VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Jan. 22, 2014) - Farris, Vaughan, Wills & Murphy LLP today announced that Joseph J. Arvay, Q.C. has joined the firm as a Partner in its litigation group.

Mr. Arvay is a litigation lawyer of national prominence, having participated in many landmark Constitutional and Aboriginal cases. He has appeared before the Supreme Court of Canada on numerous occasions.

"Joe Arvay is a rare talent and our clients and our firm will benefit from his skill and experience," said Keith Mitchell, Q.C., Chair of Farris. "In addition to his groundbreaking work in public and constitutional law, Joe has demonstrated excellence as both a trial and appellate lawyer in many areas of the law. His creativity, intelligence and contributions to the law have earned him an outstanding reputation in Canada's legal community, and we are very pleased that he has chosen to continue his practice with Farris."

"Farris is one of the top law firms in BC and I have always had great respect for its litigators," said Mr. Arvay. "Farris gives me an outstanding opportunity to build my public and constitutional law practice, but as well the opportunity to litigate in a wide variety of cases in other areas of the law that I have also long enjoyed whether it be commercial litigation or in such areas as defamation, medical malpractice or class actions to name but a few. I am excited by this opportunity and feel honoured to be accepted into a leading law firm with such a longstanding reputation for excellence."

Mr. Arvay joins Farris from his own firm which he founded in 1990. He holds law degrees from the University of Western Ontario Law School and Harvard Law School. He is called to the Bars of both British Columbia and the Yukon. Mr. Arvay is a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America and a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. He was recently elected a Bencher of the Law Society of BC (Vancouver) for a two-year term commencing January 2014.

Joining Farris with Mr. Arvay will be litigation lawyers Catherine Boies Parker and Alison Latimer, who bring their own depth and excellence to the firm.

About Farris LLP

Farris, Vaughan, Wills & Murphy LLP is a leading BC law firm with offices in Vancouver, Kelowna, and Victoria. The full-service firm represents some of the largest public and private institutions and corporations in the province, offering versatile and innovative approaches to legal issues for over 100 years.

Farris provides timely, creative and practical representation backed by tremendous local knowledge and experience. Since the firm was established in 1903 it has been involved in many of BC's highest profile cases. Today, the firm's broad and diverse practice areas continue to lead the development of the law in newer areas such as social media, public-private partnerships, and alternative dispute resolution.