Civil Litigation Lawyer in Surrey, BC
At Pacific Point Law, we remain committed to helping you navigate the intricacies and challenges involved in civil law matters. With extensive experience providing legal services in civil matters, we exercise careful judgment while adhering to all rules and regulations, including the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Our track record spans defamation, construction disputes, contract disputes, property disputes, and tenancy disputes.
Areas of Mastery
Defamation
Protecting your reputation and handling complex defamation claims with discretion and careful judgment.
Construction & Contract Disputes
Aggressive enforcement and defense of agreements, adhering to all rules and regulations.
Property Disputes
Navigating the intricacies and challenges involved in complex property ownership and boundary conflicts.
Tenancy Disputes
Providing extensive experience in resolving residential and commercial tenancy matters.
Which court hears your claim
BC splits civil disputes across three forums by dollar value. File in the wrong one and you start over, so this is worth getting right first.
| Forum | Claim amount | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Civil Resolution Tribunal | Up to $5,000 | Mostly online and in writing. Self-representation is the default; a lawyer needs the tribunal's permission to formally represent you. |
| Provincial Court (Small Claims) | $5,001 to $35,000 | In person or by phone, decided by a judge. Simplified one-hour trials are available for some claims at the Vancouver and Richmond courthouses. |
| BC Supreme Court | Above $35,000 | Started by Notice of Civil Claim. Fast Track Litigation applies to most claims of $100,000 or less, or any trial expected to take three days or less. |
Defamation, slander, and harassment claims can't go to the Civil Resolution Tribunal regardless of amount. The Civil Resolution Tribunal Act excludes them, so they start in Provincial or Supreme Court based on the amount claimed.
How a civil claim moves through the system
Demand letter
Many disputes start with a formal demand letter setting out what's owed and why, before any claim is filed. It resolves a real share of disputes without a filing ever happening.
Choosing the forum and filing
Based on the amount claimed, the dispute is filed with the Civil Resolution Tribunal, Provincial Court, or BC Supreme Court, using that forum's own claim form and process.
Response and evidence exchange
The other side files a response, and both sides exchange the documents, records, and other evidence relevant to the dispute.
Negotiation, mediation, or a settlement conference
Most civil disputes in BC resolve before a hearing or trial, through direct negotiation, mediation, or a settlement conference.
Hearing or trial
If the matter doesn't settle, it proceeds to a hearing at the CRT or Small Claims, or a trial at BC Supreme Court, where a decision-maker rules based on the evidence and the law.
Judgment and enforcement
A judgment in your favour has to be collected. If the other side doesn't pay voluntarily, enforcement steps such as a garnishing order or a claim against their property may be needed.
Understanding the Numbers.
Which forum you're in
CRT fees are modest and the process is largely self-directed. Provincial Court and BC Supreme Court involve higher filing fees, more procedural steps, and more lawyer time.
Settlement vs. a hearing or trial
A dispute that settles early costs a fraction of one that runs through a full hearing or trial, where preparation, witnesses, and court time all add up.
Evidence and expert reports
Disputes involving professional negligence or a construction defect often need an expert report to establish the standard of care or the extent of the damage, which adds cost.
Enforcement after judgment
Collecting on a judgment the other side won't pay voluntarily is a separate process with its own cost, on top of what it took to win.
Who This Is For
Anyone in Surrey, BC with a civil dispute: breach of contract, a property or boundary dispute, a construction or renovation dispute, an unpaid debt, professional negligence, or defamation. This covers disputes at any dollar value, from the Civil Resolution Tribunal through BC Supreme Court.
Some civil disputes overlap with other areas we handle: Business and commercial law, Real estate law
Dealing with a dispute in South Surrey or White Rock? See how we serve South Surrey and White Rock.
Your First Consultation
Bring any contracts, correspondence, invoices, photos, or other records relevant to your dispute, along with key dates: when the issue happened and when you first became aware of it. We'll identify which forum your claim belongs in, flag whether a limitation period is close to running out, and give you a realistic assessment of your options.
Frequently Asked Questions
It comes down to the amount claimed. The Civil Resolution Tribunal handles most claims up to $5,000, Provincial Court (Small Claims) handles $5,001 to $35,000, and BC Supreme Court handles claims above $35,000. Some claim types, including defamation, are excluded from the tribunal regardless of amount.
The basic limitation period under BC's Limitation Act is two years. What trips people up is when that clock starts: two years from when the claim was discovered, not necessarily from when the incident happened.
From the day you knew, or reasonably ought to have known, that a loss occurred, who caused it, and that a court proceeding was an appropriate response. There's also an outside limit of 15 years from the incident itself, regardless of discovery.
No, and this is a common mistake. A defamation claim must be started within two years of publication, not from discovery, under a specific exclusion in BC's Limitation Act. Waiting to see if the harm gets worse can cost you the claim entirely.
It's the document that starts a lawsuit in BC Supreme Court, used for claims above $35,000. It sets out the facts of your dispute and what you're asking the court to order.
Not usually. Self-representation is the default at the CRT, and a lawyer can only formally represent you with the tribunal's permission, except in accident or intimate image claims. You can still get legal advice to prepare your case beforehand.
You either file in BC Supreme Court for the full amount, or file in Provincial Court and formally abandon the amount above $35,000, since a Provincial Court judge can't award more than that plus interest and expenses.
A judgment doesn't enforce itself. Common next steps include a garnishing order against wages or a bank account, or registering the judgment against property the other side owns, so the debt has to be paid before it can be sold or refinanced.
Require Decisive Action?
Engage our civil law lawyers for a confidential assessment of your matter.
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