Photo of John P.H. Nicolls
700 - 401 West Georgia Street
Vancouver, BC V6B 5A1
Email
Direct: 604.661.9200
Fax: 604.688.3830

Assistant

Kathryn Novakowski
Email
Direct: 604.661.9206
Fax: 604.688.3830

John P.H. Nicolls, Associate Counsel

John recently joined Richards Buell Sutton LLP's Wealth Preservation team, with a focus on Personal Estate Planning and Entertainment Law.  Prior, he was with the local business law firm of Grossman & Stanley.  John has an extensive background in private practice, as in-house counsel, and as a business executive.  He provides his clients with comprehensive, timely and practical advice.  John is a former Treasurer of the Canadian Film and Television Production Association (BC Branch). 

Representative Client Work

Wealth Preservation - Personal Estate Planning

  • John is responsible for advising on and implementing estate plans including wills, trusts, insurance, corporate reorganizations and other tax-driven transactions designed to preserve wealth and accommodate lifetime personal needs while taking into account family relationships and future benefits for subsequent generations. John assists clients in maximizing personal flexibility while taking advantage of favourable tax treatment through a variety of legal tools.

Entertainment and IP Licensing:

  • John has a broad experience as an entertainment lawyer focusing primarily on film, television and digital media production and financing including for animation, visual effects and video-game companies. John acts for both Canadian and American producers in acquiring and licensing rights across many media platforms including conventional television broadcast, new digital delivery systems and the Internet. He advises clients on government rules and regulations on Canadian tax credits and international co-productions, and assists them in accessing financing from the Canada Media Fund, Telefilm Canada and other sources including traditional bank financing. John has been a consultant to government on various initiatives in developing a digital strategy for Canada. 

Business

  • John assists clients in establishing and structuring private companies and provides advice in a number of areas including business acquisitions, multi-party shareholder agreements, board governance, bank financing, employment and all manner of business contracts.

Professional Affiliations

  • Member, Law Society of British Columbia

Background

Born and raised in Vancouver, John enjoyed a brief stint working with the entertainment industry in Los Angeles before returning to BC with his family.  He is the proud father of two girls and spends his weekends coaching soccer.  John is an avid racquets player - tennis, badminton and squash are all part of exercise regime.