Meet our team! We are not your average problem solvers.
You won’t find expensive suits, marble walls, or Lamborghinis here. Instead, you’ll find some of the most educated and intelligent professionals in Vancouver. With decades of experience navigating law, accounting and valuation, we’re the personable experts you have always wished you worked with.
+1 (604) 682-3328Founder
Cam Stafford
Cam Stafford is licensed to practice law in British Columbia and also as a CPA-CA. Cam earned degrees in law from the University of Washington and Dalhousie University and in commerce from UBC. He also earned a diploma in investigative and forensic accounting from the University of Toronto.
Cam is an avid yoga practitioner, completing the Salt Spring Centre of Yoga’s 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training Program, and he is an enthusiastic home cook, earning a Professional Culinary Diploma from the Northwest Culinary Academy of Vancouver.
See Full BioLaw
Cam founded Staffords Law in 1998. He previously worked at 4 Vancouver law firms – Farris, a boutique tax firm and 2 criminal defence firms – as well as Böck Oppler Hering, Attorneys at Law in Munich, Germany.
Accounting
Cam founded Staffords Accounting in 2004. He previously worked in Vancouver in the audit and tax departments of KPMG and PwC. He has completed various advanced tax and corporate finance courses including the CICAs’:
- In-Depth Tax Course (Parts I and II)
- Specialized Wealth Preservation Course
- Specialized Corporate Reorganizations Course
- In-Residence Goods and Services Tax Course
- Specialized Advanced International Tax Course
- Corporate Finance Education Program (Intermediate Stage)
Cam has served as a marker for the CICA’s Uniform Final Exam (Comprehensive Question) and Group Leader for the In-Depth Tax Course (Parts I and II) and has been recognized by the CICA’s IFA Alliance as a CA-designated specialist in investigative and forensic accounting (CA-IFA).
Cam has completed various expert reports quantifying loss and damages for use in litigation in the Supreme Court of British Columbia (where he has been qualified as an expert witness) and reports for business valuation.
Career Opportunities
Join Our Team
We provide great career opportunities to dynamic people wanting to develop their skills and help our clients develop their businesses. Training with Staffords provides an enviable combination of interesting clients, a wide range of work, cosmopolitan atmosphere and an excellent office location in the Kitsilano area of Vancouver.
Our size means we have a natural synergy with start-ups and growing businesses. As a student, you will enjoy early responsibility and a closer relationship with your clients than might be the case in other firms. We need students with a mature attitude who combine entrepreneurial flair with rigorous technical expertise and a genuine interest in our clients.
Read MoreCareer Opportunities
We generally recruit business school co-op students. Our criteria for selecting candidates are extensive but above all, we look for enthusiasm, a disciplined approach to tasks and good interpersonal skills.
In our firm, Staff Accountants do not report through managers: they report directly to Cam Stafford who looks after the client. This has two important benefits: you will gain the opportunity to work closely with clients and you gain hands-on training from the most experienced amongst us.
Staff Accountants’ work is reviewed regularly and you will have the opportunity to discuss your progress and training needs, both formally and informally. Responsibility will be steadily increased as you learn and as you take on more demanding assignments.
Training Environment
Staffords is committed to training. We aim to achieve the highest standards of professional education for our staff and regard on-the-job training as an important element in the development of students. This is where you learn to keep an entrepreneurial eye out for new opportunities for our clients, and add some practical, commercial thinking to your tool box.
If you can make a difference to our clients, we can offer you a challenging, supportive and rewarding work environment.
Alumni Testimonials
Vivian Tian
When did you work at Staffords?
Two years, from Mar 2017 – Feb 2019.
What is something you liked about the work environment?
I like the supportive and collaborative environment, I was encouraged o ask questions and my questions always got answered very quickly. I learned a lot of technical and practical skills at Staffords, which I will take with me through my career.
What is an example of a significant client assignment where you learned something?
TI prepared the corporate tax returns for a group of related corporations. I practiced problem solving when adjusting their intercompany balances. I also learned to reasonably allocate the small business deduction among each corporation in order to minimize taxes for the client.
Do you have any other comments?
I enjoyed the time working with Campbell. He is passionate about work and knowledgeable in Accounting and Law. He makes efforts to support me in my work and CPA. The clients at Staffords are nice. The respect the team and respond to my inquiries quickly.
Alyssa Tao, CPA
How long / when did you work at Staffords?
5 months, from February to June 2016.
What is something you liked about the work environment?
Staffords was a comfortable and pleasant environment, keeping me happy and productive. You will find gorgeous paintings and pleasant music. Besides, everyone was friendly, professional and willing to teach and answer any of my questions. I always got a chance to learn new things from different areas (accounting, law and valuation), which was exciting and enabled me to continuously challenge myself. It’s not just about learning technical skills in accounting, I learnt how to think more efficiently and complete the assignments more effectively.
What is an example of a significant client assignment where you learned something?
When I did my first CRA Notice of Objection, I learnt how to respond in an appropriate and professional way. Cam taught me how to organize a clear, reasonable and sufficient response. This is very useful skill that I obtained so that I can apply this idea and method to any project.
Do you have any other comments?
Staffords finds value in development of its team members. Staffords provided me the training required for me to excel in my role and encouraged me to continue to excel.
Mike Kwan, CPA
How long / when did you work at Staffords?
3 years, 7 months from June 2010 to December 2013.
What is something you liked about the work environment?
There was an abundance of resources and support to develop and hone my accounting and tax knowledge. Opportunities were available to independently complete files from the initial client meeting to the final deliverables.
What is an example of a significant client assignment where you learned something?
One of the best experiences I had at Staffords involved working with the whole team to complete the annual personal income tax filings. Through that experience, I have learned the importance of team cohesion in a fast paced business setting.
Do you have any other comments for potential applicants?
Staffords has provided me with the exposure to various different business operations, accounting and tax. The experience gained from my employment gave me the confidence required to start my own business.
Ivy Wang, CPA CFA
How long / when did you work at Staffords?
1 year, 8 months being Jan 2007 to Aug 2008
What is something you liked about the work environment?
Fast paced, results oriented with high degree of autonomy. It is also rewarding to be able to work on files from beginning to the end and see how my work directly contributed to clients’ tax savings.
What is an example of a significant client assignment where you learned something?
Working on a tax litigation case really helped me see how professional tax advice and services can make meaningful financial impact to clients. In addition to in depth knowledge of the rules and regulations, attention to detail, thoroughness, creativity are just as important to the success of a legal case.
Stephanie Wong, CPA
When did you work at Staffords?
8 months, from April to November 2005
What is something you liked about the work environment?
It was not a typical office environment and Cam’s eclectic personality, as well as his client base, kept things interesting. Given the size of the firm, I was definitely exposed to the clients and more different type of work than if I had worked at a larger firm (including the billing process).
What is an example of a significant client assignment where you learned something?
There were a lot of client interaction right from the get go. Also, given that the client base was more small businesses, I was able to get a full picture of the company more through the compilation of their financial statements.
Do you have any other comments?
Staffords is a good firm to start at to gain work experience. The clients are interesting and you will definitely see all aspects of the business of the firm.