Ciara J. Mackey

Partner

Calgary
 403.298.3005
 mackeyc@bennettjones.com
Education
University of Calgary, Faculty of Medicine, BHSc, 2007
University of Alberta, LLB, 2011
Bar Admissions
Alberta, 2012
Ciara Mackey helps clients navigate their most complex legal problems by providing practical advice and compelling advocacy, legal research, and writing skills.
Overview

Ciara's practice focuses on the analysis of complicated legal issues and the preparation of opinions and written argument to support clients in complex corporate, commercial, and litigation matters. With in-depth experience in commercial and energy litigation, Ciara is regularly involved in disputes relating to breach of contract, professional negligence, breach of fiduciary duty, fraud recovery, defamation, and intellectual property rights. 

Ciara has appeared before the Supreme Court of Canada and before all levels of court in Alberta on civil claims and judicial review of administrative tribunal decisions, and has experience in alternative dispute resolution. In addition, she has served as legal counsel to the Court of Appeal of Alberta.

Ciara's work has been published in a number of publications, including the Alberta Law Review, and she regularly presents at internal and external continuing legal education conferences and seminars.  

During law school, Ciara was actively involved with the Health Law Institute at the University of Alberta and has published and presented on issues of health law, technology, and policy. In 2011, Ciara was awarded the George Bligh O'Connor Silver Medal in Law from the University of Alberta.

Prior to joining Bennett Jones, Ciara served as a law clerk to the Court of Appeal of Alberta.

Select Experience
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Dow Chemical Canada in its successful C$3.56-billion claim against NOVA Chemicals for breaches of contract

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The landlord in a successful claim for breach of lease against a tenant who had leased an entire 37 story office building and then vacated it with 12 years left on the lease, claiming that a minute amount of hazardous materials in building materials from decades earlier justified that decision.  CNOOC Petroleum North America ULC v 801 Seventh Inc, 2025 ABKB 145; 2023 ABCA 97 ; 2021 ABQB 861; 2021 ABQB 81
•  A large energy company in prosecuting allegations of fraud and self-dealing against a group of former contractors.
•  Dow Chemical Canada ULC and Dow Europe GmbH, in a successful $1.3-billion breach of contract claim against the operator of a jointly owned ethylene manufacturing facility.
•  Wood Group Mustang (Canada) Inc., in defence of an action commenced by Canadian Natural Resources Limited, in the failure of an underground emulsion pipeline in 2009. Amounts claimed are in excess of $80 million.
•  The Mayor of Calgary in defence of a $6-million defamation claim advanced by a developer relating to comments made relating to election financing laws.
•  Various energy industry companies in defending multi-million dollar copyright claims over use of seismic data.
 

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