Profile
Owen Pawson practices as a solicitor with the firm in construction law. He assists governments, crown corporations and a variety of construction companies, architects, engineers and interior designers to identify issues and resolve conflicts in construction law and to develop commercial arrangements for traditional design-tender-build projects through to major engineer, procure and construct facilities and public private partnerships projects. In this regard, Owen has been involved in preparation of procurement processes and complex contracts necessary to implement major transportation infrastructure projects by way of design-build, P3 and EPC contracts. He also advises clients with respect to professional liability of design consultants and has prepared professional consulting agreements for a variety of projects.
Prior to entering the legal profession, Owen graduated from the University of British Columbia School of Architecture and practiced as an architectural programmer, a specialty area of architecture, for more than seven years.
Owen has published numerous articles on construction and design for Award Magazine, Canadian Consulting Engineer Magazine and other professional publications. Recent articles include: "Procurement (Tendering and RFPs) Exclusion Clause" (Construction Business Magazine, August 2011), "Clear Communication Can Help Avoid Legal Disputes" (Construction Lawyer, July 2011), "Hot Tubbing - In Dispute Resolution" (Canadian Consulting Engineer, Mar/Apr 2011), and "Laying the Foundation of the Green Contract" (Construction Business Magazine, March 2010).
Owen is committed to providing quality and timely legal advice to his clients and believes that accessibility is an essential part of professional services. Owen’s background in architecture is valuable in properly identifying the client’s problem and then developing creative and cost effective solutions to achieve his clients’ goals.
Education
- LL.B., University of Victoria, 1988
- B.Arch., University of British Columbia, 1979
- B.Sc., University of British Columbia, 1975
Directorships
- Lieutenant Governor Appointee to Council of the Architectural Institute of British Columbia
Memberships
- Graduate Associate, Architectural Institute of British Columbia
- Member, Contracts Committee, Association of Consulting Engineering Companies (ACEC)
- Member, Law Society of British Columbia
- Member, Law Society of Yukon
- Member, Canadian Bar Association (Construction Law Section)
- Member, British Columbia Construction Roundtable
- Representative Member, Downtown Vancouver Association
- Representative Member, Canadian Construction Association
- Representative Member, Vancouver Regional Construction Association
- Member, Coaches Association of British Columbia
Industry Expertise
Key Practice Expertise
Areas of Focus
- Procurement of Major Construction
- Construction Contracts
- Consultant Agreements (Architects & Engineers)
- Delivery Strategies for Construction
- P3 Project Delivery
Year of Call
- British Columbia Bar, 1990
- Yukon Bar, 1992