Katrina Edgerton-McGhan

She/HerCounsel
About

Katrina has deep experience in complex litigation, regulatory work, and insurance. Katrina is a ranked as a top corporate-commercial litigation lawyer in the province of Alberta and attained national recognition as a Leading Lawyer under 40 in Canada.

Katrina works with corporate clients in both courtroom and regulatory environments on matters that span across venues and jurisdictions. Katrina starts every matter with client’s desired outcomes and brings strong advocacy skills together with a multi-disciplinary and tactical approach to achieve client goals and desired outcomes.   

Katrina has extensive corporate-commercial litigation and regulatory experience in a broad range of sectors, including utilities, insurance, construction, life sciences, education, class actions, shareholders dispute, tech, finance, and securities. 

Bar admissionsAlberta, 2009

EXPERIENCE

  • Representation of  Alberta Utilities Commission proceedings
  • Representation of various organizations undergoing high profile financial and governance investigations.
  • Defence of many organizations in high-value construction losses (ranging from 5MM to 250MM losses)
  • Representation of an airline in a high profile judicial review of an RFP process valued at $1B. Complex, multi-party action with an injunction, two appeals, seven applications, media and political management.
  • Representation of a school board in a high--profile judicial review proceeding.
  • Representation of directors and officers in a high-profile $125 million claim involving Companies Creditors Arrangement Act proceedings, multijurisdictional securities commission proceedings and multijurisdictional class action proceedings, including a precedent-setting decision by the Alberta Securities Commission in respect of a stay of proceedings, upheld on appeal.
  • Representation of a beneficiary in one of Alberta’s largest estates, including a successful and precedent setting decision at the Alberta Court of Appeal respecting the enforceability of No Contest Clauses.
  • Successful extrication of the insurers from multiple complex actions for $10 million under a financial advisor’s E&O policy for a failure to cooperate on the part of the insured. Defence legal fees expended by our client prior to our involvement was in excess of $1.5 million.
  • Katrina has been counsel in many published decision, most recently including:
    • Iron Creek Group Inc. v. Registrar of Corporations (Alberta), 2021 ABQB 872
    • AUC Ruling in Proceeding 23778, Application 23778-A002 - Ruling on the res judicata application, clarification on Form RP5 requirements, and ruling on supplemental confidentiality request, February 21, 2021
    •  AUC Ruling in Proceeding 23778 Application 23778-A002 - Ruling on TransAlta Corporation’s third confidentiality motion, August 20, 2020
    •  AUC Ruling in Proceeding 23778 Application 23778-A002 - Ruling on TransAlta Corporation’s third confidentiality motion - Ruling on motion for further and better information request responses, July 7, 2020
    •  AUC Ruling in Proceeding 23778 Application 23778-A002 - Ruling on TransAlta Corporation motion for confidentiality - May 26, 2020
    •  AUC Ruling in Proceeding 23778 Application 23778-A002 - Ruling on TransAlta Corporation’s for confidentiality - March 3, 2020
    • Meyer v. Calgary Board of Education, [2019] A.J. No. 18 ‎
    • Re Lutheran Church-Canada, the Alberta-British Columbia District, 2019 ABASC 43
    • Mawhinney v Scobie, 2019 ABCA 76
    • Martinez v. Chaffin et. al., 2018 ABCA 244
    • Architectural Millwork & Door Installations Inc. v. Provincial Store Fixtures Ltd., 2017 ABQB 390
    • Anderson Estate (Re), 2016 ABQB 683
    • ET v Rocky Mountain Play Therapy Institute Inc, 2016 ABCA 320
Languages
  • English
Education
  • L.L.B., University of Victoria, 2008
    Editor in Chief, the Advocate Law Journal
    Entrance Scholarship Recipient‎
    Member, Public Advocacy Clinic‎
  • B.A., University of Victoria, 2005‎
    Human and Social Development
    Governor General Academic Medal
    Golden Key International Honour Society‎‎

Awards

  • Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory (Litigation - Corporate/Commercial‎), Repeatedly Recommended ‎Lawyer, 2022‎
  • Lexpert Rising Stars: Leading Lawyers Under 40 in Canada, 2020‎
  • The Legal 500 Canada (Dispute Resolution), Rising Star, 2021-2024 ‎
  • Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory (Litigation - Corporate/Commercial‎), Lawyers to Watch, ‎‎2020-2021‎

Pro Bono

Katrina is an extremely committed pro bono diversity and inclusion advocate, particularly in the areas of equity and diversity in traditionally male dominated industries. Katrina is the is Chair of the Board of Directors of Women+Power, an organization that supports the advancement of women in the utilities that DLA Piper is the title sponsor of. Katrina was recently re-appointed by the Law Society to the Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Advisory Committee, which provides advice to the Law Society Benchers in respect of EDI initiatives. In addition to this, she sits on the board of directors for Lawyers for Equity, Access and Diversity (LEAD) Alberta, where she heads up the Calgary Iris Barry Yake Robe Bank project. Katrina is an active mentor formally and informally, and participates in mentorship through the CBA, AWL and the Law Society.

Katrina participates in many international DLA Piper based pro bono projects, most recently in respect of providing legal advice and substantive assistance to those currently displaced by war. 

Seminars

  • Speaker, Sealing Orders Post Sherman Decision, Canadian Bar Association, Civil Litigation South, ‎February 22, 2022‎
  • Speaker, "Legal Updates on Securities Class Actions," CBA, Alberta Securities Law Section, South ‎Meeting, November 20, 2019‎
  • Co-speaker, 9th Annual Securities Symposium, The Advocate's Society, September 5, 2019‎

DLA Piper Committees

  • DLA Piper Equity Diversity and Inclusion Committee‎

Memberships And Affiliations

  • Board Chair,  Women + Power Society
  • Board Member, Executive Member, Lawyers for Equity, Access and Diversity (LEAD) Alberta
  • Board Member, Executive Member, Scarboro Community Association ‎
  • Committee Member, Law Society of Alberta Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Practice Advisory Committee
  • Law Society of Alberta
  • Canadian Bar Association
  • Calgary Bar Association
  • Association of Women Lawyers, Calgary

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