Atty. Michael "Mike" Wagner

Atty. Michael "Mike" Wagner

Mike has been a litigator and dispute resolution lawyer for over 20 years. He has been repeatedly recognized as a leading lawyer and litigation star by peer ranking services including Benchmark, Best Lawyers in Canada, and Lexpert.

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Profile Summary

About Michael "Mike" Wagner at a glance

Michael "Mike" Wagner is a employment, business, securities, and litigation attorney, practicing at Farris LLP. Recognitions include Best Lawyers in America — Labour and Employment Law (2026), Best Lawyers in America — Corporate and Commercial Litigation (2026), and Best Lawyers in America — Privacy and Data Security Law (2026).

Verified attorney profile · Updated June 2026

About

  • Mike has been a litigator and dispute resolution lawyer for over 20 years
  • He has been repeatedly recognized as a leading lawyer and litigation star by peer ranking services including Benchmark, Best Lawyers in Canada, and Lexpert
  • In 2018 he became a member of the Litigation Counsel of America, an invitation only fellowship of highly experienced lawyers across North America
  • Mike is a member of the firm’s Strategic Committee
  • For years Mike has lectured on professionalism and ethics in the Inns of Court program for junior barristers
  • Mike also chairs the Air & Space Law section of the Canadian Bar Association – BC, supporting Farris’s aviation and transportation law clients
  • Mike’s litigation practice has four major components: company and shareholder litigation, private wealth disputes, class actions, and government / constitutional / environmental litigation
  • Mike’s company litigation practice deals with internal deadlock and dysfunction among shareholders and management, as well as external disputes between companies and outsiders
  • His cases have involved disputed assets worth hundreds of millions of dollars, engaging complex legal and factual issues including corporate, shareholder, governance, trust, fiduciary, executive employment, valuation and tax
  • Mike’s class action practice spans issues in contract, misrepresentation, negligence, product liability, business practices and consumer protection
  • Unlike most class action litigators, Mike does not confine his practice to just the plaintiff side or the defence side
  • Instead, Mike is equally comfortable and effective at acting for clients who find themselves on either side of a class action litigation matter
  • Mike’s government, constitutional and environmental litigation practice includes representing various levels of government, and also at times acting for private parties
  • These cases have involved issues in contract, tort, land use, mining, environmental (contaminated sites and waste management), class action, and constitutional (Charter of Rights) matters
  • Mike’s private wealth litigation practice includes dealing with disputes and discord within multigenerational families, and handling complex estates matters arising after the head of a family has passed away
  • Mike is counsel to the court-appointed Administrators of the Estate of Gang Yuan – which is British Columbia’s most notorious and high profile estates matter in recent memory
  • Mike is adept at handling all manner of complex cases including the examples referred to above, and driving those cases forward to a conclusion
  • Not all problems can await a trial
  • Because of that, Mike is also capable of moving quickly and decisively to protect his clients’ interest on an urgent basis, when the circumstances require
  • His skill set includes Mareva (asset freezing) Anton Piller (civil search warrant), and Norwich Pharmacal (third party disclosure) applications
  • He is also experienced with interlocutory injunctions, publication bans, and sealing orders, which often arise in the course of high stakes corporate litigation, intellectual property disputes and in employment litigation

Practice Areas Explained

Michael "Mike" Wagner's Areas of Practice

Each practice area below reflects the types of cases Michael "Mike" Wagner handles, with a brief overview of what that area of law covers.

Employment Law

Employment lawyers represent workers in wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, wage & hour disputes, and severance negotiations.

Michael "Mike" Wagner is one of 169,120 employment attorneys indexed nationally. Browse employment attorneys →

Business & Corporate Law

Business attorneys advise founders and growing companies on entity formation, contracts, financing, M&A, and dispute resolution.

Michael "Mike" Wagner is one of 501,317 business attorneys indexed nationally. Browse business attorneys →

Securities Law

Michael "Mike" Wagner is one of 64,529 securities attorneys indexed nationally. Browse securities attorneys →

Civil Litigation

Civil litigation attorneys for breach of contract, business disputes, civil rights, and class action lawsuits.

Michael "Mike" Wagner is one of 454,532 litigation attorneys indexed nationally. Browse litigation attorneys →

Frequently Asked

Common questions about Michael "Mike" Wagner

What practice areas does Michael "Mike" Wagner handle?
Michael "Mike" Wagner focuses on employment, business, securities, litigation. Each practice area listed reflects experience handling cases of that type in their licensed jurisdictions.
How can I contact Michael "Mike" Wagner for a consultation?
You can contact Michael "Mike" Wagner directly through this profile page. Click "Ask the Attorney" to submit a question, or "Schedule a Consultation" to book a meeting. Most claimed-profile attorneys respond within one business day.
What awards or recognition has Michael "Mike" Wagner received?
Michael "Mike" Wagner's notable recognition includes: Best Lawyers in America — Labour and Employment Law; Best Lawyers in America — Corporate and Commercial Litigation; Best Lawyers in America — Privacy and Data Security Law; Best Lawyers in America — Additional Areas of Practice:; Best Lawyers in America — Appellate Practice.

Awards

Best Lawyers in America — Labour and Employment Law
- 2026
Best Lawyers in America — Corporate and Commercial Litigation
- 2026
Best Lawyers in America — Privacy and Data Security Law
- 2026
Best Lawyers in America — Additional Areas of Practice:
- 2026
Best Lawyers in America — Appellate Practice
- 2026
Best Lawyers in America — Class Action Litigation
- 2026
Best Lawyers in America — Construction Law
- 2026
Best Lawyers in America — Defamation and Media Law
- 2026
Best Lawyers in America — Intellectual Property Law
- 2026
Best Lawyers in America — Mining Law
- 2026
Best Lawyers in America — Transportation Law
- 2026
Best Lawyers in America — Awards:
- 2026
Best Lawyers in America — (2024, 2023 and prior):
- 2026
Best Lawyers in America — Benchmark Canada
- 2026
Best Lawyers in America — "Litigation Star".
- 2026
Best Lawyers in America — Benchmark Canada’s
- 2026
Best Lawyers in America — “Emerging Talent Litigator of the Year”.
- 2026
Best Lawyers in America — In 2022, Benchmark described Mike as follows:
- 2026
Best Lawyers in America — “
- 2026
Best Lawyers in America — Michael Wagner
- 2026
Best Lawyers in America — Litigation Counsel of America
- 2026
Best Lawyers in America — Lexpert
- 2026
Best Lawyers in America — as a "Cross-Border Litigation Lawyer to Watch".
- 2026
Best Lawyers in America — Canada’s "40 Leading Lawyers under 40".
- 2026

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