Joel has extensive experience in real estate and secured lending transactions, represents buyers and sellers of commercial and residential real estate, and advises developers on all aspects of real estate development. He acts for landlords and tenants regarding commercial tenancies, and for institutional and private lenders and corporate borrowers regarding commercial lending transactions.
Joel assists business clients with general corporate and commercial matters such as those relating to establishing business structures, corporate governance, corporate reorganizations, and business mergers and acquisitions. He practices extensively in the areas of wills and estate planning, trust and estate administration, helping clients with succession planning for personal and business assets, and incapacity planning. Joel advises executors and administrators of their legal obligations and duties relating to the administration of estates. Joel is a designated Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP), granted by the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners.
Joel’s specific areas of practice include:
- Representing developers and builders of industrial and commercial properties
- Representing buyers and sellers of commercial real estate
- Assisting commercial landlords and tenants with respect to commercial tenancy matters
- Advising business clients with respect to general corporate and commercial matters, such as:
- establishing business structures (corporations, partnerships, proprietorships, joint ventures)
- corporate governance (shareholders agreements, buy-sell agreements)
- corporate reorganizations
- buying and selling businesses, business mergers and acquisitions
- Acting for institutional and private lenders and corporate borrowers regarding commercial lending transactions
- Estate and trust administration matters, including applications for probate and letters of administration
- Assisting individuals with succession planning for personal and business assets, and incapacity planning
Born in Winnipeg, Joel lived throughout Western Canada before moving to the Lower Mainland in 1982. He still enjoys spending his summer vacation on Lake Athapapuskow, near Flin Flon, Manitoba. Out of the office, Joel enjoys playing hockey and a good round of golf.
Community Involvement
- Former Director and Secretary, Big Brothers Sisters of Langley, 2002-2009
- Member, Langley Chamber of Commerce
Representative Experience
- Representing the sellers of a family owned manufacturing enterprise with respect to a share sale with vendor take back financing and a lease back of premises to a US buyer (2016)
- Counsel to the management group with respect to the acquisition of a minority interest in conjunction with a sale of the enterprise to a venture capital investor (2016)
- Advise joint venture ownership group with respect to ALR exclusion and sale of a $23 million development property to a developer (2016)
- Counsel to the owners and developers of a mixed use residential and industrial property with respect to re-zoning, subdivision and development (2016)
- Counsel to the retiring shareholders of a construction industry business with respect to the sale of the enterprise to the management group with vendor take back financing (2015)
- Acted for the developer and seller of a 28 lot strata warehouse development (2015)
- Acted for the developer and seller of a six lot residential subdivision (2014)
- Acted for a minority shareholder with respect to the sale of its interest in a family business (2014)
- Implemented the reorganization of an operating business to facilitate the acquisition of commercial real estate and holding of operating company shares through family trusts and holding companies (2014)
- Structured the repurchase of the interest of a shareholder of a family business resulting from a divorce (2013)
- Acted for the seller of a 208 lot multi-family development site (2013)
- Structured a management buyout of the controlling interest in an operating business from a retiring business owner (2013)
- Represented a gravel pit operator with respect to the acquisition of the right to mine aggregate and operate an aggregate extraction facility (2013)
- Acted for the owner with respect to the acquisition and development of a commercial truck parking facility (2013)
- Corporate counsel for a BC based trade association (2013)
- Counsel to the management group with respect to the acquisition of a minority interest in a leading BC civil infrastructure contractor (2012)
- Sale transaction for the vendors of a MURB (multiple unit residential building) investment – $11.5 million (2012)
- Acted for the owners and developers of a 103 lot subdivision with respect to the subdivision, development and sale of the property in a $22 million sale transaction (2012)
- Represented the shareholders of a professional firm in relation to a shareholders dispute and buy-out of a departing shareholder (2012)
- Six million dollar secured lending transaction involving restructuring security over a distressed 52 lot development property (2012)
Recognitions
- Recognized in Best Lawyers ® in Canada in the area of Real Estate Law, 2024 and 2025.
Bar Admissions
British Columbia, 1996
Education
Bachelor of Laws, University of British Columbia, 1994
Bachelor of Arts (Geography), University of British Columbia, 1990
Memberships and Affiliations
Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners
* Law Corporation