Matt Vernon is a Calgary lawyer with a commercial civil litigation practice focusing on oil and gas, shareholder disputes, directors and officers liability and employment disputes. He has appeared as counsel before all levels of Court in Alberta, as well as at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands. Matt also represents clients in numerous forms of alternative dispute resolution, including arbitral proceedings, judicial dispute resolution and mediation.

Prior to joining the firm, Matt clerked for the Alberta Court of Appeal, articled with a major international law firm and spent fourteen years practicing with a leading commercial litigation boutique. In 2009, Matt obtained a graduate degree from the University of Oxford in international dispute resolution and international commercial law.

Matt’s litigation experience has canvassed a wide cross-section of industries and issues, with a focus on complex commercial disputes.  Matt’s representative matters and primary areas of practice include:

• Independent counsel for the lead witness in an international treaty arbitration between a major Canadian company against a foreign state concerning arbitral proceedings before the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands.
• Counsel for various midstream oil and gas service providers in relation to ownership and contractual disputes, production accounting issues and audit claims under co-ownership and processing agreements for facilities located throughout Alberta.
• Counsel for a major oilfield services supplier in relation to numerous contract disputes, employment issues and complex oilfield builders’ liens, including oversight of an extensive forensic investigation and litigation in relation to allegations of misappropriated confidential information.
• Extensive experience with corporate shareholder disputes, including oppression litigation, derivative actions, and issues of liability concerning directors and officers including rights to indemnification and advancement.
• Routinely acts as counsel for employers and employees in relation to various complex employment disputes involving wrongful dismissal, pension valuations, commission disputes and related issues.

Outside the Office

Matt enjoys time with his family and its multiple dogs and is an avid collector of Scotch and Irish whisky. Matt frequently makes pilgrimages to Scotland to visit his favorite distilleries, and since 2007 has been an honorary Single Malt Ambassador for the Bruichladdich Distillery.