Grace Choi brings a solutions-oriented approach to her practice, which focuses on the resolution of highly complex commercial issues. She is a partner and has acted as litigation counsel before all levels of the British Columbia courts, the two levels of Federal Court and various administrative tribunals.
Family Law
Ms. Choi practices as a member of Davis LLP's Family Law Group, the largest in British Columbia. In addition to representing clients in court, Ms. Choi negotiates and drafts separation, cohabitation and marriage agreements.
Ms. Choi's family law practice emphasizes financial issues relating to marriage or cohabitation breakdown, including:
· Division of property
· Business valuation
· Taxation
· Shareholders' remedies
· Pensions
· Multi-jurisdictional issues and conflicts of law
· Investigative and forensic accounting issues
· Trusts
Ms. Choi has acted as lead and co-counsel on the following matrimonial matters:
· Traditional 25-year marriage involving 26 companies and several pieces of real estate. The issues revolved around valuation and division of companies, real estate and investments. There were many complex personal and tax-related issues. Both parties engaged tax, valuation and other accounting expertise.
· 24-year marriage involving several companies and trusts. Most of the money had been inherited or gifted. The major issue revolved around the valuation of the business interests and whether the assets were family assets and, if so, in what proportion. The parties owned several properties including properties in England.
· Traditional marriage of 29 years. The assets involved several commercial buildings, several businesses and residential real estate, held both in Canada and in Korea. Major issues revolved around conflicts of law, valuation and division of assets.
· On dissolution of a ten-year marriage, spousal support was paid by the husband for over 20 years during which time the husband's income increased substantially and the wife did not obtain employment and developed a mental illness. At issue was whether support ought to be terminated, continued at the same rate or increased.
· On dissolution of a 15-year marriage, the husband moved to Hong Kong. Assets at issue included various business interests and commercial buildings in both British Columbia and Hong Kong.
· Korean couple married for 13 years immigrated to Canada. The husband defended the wife's claim for an equal division of assets by claiming that he was holding the assets, which included various properties in British Columbia and business interests, in trust for a third party.
· Division of assets included business interests, a commercial building and various properties in Korea, as well as a company and residential property in Vancouver in a 20-year marriage.
Publications & Seminars
· Updated "Family Law" chapter of the 2008, 2009, 2010 Annual Review of Law & Practice for the Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia.
· Presenter, 2010 Women in Law Conference "Leading Change".
· Updated various Chapters of the Family Law Agreements Manual for Continuing Legal Education (2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007).
· Author/Presenter for Institute of Chartered Accountants "Breaking Up is Hard to Do", 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010.
· Author, Lawyer's Weekly, September 2006 on the B.C. Court of Appeal Decision on Redpath v. Redpath.
· Pacific International client newsletter on common law relationships.
· Author/Presenter for Continuing Legal Education - Family Law Boot Camp, Judicial Case Conferences and Retroactive Child Support, October, 2005.
· Author/Presenter for Continuing Legal Education - 6th Biennial Family Law Conference - Retroactive Child and Spousal Support and Financial Disclosure, July, 2005.
· Domestic Contracts: Case Comment on Hartshorne v. Hartshorne.
· The Choice Not to Marry and Legal Consequences.
· The Validity of Separation Agreements.
· Author/Presenter for Continuing Legal Education - Family Law: Advanced Issues - Corporate Considerations (November 2003).
· Protecting Your Assets Outside Canada.
· Disability Insurance article published by Association of Professional Engineers and Geo-Scientists of B.C. in Innovation, published by Association of Dental Surgeons of British Columbia in Connections and published by The Scrivener Magazine, Fall Issue (2002).
· Author, Intelligence client newsletter on division of intellectual property assets upon a dissolution of a marriage (2002).
Media Commentary
· Discussed fathers' rights on CBC and Print and Online Media across Canada articles, "Fathers not short-changed by B.C. Adoption Act, minister says", October 1, 2007.
· Discussed fathers' rights in The Georgia Straight article, "Vancouver lawyer Carey Linde stirs custody debate", June 14, 2007.
· Discussed recent decision of the British Columbia Court of Appeal in Redpath v. Redpath in The Lawyers Weekly article, "Should the B.C. appeal court have treated the guidelines as binding?", September 22, 2006.
Other Activities
· Executive member, Canadian Bar Association, Vancouver Family Law Section, 2003-2006, 2008-present
· Chair, Canadian Bar Association, Vancouver Family Law Section, 2006-2008
· Elected as a representative for Vancouver County to Provincial Council of the Canadian Bar Association, B.C. Branch, 2002-2005, 2005-2008
· Member, Canadian Bar Association, Family Law Section
· Director, Korean Canadian Bar Association, 2003-present
Publications
Protecting Your Assets Outside Canada
The Choice Not to Marry and the Legal Consequences