jian kang - counsel

Jian has been practising exclusively in family law since his graduation from UBC Law in 2015. He has worked for multiple years in highly renowned family law boutique firms in Vancouver and Toronto, where he has successfully resolved many high-complexity and high-net worth cases.

Jian has extensive court experience, having independently won trials and appeals, some of which lasted more than 20 days and involved multiple million dollars and parallel legal proceedings in China.

Born and raised in China and fluent in both Mandarin and English, Jian excels at explaining difficult legal concepts to his clients – mostly Chinese immigrants – and help them bridge the cultural and legal gap between China and Canada and efficiently resolving their matters.

He frequently appears in nation-wide Mandarin radio and television programs (Fairchild FM 96.1 and TalentVision) to share his knowledge and insights in family law, all of which were well-received.

Jian’s noticeable court cases include:

• Zhang v Xiong, 2023 BCSC 915 – after a 12-day trial, Jian won a very favourable judgement against the husband, who persistently refused to produce financial disclosure throughout the case. The judge found that he was likely hiding income and assets, and ordered an unequal division of property based on it.

• Jin v Zhang, 2023 BCSC 761 – this is an appeal where Jian successfully overturned a decision made by a Master requiring Jian’s client to pay a large sum of interim advance from Companies in China that he holds in trust for his father. The appeal was allowed on the ground that the Master made a palpable and overriding error (which is very difficult to achieve), significantly reducing the payment amount.

• M.L. v R. H., 2022 BCSC 1580 – after a 24-day trial against a senior counsel in a high-conflict and complex family matter, Jian obtained favourable results on important issues, including a finding that Ms. Li and her family forged a trust agreement that was key to a significant property claim.

• Tang v. Cheng, 2020 BCSC 908 - in this case involving $40 million worth of assets in China, Hong Kong and Canada, Jian won a jurisdictional hearing and set up a province- wide precedent on the interpretation of related section in Family Law Act. Subsequently, in Tang v. Cheng, 2020 BCSC 1341, obtained interim spousal support in the amount of $21,678.00/month, and set up a nation-wide precedent on the choice of law test for interim spousal support, which had been virtually in a legal vacuum in Canada.

• Y.Z. v A.C, 2018 BCSC 948 – this case involves tens of millions of dollars worth of assets across four jurisdictions and more than 10 parallel proceedings. Jian helped the parties reach an agreement on substantial properties before the hearing, significantly reducing the scope of the disputes.

• The Estate of Gang Yuan (not reported) – in this high-profile case where five children and two alleged spouses claimed an interest in the $40-million estate of the deceased (who was gruesomely murdered and dismembered), Jian obtained the first sealing order in B.C. that seals the entire civil file, and helped his client reach a fair settlement.