Fraser MacLean
Lawyer

Fraser is a strategic advocate and a forward-thinking lawyer, committed to helping his clients move forward with their family matters and lives. Since his very first years of practice Fraser has been advocating for his clients in negotiations, mediations and before the courts. Over this time, he has attained a wealth of practical experience, earning a reputation for leadership, dedication, and compassion, always going above and beyond in the practice of law on behalf of his clients.

Fraser has appeared in all levels of court in British Columbia, including the BC Court of Appeal. He has a long list of reported judgments that speak to his skill and expertise in handling complex litigation matters. Throughout his career, Fraser has worked on various high-profile cases spanning national, international, and local levels.

Fraser was lead counsel in the landmark decision pertaining to costs and the harm of artificial intelligence (AI), the first case in Canada of it’s nature. In Zhang v. Chen, 2024 BCSC 285, the case involved the father’s application to have parenting time with his children overseas. After discovering the fake cases generated by Chat GPT, the father’s application was dismissed, with costs in favour of Fraser’s client.

As lead counsel in an ultra-high net worth case Zhang v. Chen, 2023 BCSC 2206, Fraser successfully obtained one of the highest interim support awards in B.C history for his client.

Fraser was co-counsel in K.R. v. J.R., 2022 BCSC 1856, where he successfully represented his client in a 30-day high-net-worth trial. The result saw the husband paying zero in spousal support despite a long-term marriage with three children, while also receiving a substantial amount in retroactive child support dating back to 2016. In Cho v. Kim, 2023 BCSC 780, Fraser set aside a final order obtained at Summary Trial.

He was co-counsel on C.J.H. v. Q.T., 2021 BCSC 976, involving a significant retroactive child support award for a MacLean Law client following a successful international relocation during Covid-19.

He was lead counsel in Bhimani v. Beninteso, 2020 BCCA 174, in which the underlying appeal from a dismissal of a claim for division of family property and the imposition of a fine for non-compliance with disclosure obligations was dismissed.

In S.T.M. v. C.G.H., 2020 BCPC 181, Fraser successfully varied an interim order to obtain a substantial increase in parenting time for his client and a police enforcement clause to protect against wrongful denial of parenting time.

A sought-after resource for family law, Fraser was invited as a guest lecturer at TRU Law on the subject of Spousal Support, with discussions around recent case wins in high net worth family law.

At his Alma mater, Thomson Rivers University Faculty of Law, Fraser has helped set up the MacLean Law Prize in Family Law, and the Doug Eastwood Q.C. MacLean Law scholarship.

In his spare time, Fraser is an avid sports enthusiast. He played hockey for the TRU Law Hockey team and enjoys boxing, golf, and travel. Fraser is always looking to experience new countries and cultures.

PAPERS AND PRESENTATIONS

• TRU Law family law class guest lecturer
• County of Carleton Law Association – Family Law Institute – COVID 19: Parenting Challenges and Determining Income During the Pandemic
• Pacific Business & Law Institute – Grey Divorce and Planning for the Future – High Family Property Awards and High Net Worth Spousal Support

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