CIArb Canada Executive

Julie Hopkins is an independent commercial arbitrator based in Calgary, Alberta and associated with Western Arbitration Chambers (formerly Calgary Energy & Commercial Arbitrators). 

Until March 2020, Julie was counsel with Borden Ladner Gervais LLP where she practiced commercial litigation, arbitration and administrative law for more than 26 years and advised and represented clients with complex and technical disputes concerning oil and gas, insurance, labour and employment, estates and trusts, corporate, and constitutional law. She has experience across a variety of industries including electricity generation and transmission, oil and gas (including oilsands, pipelines and LNG), construction, aviation, trucking, real-estate development and health care.

As an arbitrator, Julie has experience with multi-party disputes and has been appointed as a sole arbitrator and to panels, including as Chair, in ad hoc, institutional, domestic and international arbitrations. Julie is on the rosters of a number of arbitral institutions including the CPR’s Panels of Distinguished Neutrals (Global Panel), ICDR Canada, the Vancouver International Commercial Arbitration Centre’s Domestic and International Panels and the roster of the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada.

Julie is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (“CIArb”) and is the Chair of the CIArb ‘s Canada Branch.  She is also a sessional instructor at the University of Calgary law school where she teaches a course on international commercial arbitration and the CISG.