Natalia is a talented legal advisor with a focus on Aboriginal law and litigation. She has experience on a wide range of files, including assisting First Nations with significant Aboriginal rights and title claims.

In addition, Natalia works with clients in the areas of:

• Child welfare
• Drafting and implementation of legislation
• Treaty implementation
• Specific claims
• Justice system implementation

Natalia has appeared before the courts in British Columbia, the Federal Courts, and administrative tribunals such as the National Energy Board.

Natalia joined the firm as an articling student in 2017. In her spare time, Natalia can usually be found running, playing music, and hanging out with her cat.

Notable Experience

• Counsel for the applicant grandparents seeking contact with a child in a case that established a child’s right to have access to their Indigenous culture from the earliest stages of life. This Provincial Court decision emphasized that exposure to the child’s Indigenous culture, language, history, traditions, and access to land is in a child’s best interest. [L.P. and D.P. v. C.C., 2022 BCPC 34]
• Assisted on the first case in Canada to establish that Aboriginal fishing rights are a sufficient proprietary interest to ground a tort action in private nuisance. [Saik’uz and Stellat’en First Nations v. Rio Tinto Alcan et al., 2021 BCSC]
• Teslin Tlingit Council v. Canada (AG), 2019 YKSC 3 – establishing that Canada has an obligation to negotiate a financial transfer agreement in accordance with Teslin Tlingit Council’s Final Agreement and Self-Government Agreement, particularly in relation to Teslin Tlingit Council Citizenship;

News, Publications & Presentations

• Co-Presenter, “Constitutional Law Issues in Saik’uz First Nation and Rio Tinto,” Canadian Bar Association BC, December 2022
• News – Teslin Tlingit Council v. Canada

In The Community

• Articling Clinician Mentor, Access Pro Bono Everyone Legal Clinic