Kim Thorne; and Michael Wagner. The founding partners were joined by associates: Alissa Demerse, Michael R. Kilgallin, James D. Kondopulos and Jennifer S. Russell. Duncan MacPhail becomes Managing Partner.
2007 + 2008: Adding depth + expertise
Sandra Guarascio and Gavin Marshall join the partnership and Drew Demerse and Jennifer Devins join the firm, offering a growing clientele a creative, agile, highly engaged and strategy-driven approach to legal services.
2009: Bench strength
The Honourable Mr. Justice Bruce Greyell Q.C. is appointed to the bench of the Supreme Court of British Columbia. Ryan Copeland joins the firm, representing clients as lead spokesperson at the bargaining table and as counsel at interest arbitrations.
2010: Small + mighty
For the first time, Roper Greyell is ranked as one of Canadian Lawyer’s Top 10 Labour and Employment Boutique law firms in Canada.
2011: The highest honour
Founding partner Delayne Sartison is appointed Queen’s Counsel and is recognized for the first time by Best Lawyers in Canada. Michael Wagner becomes the new Managing Partner. Jennifer Hogan joins the firm.
2012: Cultivating talent
Primarily representing employers in situations of workplace conflict, James D. Kondopulos joins the partnership and is listed as a “Litigation Lawyer to Watch” by Lexpert.
2013: Consolidating excellence
Thomas A. Roper Q.C., Delayne Sartison Q.C., and Gregory Heywood are recognized for the first time by Chambers Global. James D. Kondopulos is listed as a “Leading Lawyer Under 40” by Lexpert. The firm creates the Neufield Award for a Thompson Rivers University law student and introduces a three-person Management Committee to lead the firm’s growth and development. Julie Menten joins the firm.
2014: Celebrating leadership
J. Najeeb Hassan and Drew Demerse join the partnership; the Vancouver Bar Association gives Thomas A. Roper Q.C. the Peter S. Hyndman Mentorship Award. Best Lawyers in Canada names him 2014 “Lawyer of the Year” for Vancouver Employment and Labour Law. Further recognition of his leadership comes from Lexpert, and the International Bar Association. Gabrielle Scorer and Sandra Guarascio are ranked for the first time by Best Lawyers in Canada.
2015: Expanding, impressing
Alissa Demerse, Jennifer Devins, Michael R. Kilgallin, and Jennifer S. Russell join the partnership. Danny Bernstein, Christopher Munroe, Meaghan McWhinnie, and Brandon Hillis join the firm. The Human Resources Management Association (HRMA) awards Thomas A. Roper, Q.C. an Honorary Lifetime Membership; he is also inducted into US College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. Tom, Delayne Sartison Q.C., and Gregory Heywood are recognized by Who’s Who Legal. James D. Kondopulos is ranked by Best Lawyers in Canada.
2016: Honours mount
Named once again by Canadian Lawyer magazine as one of the Top 10 Labour and Employment Boutique law firms in Canada, Roper Greyell moves to new offices at 745 Thurlow Street. Sarah Dickson and Tamara Navaratnam join the firm. Who’s Who Legal and Lexpert rank Sandra Guarascio, Michael Wagner, Gavin Marshall, and James Kondopulos. Chambers Canada recognizes Thomas Roper Q.C., Delayne Sartison Q.C., and Gregory Heywood. The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory names Delayne Sartison Q.C. as a top labour lawyer. Best Lawyers in Canada ranks Kim Thorne. Duncan MacPhail retires from the firm.
2017: New management model
In an innovative move for a law firm, Linda Lucas, CPA, CMA, is appointed Chief Executive Officer. Maggie Campbell, Mike Hamata, Jacqueline D. Gant, and Julia Bell join the firm and Ryan Copeland joins the partnership. Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory recognizes Gregory Heywood, Gabrielle Scorer, Michael Wagner, and Jennifer Devins as leading employment and labour law practitioners.
