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Susan Van Altena

Senior eDiscovery Paralegal

E: svanaltena@nst.ca
T: 778.945.1479

Susan van Altena joined NST as a senior paralegal in 1998 managing complex commercial litigation cases and moved into the Litigation Support Manager role in 2006. With more than 35 years’ experience, she has implemented eDiscovery Best Practices for the firm to ensure that our evidentiary data management is defensible, as well as time and cost efficient for our clients.

She provides litigation technology, practice support and project management on all commercial litigation matters liaising with service providers, clients and experts. She also provides training and support in Summation, Ipro Eclipse SE and Relativity and emerging technology.

Education
  • Continuing Education in subject matter seminars and conferences on eDiscovery Best Practices and Litigation Support Software
  • 1988, Continuing Studies, Computer Science, Carleton University
  • 1983, Diploma Law Clerk (Paralegal) Canadore College
Community Involvement
  • Member, Association of Certified eDiscovery Specialists [ACEDS]
  • Member, BC Legal Management Association – Litigation Support Subsection [BCLMA}
  • Co-Chair, Litigation Technology & eDiscovery [BCLMA]
  • Member, BC Association of Litigation Professionals [BCLSP]
  • Member, BC Paralegal Association [BCPA]
  • Bursary Recipient for Scholastic Achievement at Canadore College
Cases of Interest

Susan van Altena has provided eDiscovery management on many of the firm’s major trials. For example:

  • LTS Infrastructure Services Limited Partnership v. Rohl Enterprises Ltd., 2019 NWTSC 10
    NST represents a major Canadian construction company in a contractual dispute with a subcontractor which worked on the client’s Mackenzie Valley Fibre Link project, a multi-million dollar P3 project installing a fibre-optic line from McGill Lake to Inuvik, NWT. The matter has not yet gone to trial.  The document collection and review in this particular case has presented unique challenges given the high volume of text based and non text based documents, many created in adverse northern work environments.
  • Concord Pacific Acquisitions Inc. v. Oei2019 BCSC 1190
  • Kepis & Pobe Financial Group Inc. v. Timis Corporation2018 BCCA 420
  • Quanta Services, Inc. v. Rokstad Power Corp., (BCSC 2018)
  • Linden Advisers LP v. Dippenaar (BCSC 2016)
  • XY LLC v. Canadian Topsires Selection Inc., 2015 BCSC 2116
  • Minera Aquiline Argentina SA v. IMA Explorations Inc., 2006 BCSC 11022007 BCCA 319
  • Inmet Mining Corp. v. Homestake Canada Inc., 2002 BCSC 612003 BCCA 610
Publications and Presentations
  • Panelist, November 2019, BC Legal Management Association – Litigation Support Subsection – Seminar Series on eDiscovery Best Practices and Practical Skills
  • Contributing Member, 2016 and continuing, Practice + Procedures Focus Group assisting the court in drafting and updating the Electronic Practice Directive and the Guidelines on Benchmarking of Costs paper for the Canadian Judicial Council.
  • Panelist, April 2014, BC Association of Litigation Professionals – Seminar Series on eDiscovery