Vancouver Business Lawyers Since 1920

PETER STANLEY

Peter joined Grossman & Stanley in 1971 and has headed the firm since Edgar H. Grossman’s retirement in 1986. Since then, he has overseen a thriving practice that specializes in business law, including all areas of corporate and commercial transactions, business divestitures and acquisitions, corporate reorganizations, commercial contracts, and commercial and real estate transactions and related financing.

Peter’s clients range in size from small local businesses to large international enterprises, and come from a diverse range of industries, including forest products, wineries, retail, various franchises, sports teams and information technology. He follows the relationship-based approach practised by his mentor, Edgar H. Grossman, providing his clients with personalized, comprehensive legal advice on a wide variety of business matters.

Peter was born in York, England and grew up in the Maritimes. He earned a Bachelor of Science and his LL.B. at Dalhousie University in Halifax before being called to the BC bar in 1970. An avid collector of Canadiana furniture and folk art, Peter owned and operated Canada West Antique Co., a popular Vancouver antique store, for more than 20 years. He is married to Lynne and has two daughters, Kate and Jesse.

RODERICK PEARCE

Roderick (“Rod”) Pearce brings more than 30 years’ experience to his busy corporate and commercial law practice. Rod joined Grossman & Stanley in 1993 after practising for several years with a large Vancouver law firm. Rod acts for a range of clients, with a particular focus on entrepreneurs and their businesses. He is committed to providing practical, responsive and effective legal solutions to meet his clients’ immediate and long-term goals.

Rod has extensive experience in the security, mortgage brokerage, property management and alcoholic beverage industries in British Columbia and across Canada. His corporate and commercial clients include some of the largest companies in their respective industries in Canada. Throughout his career, Rod has worked extensively with commercial and residential landlords, and strata corporations on diverse and complex real estate transactions. He has also worked with clients from a wide range of other industries, such as retail, hospitality and biotechnology. Rod provides comprehensive legal services to doctors, dentists, and other lawyers, including the incorporation of their professional practices, establishment of their partnerships, and the ongoing management of their commercial and corporate affairs. Rod has a significant practice assisting clients in the not-for-profit sector, with a particular focus on low-income housing providers.

Born in Duncan, British Columbia, Rod grew up in North Vancouver and Cranbrook, British Columbia. He earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree and his LL.B. at the University of British Columbia before being admitted to the BC bar in 1986. An admitted hockey nut, both as a player and fan, Rod and his partner, Myrna, also enjoy scuba diving, skiing, cycling, live theatre and travel.

VINCENT SANTACROCE

Vincent Santacroce was admitted to the BC bar in 1986 and joined Grossman & Stanley the same year. His legal services cross the full spectrum of corporate, commercial and real estate law, and he acts for clients that range in size from one-person entrepreneurships to multi-million dollar corporations. Vincent has extensive experience working with borrowers and lenders on residential and commercial property purchase, sale and lease transactions.

Like his colleagues, Vincent brings a problem-solving approach to every file. Before initiating any proceedings, he works to understand what his clients want to achieve – and how they want to achieve it. This enables him to develop highly personalized, cost-efficient solutions, which may be legal, corporate or practical in nature. Vincent also has a proven ability to clarify complex issues so his clients understand every aspect of their legal file.

Outside the practice, Vincent enjoys family life with his wife, Kathryn, and three children, Olivia, Julia and John. Travel is a big part of their family activities, with special attention to iconic Americana from Gettysburg to Seinfeld’s puffy shirt. Vincent has volunteered his time to a number of community-based non-profit organizations and has served and chaired several boards over the years.

Vincent is a big Montreal Canadiens fan who once had the pleasure of sharing memories of the famous late game Jim Pappin save in the 1971 Stanley Cup finals with Ken Dryden himself.

DAVID J.H. ROBERTS

David provides individuals and a variety of businesses with personalized legal and strategic advice. He prides himself on being the first point of contact when his clients have an issue that needs to be resolved.

Major focuses of David's practice include corporate law, commercial law, employment law, real property law, secured borrowing and lending, and mergers and acquisitions. He also assists his clients with troubleshooting corporate governance, regulatory compliance, and succession planning issues.

David joined Grossman & Stanley in 2014 and was called to the British Columbia bar in 2015. David and his wife, Wendy, have two young daughters, Stella and Lillian.

JOHN S. DAVIS (1952-2018)

Our beloved friend and colleague, John S. Davis, passed away peacefully on March 20, 2018, after a short but courageous battle with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease). We miss him dearly.

John’s unique approach to the practice of law – one-part expertise, one-part pragmatism, with a dash of iconoclasm – was valued and respected by us and all of his clients.

As John’s colleagues, we cherished his contributions to our firm and our firm’s culture. John was a master of the esoteric: we frequently marveled at his encyclopedic knowledge of obscure doctrines of law, which he often employed to the advantage of his clients. He was also always the first to be consulted on questions of legal ethics. His impact on our firm and his friendship will never be forgotten.

We sincerely appreciate the kind words of support and encouragement that so many of you have expressed to John since his retirement from the practice of law at the end of 2017.

John’s family has requested that donations be made in his memory to the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Society of British Columbia (Charitable No. 10670 8985 RR0001).