Kate R. Phipps Partner

Telephone: 604.283.9354
E-mail: kphipps@arvayfinlay.ca Pronouns: she/her/hers Administrative Support/Paralegal: Sally Yee (604.283.9379)

Kate Phipps is a litigator in Arvay Finlay’s Vancouver office with particular expertise in administrative law. Kate is passionate about and dedicated to good governance and sound, fair decision making.

Kate regularly advises tribunals and government agencies on complex proceedings, policy development and regulatory compliance. Kate also advises societies on governance matters, with a specific focus on post-secondary student societies. 

In her litigation practice, Kate represents clients on public law matters including judicial reviews; privacy; aboriginal and constitutional law; and labour, employment, and human rights.   Kate has appeared and assisted senior counsel before all levels of court in British Columbia as well as the Supreme Court of Canada.  She has also advocated for clients before a range of administrative tribunals including the Information and Privacy Commissioner and the Human Rights Tribunal.

Kate’s first file upon joining Arvay Finlay was one of great personal significance to her. As a young girl Kate lived in the West Kootenays and was curious about the region’s Indigenous history. She was told a story that the region had no Indigenous people, which never rang true. Fast forward to her first week at the firm, when she is invited to support senior counsel on R v Desautel on behalf of the Sinixt community displaced from the West Kootenays and declared extinct by the Federal Government. The case proceeded through the courts and ultimately the Supreme Court of Canada confirmed that the Sinixt, many of whom are resident in the United States, continue to have constitutionally-protected Aboriginal rights in Canada.

Kate has been an active member of the Canadian Bar Association since 2008, where she volunteers as a member of the Judicial Advisory Committee.  She is a member of BC Council of Administrative Tribunals (BCCAT). She is a committed supporter of West Coast LEAF, where she currently sits on its litigation committee. Kate also volunteers with the Justice Education Society, speaking to secondary school students about administrative law. 

Kate received her J.D. from UBC Law in 2011. She was called to the Bar of British Columbia in 2013 after completing a one-year clerkship with the Supreme Court of British Columbia.  Kate went on to article and practice with the administrative and regulatory law group in the litigation department of a leading international law firm. Prior to joining Arvay Finlay LLP, Kate spent three years acting as Legal Counsel to the British Columbia Supreme Court, where she assisted a judge with all aspects of a lengthy, complex constitutional trial.

When not at work or chasing her much-loved corgi and toddler, Kate is known to host a lively dinner party, to enjoy jaunting on quick trips to far-flung cities, and to craft a delightfully eclectic Spotify playlist.