Eric V. Gottardi, K.C.

Eric V. Gottardi, K.C.

Eric V. Gottardi, K.C. is a senior partner at Peck and Company.  He is an experienced litigator, and has acted in many significant criminal cases, at both trial level and on appeal. Eric obtained his law degree from Queen’s University and then went on to work as a judicial law clerk at the Court of Appeal for Ontario.  After being called to the bar, he joined the firm of Peck and Company, where he soon focused on appellate and extradition work. In 2020, Eric was appointed as Queen’s Counsel in British Columbia, in recognition of his contributions to the justice system in B.C.

Eric practices primarily in the area of criminal law, including acting as Crown Counsel in special prosecutions involving potential conflicts of interest within the Attorney General’s Ministry. He was called to the Bar in Ontario as a special prosecutor (L2) in 2010. Eric has also represented clients with respect to quasi-criminal matters including securities prosecutions, workplace fatality investigations, and forfeiture proceedings.  He has argued cases at all levels of Court, including several at the Supreme Court of Canada.  He has also appeared as counsel in Ontario and Alberta.

Eric is a former Chair of the Canadian Bar Association’s National Criminal Justice Section, and currently holds the position of past-chair. Eric was recently elected to be the Chair of the Criminal Section of the Uniform Law Conference of Canada. Through his work with the Canadian Bar Association, Eric has been invited to testify as an expert witness before Parliamentary committees in both the House and the Senate, in relation to issues of criminal law policy and legislation.

Eric regularly contributes to legal education programs. He is a member of the faculty of the Federation of Law Societies National Criminal Law Program. Eric has authored papers and articles on criminal law issues, and has spoken at programs offered by the Canadian Bar Association, Law Society of British Columbia, Federation of Law Societies, University of British Columbia, National Judicial Institute, International Society for the Reform of Criminal Law and the Trial Lawyers Association of British Columbia. He has also co-chaired CLE Educational Seminars on Workplace Fatality Cases.

Eric is the Editor of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms Newsletter for Thompson Reuters and often appears as a legal analyst for the CBC and other media outlets.

Email: egottardi@peckandcompany.ca

Representative Client Work

A25R4807-3

  • Counsel in the Supreme Court of Canada in R. v. Jordan (2016), a case dealing with unreasonable delay under s. 11(b) of the Charter
  • Counsel for the CBA in the Supreme Court of Canada in R v. Lloyd (2016) and  R. v. Nur (2015), two constitutional challenges to the mandatory minimum sentence regime for drug trafficking and firearms respectively;
  • Counsel in the Supreme Court of Canada in R v. Sekhon (2014), a case involving expert police witnesses;
  • Counsel in the Supreme Court of Canada in R. v. H.S.B.(2008), a case involving the sufficiency of judicial reasons;
  • Co-Counsel in the Supreme Court of Canada in United States of America v. Ortega (2007), a case involving the sufficiency for committal standard in extradition proceedings;
  • Co-Counsel in the Supreme Court of Canada in R.v. Pires (2005), a case involving wiretap authorizations;
  • Co-Counsel in the Olympic Village Document Leak Inquiry for the City of Vancouver;
  • Member of the Defence Team for one of two accused in the Air India trial;
  • Appointed as a Special Prosecutor in the Province of Ontario, in relation to obstruction charges against a police officer;
  • Counsel in the Court of Appeal on numerous matters, both for the Accused/Appellant and the Crown/Respondent
  • Occasional work as Crown Counsel in matters generally involving potential or perception of conflict within the Attorney General’s Ministry

Speaking/Writing Engagements

  • Editor, Charter of Rights and Freedoms Newsletter, Thompson Reuters
  • Quarterly Columnist, The Verdict, Trial Lawyer’s Association of BC
  • Guest Lecturer, University of British Columbia (UBC) Law School

Professional & Civic Activities

  • Chair, Criminal Section, Uniform Law Conference of Canada (ULCC)(2015-2016)
  • Chair, CBA National Criminal Justice Section (2011-present)
  • Chair, CBA (BC) – Criminal Justice Subsection (2008-2010)
  • Member, Canadian Bar Association (CBA)
  • Member, International Society for the Reform of Criminal Law
  • Member, Law Society of British Columbia
  • Former Member, Law Society of Upper Canada (L2 License)
  • Supervising Lawyer, UBC Law Student’s Legal Assistance Program (LSLAP) (2003-2008)

National CBA Contributions

*Eric V. Gottardi, K.C., practices through a personal law corporation.