Recognized for her broad, deep knowledge and client-centric approach, Selina helps clients explore opportunities that redefine their industries

Selina Lee-Andersen is a partner in the firm’s Vancouver office where her primary areas of practice include environmental, Aboriginal, regulatory and corporate/commercial law across various sectors, including mining, oil and gas, renewable energy and emerging technologies, electricity, infrastructure, and transportation.

Selina understands the operational and regulatory risks that clients face. She works closely with clients to tailor innovative and practical solutions that meet their business goals, while considering their appetite for risk. Selina’s unique combination of hands-on involvement, deep industry experience, and two decades providing specialized advisory services set her apart from her peers, and have made her a highly valued partner and legal advisor to clients.

Selina’s expertise includes:

Environmental: Leading and assisting with environmental assessments (provincial and federal), due diligence, and permitting for the development, operation, and decommissioning of projects in the natural resource, infrastructure, and manufacturing sectors. Handling spill reporting requirements, contaminated site matters including remediation and reporting obligations, directors’ and officers’ liability, and risk allocation for contaminated site liability and industrial activities. Ensuring compliance with ISO-based environmental management systems (including ISO 14001 and ISO 14021) and other industry certification programs (such as EcoLogo, Forestry Stewardship Council, Canadian Standards Association, and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)).

Climate Change: Advising on and ensuring compliance with greenhouse gas reporting requirements (federal and provincial), exploring carbon market opportunities and pricing, and assessing the potential impacts of emerging climate change regulations on business operations. Preparing contracts for the aggregation, purchase, and sale of emission offset credits and renewable energy credits in both voluntary and mandatory markets. Managing corporate carbon disclosure requirements under securities legislation and voluntary initiatives such as TCFD, CDP, and GRI. Supporting the development of emission offset project protocols and the registration of emission offsets.

Regulatory: Ensuring regulatory compliance with environmental, health and safety legislation and standards, as well as product safety and import/export requirements. Conducting policy and legislative analysis for new and emerging technologies, and addressing regulatory issues in Western Canadian electricity markets, particularly those related to mandatory reliability standards. Managing compliance obligations under product stewardship programs across Canada and adhering to provincial and federal low carbon fuel standards, including compliance credit trading regimes.

Aboriginal: Structuring, drafting and negotiating business arrangements between project proponents and Indigenous groups to facilitate Indigenous community participation in resource development and infrastructure projects, including joint venture and partnership agreements, impact and benefit agreements, sub-contracts, and services agreements. Managing procurement processes to ensure preferential employment, training, and contracting opportunities for Indigenous groups. Addressing stakeholder engagement and consultation matters in regulatory approval processes.

ESG: Meeting all manner of ESG reporting requirements for public and private sector clients, including those related to biodiversity and sustainability frameworks and standards. Drafting corporate policies on environmental, health and safety, ethics and compliance. Preparing terms of reference and governance frameworks for board members and ESG committees.

Selina is a member of the Canadian Bar Association, American Bar Association, Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers, and an Executive Member of the CBA National Environmental, Energy and Natural Resources Section. She serves on the Executive of the Pacific Northwest International Section of the Air & Waste Management Association (A&WMA) and is a Director and Past Chair of A&WMA's BC-Yukon Chapter. Selina is also a former volunteer with the CBA Supporting Inclusive Resource Development in East Africa (SIRD) Legal Training Program. As Past Chair of the CBA’s National Environmental, Energy and Resources Law Section, Selina regularly collaborated with international bar associations on environmental issues to advance professional development initiatives. Selina is a part-time instructor at the British Columbia Institute of Technology’s School of Construction and the Environment on environmental law and climate change policy.

Selina’s extensive involvement within the industry, including as a prolific contributor to industry blogs, publications, and as a presenter at environmental and Aboriginal law conferences gives her unparalleled exposure to advances in the industry. Committed to client engagement, Selina shares her expertise with clients to ensure they stay informed about relevant legal and policy developments.

Selina is recognized for her expertise and outstanding client-service by leading industry directories, including Chambers Canada (Environmental Law – Nationwide); Lexpert Special Editions: Infrastructure, Energy, Global Mining; and The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory: Aboriginal Law, Environmental Law, Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG), and Indigenous Law; and by Lexpert / American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada: ESG. She is fluent in Cantonese and conversant in German.

Awards and Rankings:

• Chambers Canada, Environment - Nationwide, 2024
• Lexpert Leading Lawyer, Indigenous Law
• Lexpert Leading Lawyer, Lexpert Special Editions: Infrastructure; Energy; Global Mining
• The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, Aboriginal Law; Environmental Law; Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) Lexpert / American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada – ESG, 2024

Thought Leadership

• "Environmental Law 2023: Definitive global law guides offering comparative analysis from top-ranked lawyers ", Chambers Global Practice Guide, January 2024
• "Into the Deep: Recent Legal & Policy Developments in BC Aquaculture," Key Developments in Environmental Law 2021 (Editor-in-Chief: Stanley Berger, December 2021)
• "Environmental Indemnity", Real Estate Financing - Annotated Precedents (Chapter 8), The Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia
• "Environmental Provisions", Commercial Leasing - Annotated Precedents (Chapter 12), The Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia
• "Recent Legislative and Regulatory Developments of Interest to Energy Practitioners", Alberta Law Review, Vol 55, No 2: Energy Law Edition (December 2017)