Bennett Jones
As managing partner of the Bennett Jones Vancouver office and co-head of the firm’s Environmental Law and Aboriginal Law practices, and with over 30 years of legal and advisory experience, Radha specializes in providing strategic counsel to clients related to the environment, First Nations, wider ESG matters, gender equity issues, and the handling, transportation, and remediation of hazardous materials. Radha is consistently recognized as a leading authority and among the top lawyers in Canada and the United States in her areas of specialty and regularly advises corporations, Boards of Directors, Special Committees, First Nations, and governmental agencies across Canada and around the world on strategies, best practices, negotiations, and litigation. Her areas of focus include regulatory compliance, integration of an ESG framework into corporate strategy and benchmarking, proactive assessment and management of environmental and other risks, avoidance and defence of environmental litigation, carbon taxes and emissions standards, crisis prevention and management, corporate social responsibility, mitigation of business disruptions, and reputation management.
Radha has served on numerous corporate, non-profit, and governmental Boards of Directors, co-authored scholarly work on Indigenous Rights for the American Bar Association, and serves on the Board of Governors of the Business Council of British Columbia and as Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade. Radha also serves on the Board of Directors of Windmill Microlending, a registered charity that is Canada’s largest provider of microloans to skilled immigrants and refugees looking to continue their careers in Canada, and served as a member of the YWCA of Metro Vancouver’s Culture Shift Advisory Council. She was awarded the 2020 Women in Law Leadership (WILL) Stronger Together Award.
Chambers Global
“Radha is extraordinary.”
“Radha is a fierce advocate—very protective of her clients and goes above and beyond expectations.”
Radha is a sought-after speaker and has recently led discussions on topics including but not limited to Women in Leadership Roles within the Legal Community; Values, Mentorship and Overcoming Barriers; Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in the Workplace; the Evolving Role of General Counsel in ESG Strategy; and ESG and Indigenous Sustainable Development.
Radha is fluent in both French and English and has worked in Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba, British Columbia, Alberta, the Atlantic Provinces and in the United States. She has a diverse environmental practice that includes obtaining approvals for projects, involvement in regulatory proceedings, negotiating with regulators, leading arbitration, leading the defence of civil and quasi-criminal litigation, assisting in developing protective measures in transactions, addressing contaminated sites issues in multiple jurisdictions, assisting clients in developing systems for compliance, and providing strategic advice on preventative measures. Radha was involved in the creation of the Contaminated Sites legislation in Manitoba in the 1990s.
What Clients Say
"She is an exceptional attorney. She is not only incredibly responsive, but also strategic and judiciously proactive in helping the company navigate through environmental issues, making her an extraordinary advocate."
Radha was previously an adjunct professor at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law focused on Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility and served as a sessional lecturer on environmental law at Robson Hall Faculty of Law. Radha is a member of the American Bar Association and the International Bar Association.