The environmental and regulatory law expert was a founding partner of Letcher Akelaitis LLP
Environmental and regulatory law expert Andrea Akelaitis is set to commence with Farris on January 1, 2026 as a partner.
She joins from Vancouver firm Letcher Akelaitis LLP, of which she was a founding partner. She has tackled issues related to contaminated sites, permitting and air quality.
Akelaitis was advisor and co-counsel on key contaminated sites issues and has appeared before the British Columbia and Alberta Environmental Appeal Boards, with roles in Seaspan ULC v. Director, Environmental Management Act and Domtar Inc. et al.
She acted as co-counsel alongside Gary Letcher on Cherokee Canada Inc. et al v. Director, Red Deer North Saskatchewan Region, Alberta Environment and Parks, which went before the Alberta Environmental Appeal Board and tackled brownfield redevelopment, Human Health Risk Assessment and contaminated sites concerns.
Moreover, Akelaitis was co-counsel in West Coast Reduction Ltd. v. District Director of the Greater Vancouver Regional District as well as in Worthington MacKenzie Inc. and Daniel Alexander White v. Director, Environmental Management, both of which went before the BC Environmental Appeal Board.
She has also appeared before all levels of BC court and has handled permitting and compliance matters in addition to defending environmental prosecutions and environmental assessment regulatory and litigation issues. She has handled foreign tort issues involving environmental law.
In addition to environmental law, Akelaitis has worked on Aboriginal law and environmental assessment-related matters. She represented the Nisga’a Nation in litigation over project environmental assessment and has handled First Nations contaminated sites issues.
She has co-chaired the Pacific Business & Law Institute course on contaminated sites for five years and had a seat on the BC Ministry of Environment & Climate Change Strategy to the Board of Directors for the Contaminated Sites Approved Professional Society.
Akelaitis was recognized by Lexpert this year. She is called to the BC and Alberta bars.
