Lindsay McGivern

Director

Lindsay McGivern represents plaintiffs in medical negligence and birth injury litigation. She is a lawyer at Pacific Medical Law, a unique firm that practices solely in the field of medical malpractice. Since joining Pacific Medical Law, the primary focus of Lindsay’s practice has been representing infants who were injured at birth or within the first month of life.

Lindsay McGivern has been practicing law since 2015.  Lindsay articled at a civil litigation defense firm before moving to Pacific Medical Law. Working on both sides of civil litigation has allowed her to have a broader perspective and given her a better understanding of the different approaches taken by plaintiff’s and defense counsel. In 2024, Lindsay was recognized by Best Lawyers in Canada as “One to Watch” in the area of Medical Negligence.

Lindsay is also an adjunct professor at the UBC Allard School of Law where she teaches the Medical Negligence course to 2^nd and 3^rd year students with Ms. Raab.

Lindsay received her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of British Columbia and her Juris Doctor degree from the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University. In law school at Dalhousie, Lindsay won the Wanda Szubielski Prize in Law and the Robert T Donald Insurance Prize. In addition to her studies she volunteered for the Roméo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative and the Phoenix Youth Shelters. She also took an independent course in International Humanitarian Law at the University of Ottawa. She regularly attends legal education courses, study groups and medical-legal conferences to advance her knowledge regarding medical advancements, standards of care and legal strategies in order to best represent her clients. This has included attendance at the annual Western Canadian Medical Malpractice Conference and the annual Conference on Obstetrics, Gynecology, Perinatal Medicine, Neonatology, and the Law. Ms. McGivern has organized and chaired a Medical-Legal conference put on by the Trial Lawyers Association of BC. She serves on the Executive of the BC Health Law subsection of the Canadian Bar Association.

Lindsay was born and raised in British Columbia. Outside of her professional life, she is a sports enthusiast. Lindsay has coached field hockey and played a vast array of sports. Currently, she is a rower, hiker and field hockey player.

Bar Admissions

• British Columbia, 2015

Education

• Juris Doctor, Dalhousie Law School, Halifax, Nova Scotia, 2014
• Bachelor of Science, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, 2010

Honors and Awards

• The Best Lawyers in Canada“One to Watch” – recognized 2024

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Canadian Bar Association – Executive, BC Health Law subsection
• Law Society of British Columbia
• Trial Lawyers Association of British Columbia

Publications

• Causation in Birth Injury Cases by Lindsay McGivern for the Verdict, Issue 177, Summer 2023
• Acquired Brain Injuries by Lindsay McGivern for the Verdict, Issue 174, Fall 2022
• Complexities of the Medical Malpractice Jury Trial by Lindsay McGivern for the Verdict, Issue 171, Winter 2021
• Causation – Application: The Difficulties Associated with Applying the “But For” Test by Lindsay McGivern and Paul McGivern for the Verdict, Issue 168, Spring 2021
• Causation – Basic Principles: The Murky Waters of Causation in Medical Negligence by Lindsay McGivern and Paul McGivern for the Verdict, Issue 167, Winter 2020
• Informed Consent in the Obstetrical Context: Do Women have a Right to Caesarean Section? by Lindsay McGivern for the Verdict, Issue 161, Summer 2019
• Causation in Medical Malpractice Actions by Lindsay McGivern for the Verdict, Issue 157, Summer 2018
• The Financial Burden of Medical Malpractice Lawsuits by Lindsay McGivern and Paul McGivern for the Verdict, Issue 155, Winter 2018
• Swirski Interviews by Lindsay McGivern for the Verdict, Issue 152, Spring 2017
• The Effective Use of Medical Literature by Lindsay McGivern & Susanne Raab for the Verdict, Issue 149, Summer 2016
• Summary Trials in Medical Malpractice Actions by Andrea Donaldson & Lindsay McGivern for the Verdict, Issue 147, Winter 2016
• Do ties always go to the defence? by Paul McGivern & Lindsay McGivern for Lawyers Weekly, February 6, 2015

Reviews