James Speakman

As a born-and-bred Vancouverite, James is passionate about the development of Vancouver and of British Columbia.

Throughout his life, James has followed closely the transition of metropolitan Vancouver from a “village by the sea,” economically based on resource extraction, to one of the most livable cities in the world with a varied economic base.

Ever since he was young, James has been interested in subways and roads, trains and planes, buildings and bridges and how everything works together to support people, goods and business. This passion has formed his career, which has been focused on commercial real estate, both in private business and legal practice, for over 30 years. He was a senior executive in the real estate industry for 10+ years and has practiced law in the real estate sector for 20+ years. In doing so, James has earned a varied and cross-disciplinary experience. This duality allows him to better help our clients, implementing practical and grounded legal solutions that advance their business goals in the transactions and developments that help build our city. This experience has given James the ability to understand the opportunities, priorities and challenges that our clients juggle from the inside.

James was the Managing Partner of Clark Wilson for ten years. During his tenure, James led our team of lawyers in serving our clients and grew the firm in both size and stature. James also focused on nurturing the firm’s culture and promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. His efforts led to Clark Wilson being routinely named one of Canada’s Best Workplaces™ by the Great Place to Work Institute®.

Work Highlights

Sunstone Realty Advisors Inc.

• Established 10 multi-million dollar private real estate funds, which raised nearly $400 million in syndicated private equity
• Acted as lead real estate counsel in the acquisition over six years of a portfolio of 58 Canadian real estate properties having an acquisition cost of over $1 billion, including negotiating purchases, drafting purchase and sale agreements and supervising all matters relating to closing purchase and sale transactions

Pure Industrial Real Estate Trust

• Counsel in connection with its initial public offering and subsequent offerings totaling over $800 million
• Real estate counsel in connection with the establishment of its Western Canadian property portfolio, including the acquisition of the four-property Richmond business park for $170 million in 2012 and 2016
• Have acted as ex-officio Secretary to the Board of Trustees

Pure Multi-Family REIT LP

• Counsel in connection with its initial public offering and subsequent offerings totaling over US$200 million
• Member of the Board of Directors
• Member of the Audit Committee

James enjoys working with people and companies who share his passion.

James has worked to establish and build businesses in BC for over three decades. He is sought by business executives for planning corporate strategies and legal initiatives that impact the business community. He is a member of the British Columbia Business Council Board of Governors and the BCBC / BCAFN Champions Table.

Services

• Matching equity with real estate
• Private real estate investment trusts
• Residential, mixed use and commercial projects
• Publicly-traded real estate investment trusts
• Syndicated limited partnerships and mortgages
• Mortgage trusts
• Public company debt structures
• General business advice for entrepreneurial and growing companies
• Mortgage investment corporations

A life-long British Columbian, James is passionate about the city, the region and the province, their business community and their residents. He brings the same dedication to serving our clients that our clients bring to operating their businesses. He helps companies accomplish their goals so that they can grow, compete and succeed in the markets they serve.