Art Vertlieb, K.C.,
Partner
D 604.674.7375 | art@vertlaw.ca
*Art Vertlieb, K.C. provides legal services through a Professional Law Corporation.
Art Vertlieb, K.C. is a distinguished Canadian trial lawyer whose career has spanned over five decades and whose contributions have shaped both the legal profession and public discourse across Canada.
Called to the British Columbia Bar in 1973, and appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2001, Art has appeared in all levels of court, including the Supreme Court of Canada, and built a reputation for principled advocacy in both criminal and civil litigation. His courtroom experience is matched by his steady hand in complex public inquiries. From 2010 to 2012, he served as Commission Counsel to the Missing Women Commission of Inquiry, which examined the systemic failures that contributed to the disappearance and murder of women in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Prior to that, he served as Commission Counsel to the Braidwood Inquiry, addressing the use of Tasers and the death of Robert Dziekański. Both inquiries were nationally significant, and Art’s work was widely recognized for its integrity, depth, and compassion.
Art has held many leadership roles within the profession. He served as a long-time Bencher and was elected President of the Law Society of British Columbia in 2013, as well as President of the Trial Lawyers Association of British Columbia from 1981 to 1983 — an organization he helped found and where he is distinguished as an Honourary Life Member. He was the founder and Chair of the Lawyers Assistance Program, served for many years on the Judicial Council of British Columbia, and contributed to the Civil Jury Instructions (CIVJI) editorial board, working to make the law accessible and clear for juries.
From 2015 to 2025, Art served as General Counsel to the Canadian Football League Players’ Association advocating for players’ rights and health with the same conviction he brings to the courtroom.
His commitment to service extends beyond the legal world. Art chaired the Arts Club Theatre Society from 2021 to 2023, has served on the boards of the Vancouver Academy of Music, the Canadian Memorial Community Centre, and was a Little League coach and President of the Arbutus Shaughnessy Little League Baseball Association. In 2021, he established the Art Vertlieb Thunderbird Men’s Hockey Award at the University of British Columbia — an endowment supporting the goaltending position and helping student-athletes succeed on and off the ice.
Art’s contributions have been recognized with some of Canada’s highest honours, including the Georges A. Goyer, Q.C. Memorial Award from the Canadian Bar Association (BC Branch), the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Trial Lawyers Association of BC, the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, and the Alumni Gold Key Award from Osgoode Hall Law School. He is a Fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers.
Throughout his career, Art Vertlieb has exemplified the best of the trial lawyer’s calling — combining excellence in advocacy with a deep commitment to justice, professionalism, and public service.