Alison Gray

Alison Gray is a partner in Gowling WLG's Calgary office. She maintains a diverse commercial litigation practice, with an emphasis on complex litigation matters, including civil fraud and asset recovery claims, bank related litigation, energy-related disputes and class actions.

Alison regularly acts for clients prosecuting or defending civil fraud claims where she has extensive experience managing all aspects of investigative and enforcement actions. This includes obtaining extraordinary remedies, such as Anton Pillar orders and Mareva injunctions, conducting fraud investigations and working with corporate security personnel throughout.

When acting for financial institutions, Alison has comprehensive experience dealing with issues relating to bills of exchange, customer agreements, conversion allegations and recovery issues related to fraud.

In her energy dispute practice, Alison has considerable experience handling disputes about royalties, working interests, industry standard form operating agreements, leases and accounting procedures. Alison also has experience with disputes related to CO&O agreements, farm-out agreements, CAPL issues, major pipeline failures and major oil sands projects in western Canada.

Alison has appeared at all levels of courts in Alberta, and in courts in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec. She also has Federal Court experience. Alison is a sessional instructor at the University of Calgary Faculty of Law, where she teaches Insurance Law and is a volunteer instructor for the Trial Advocacy Skills course.

Alison is active in the community, currently contributing her time and energy to the Women's Legal Education and Action Fund (volunteer, Legal Program Committee), Association of Women Lawyers (board member and treasurer) and Calgary Legal Guidance (board member).

Mandats représentatifs

  • Representation of an oil and gas producer in connection with a successful application to strike part of an originating notice filed by the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation challenging the grant of various oil sands leases.
  • Co-counsel to a corporation on a matter involving a complex contractual dispute surrounding the conveyance of an ownership interest in a purchase and sale agreement: Talisman Energy Inc. v Esprit Corporation Ltd., 2013 ABQB 132.
  • Appeal co-counsel to an oilfield rental corporation on a matter involving the division of powers and whether the corporation was a federally regulated transportation company: Total Oilfield Rentals Limited Partnership v Canada, 2013 ABQB 263; 2014 ABCA 250.
  • Co-counsel to a major financial institution in defence of an action involving fraud and the embezzlement of funds in excess of $125 million.
  • Co-counsel to Wood Group Mustang (Canada) Inc. in defence of an action commenced by Canadian Natural Resources Limited, relating to the failure of an underground emulsion pipeline in 2009. Amounts claimed are in excess of $80 million.
  • Co-counsel to a major financial institution in connection with a fraud recovery lawsuit to seek recovery of losses arising from a commission kick-back scheme perpetrated by two employees.
  • Co-counsel to a number of oil and gas service companies in defence of an action by an oil and gas producer to recover PST paid on well cementing contracts in Saskatchewan: R v Husky Oil Operations Limited, 2014 SKQB 116.
  • Counsel to the Women's Legal Education and Action Fund seeking leave to intervene in the Refugee Health Care case.
  • Counsel to a natural gas company on an appeal of a decision of the Alberta Utilities Commission decision: FortisAlberta Inc. v Alberta (Utilities Commission), 2015 ABCA 295.
  • Co-counsel to the Intervenor Coalition, including the Women's Legal Education and Action Fund, in the Canadian Judicial Council's inquiry into the conduct of Justice Camp.