After six decades in the courtroom, Howard Shapray, K.C., a prominent BC litigator, has launched Shapray Litigation Strategies, a Vancouver-based law firm specializing in alternative dispute resolution (ADR), the firm said in a press release.
Shapray, who was once described by author Peter Newman in Titans as “Vancouver’s toughest and ablest courtroom lawyer,” has represented many of Canada’s top business leaders and corporations in cases involving corporate, environmental, and securities law. Over his career, he has appeared before courts at every level, including the Supreme Court of Canada.
Founded in June 2025, the new firm focuses on mediation, arbitration, and other non-courtroom approaches to resolving commercial, civil, employment, and family disputes. Shapray said the decision reflects a desire to pursue a more balanced professional life while applying decades of courtroom experience to a different form of advocacy.
“ADR is simply an alternative to what is a very frustrating experience for most litigants — the expense, the delay, the uncertainty,” Shapray said. “It also allows clients to participate. In mediation, they tell their own story, and the mediator works to find common ground to resolve the matter.”
Alternative dispute resolution refers to structured processes that help parties settle conflicts more efficiently than traditional litigation. According to Shapray, these methods can often reduce cost and stress while giving clients more control over outcomes. “It’s not for every case,” he said, “but for most, it’s an extremely valuable alternative.”
Shapray brings a long list of professional credentials to his new practice. He is a graduate of McGill University’s Faculty of Law, has completed mediation training at Harvard Law School’s Negotiation Institute, and is a Fellow of both the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and the Litigation Counsel of America. He holds the King’s Counsel (K.C.) designation and has been recognized by publications such as Lexpert, Benchmark Litigation, Chambers and Partners, and The Best Lawyers in Canada.
Shapray said his goal is to make dispute resolution more accessible and less adversarial. “We’re promoting outreach to lawyers and law firms to encourage the mediation business,” he said. “If people are interested in resolving their conflicts, mediation allows them to try an alternative with very little financial commitment compared to litigation.”
He emphasized that ADR does not replace litigation but complements it. “It’s not that parties necessarily forego litigation,” he said, “but mediation allows them to try an alternative first.”
Shapray Litigation Strategies aims to provide practical and confidential solutions that help clients resolve disputes efficiently while preserving relationships – a shift that reflects what Shapray calls the “evolution of advocacy” toward problem-solving, fairness, and collaboration.
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