Roger Douglas Lee

Information about the specialist

Roger Lee is a member of the firm’s litigation department, with an extensive estate litigation practice. He also has significant experience with general commercial litigation, including forestry and construction disputes, land related issues (including leasing), and fraud related recovery work.

Since his call to the bar, Roger has developed an extensive practice in trust and estate litigation. He assists individuals and charities with respect to their rights under the wills variation provisions of the Wills, Estates and Succession Act, as well as issues relating to the validity of testamentary instruments. He also advises corporate and individual trustees, as well as personal representatives, of their legal obligations and duties on a regular basis, and also acts for beneficiaries who question the actions of the trustees of their particular trusts.

Roger also deals with construction disputes on a regular basis, acting for owners, insurers, and contractors in claims relating to builders liens, design negligence, general construction defects and deficiencies, and their remediation.

He has advised and assisted various clients – both licencees and contractors – with respect to forestry issues, particularly related to rate disputes.

In addition to the above, Roger has assisted clients on a broad range of other commercial litigation, including commercial fraud and recovery of assets, mortgage fraud, lease disputes (including rental arbitrations), and other land related disputes.

Roger has appeared as counsel before all levels of provincial courts, including the provincial family, small claims and criminal courts, the British Columbia Supreme Court, the British Columbia Court of Appeal, and the Queen’s Bench of Saskatchewan.

He has also appeared as counsel before commercial arbitrators and mediators and administrative tribunals, including the Canadian Institute of Actuaries and the residential tenancy board.
Roger is a frequent speaker on topics associated with estate litigation. He has given numerous lectures on the area to other legal practitioners as well as to other groups, such as the Estate Planning Council of Vancouver, the B.C. Continuing Legal Education Society and the Canadian Association of Gift Planners. He was one of the committee members for the B.C. Law Institute’s projects on the law relating to mental capacity and on the reform of the Supreme Court Rules related to probate matters.

Roger has been listed in the The Best Lawyers in Canada directory under Trusts and Estates (Litigation) since 2006, and is recognized by Lexpert® and Benchmark Canada as a leading practitioner in the field of estate and trust litigation.