Arvay Finlay LLP

About Arvay Finlay LLP

Arvay Finlay LLP is a small litigation firm with offices in Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia. Founded in 1990 by litigators John L. Finlay, Murray Rankin, and Joseph Arvay, the firm has kept the same focus ever since: public law, appeals, and complex litigation rather than a general commercial practice. Its lawyers argue cases at every level of court, including the Supreme Court of Canada, for individuals, First Nations, non-profit societies, and public bodies.

The firm's practice areas span much of Canadian public law, including Aboriginal and Indigenous rights, Charter and constitutional litigation, administrative law and judicial review, environmental law, municipal law, human rights, labour and employment, and contaminated sites. Recent work has included acting for an intervener in the Supreme Court's reference on federal carbon pricing legislation and serving as counsel in R. v. Desautel, a Supreme Court decision recognizing cross border Aboriginal hunting rights. One of the firm's founders, Murray Rankin, later served as a Member of Parliament for Victoria and as a BC cabinet minister before returning to Arvay Finlay as counsel.