2018: Onward, upward
Danny Bernstein joins the partnership and Roper Greyell welcomes Keri L. Bennett to the firm as partner and privacy lead. Delayne Sartison Q.C. is named 2018 "Lawyer of the Year" for Employment and Labour Law in Vancouver by Best Lawyers in Canada. J. Najeeb Hassan is ranked by Chambers Canada as a leading employment and labour lawyer. Once again, Roper Greyell is named one of the Top 10 Labour and Employment Boutique law firms in Canada by Canadian Lawyer magazine.
2019: New people, new places
Maggie Campbell and Mike Hamata join the partnership and Sarah Blanco, Natalie Cuthill, Rebecca Klass, Andrew Nicholl and Bobby Sangha join the firm as associates. In addition, Roper Greyell welcomes our first new associates to be based outside of our Vancouver office: Paige Ainslie based in Nelson, BC and Adam van der Linde based in Victoria, BC. Joel J. Ello joins the firm as Director of Finance + Technology. Gregory J. Heywood and James D. Kondopulos are recognized in 2019 Who’s Who Legal: Thought Leaders. Nine Roper Greyell Lawyers are named to 2020 Best Lawyers List and 2019 Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory.
2020: Working apart, coming together
Joel J. Ello assumes the role of Chief Operating Officer and the firm welcomes Ron Lai as IT Services Manager and Ivy Su as Accounting Manager. Amid the rapidly-changing COVID-19 situation, our firm moves to a primarily virtual work environment. Roper Greyell is ranked as the top Labour Relations, Employment & Pensions law firm in Vancouver by Lexpert. Sandra Guarascio is recognized with a 2020 Client Choice Award, presented by Lexology. Eight Roper Greyell lawyers are recognized in Best Lawyers in Canada with Delayne Sartison Q.C. named as "Lawyer of the Year" for Vancouver in the area of Education Law. Justin Wong joins the firm as an associate. RG partners with our clients to give back to the community through donations to local charitable organizations.
2021: Celebrating 15 years of RG
Brandon Hillis, Julie Menten and Christopher Munroe join the partnership. Eight new associates joined the firm in 2021: Gabrielle Berron-Styan, Katelin Dueck, Janna Crown, Jaime Hoopes, Adam James, Kate Jones, Andrew Peng and Nimrit Sian. The Roper Greyell management team grows with Mohammad Shahidian joining as Accounting Manager. Nine Roper Greyell Lawyers are named to 2022 Best Lawyers in Canada with Jennifer Devins further recognized as “Lawyer of the Year” for Vancouver in the area of Education Law. Thomas A. Roper K.C. is named to Business in Vancouver's BC500 as one of the 500 most influential leaders within BC. Delayne Sartison K.C. is elected as a Fellow of the College of Labor & Employment Lawyers. Roper Greyell is ranked as one of Canada's Best Law Firms by the Globe and Mail.
2022: A growing firm
Roper Greyell is now the largest workplace law firm in Western Canada. Adam Garvin joins the firm as Chief Operating Officer. Also joining the RG senior leadership team are Chira Perla (Director of Professional Development) and Shikha Sondhi (Director of Finance). Seven associates joined the firm in 2022: Norika Takacs-Rehm, Pamela Costanzo, Sabrina Anis, Teodora Bardas, Donna Chapman-Jones, Sophie Toor, and Katie Comley. Ten Roper Greyell Lawyers are named to 2023 Best Lawyers in Canada with Delayne Sartison K.C. further recognized as “Lawyer of the Year” for Vancouver in the area of Education Law. Nine RG lawyers are included in the 2022 Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory. Roper Greyell is once again ranked as one of Canada's Best Law Firms by the Globe and Mail. Thomas A. Roper K.C. receives the 2022 Bora Laskin Award for his outstanding contribution to Canadian labour law.
We combine ingenuity with insight to help businesses navigate workplace law