Aboriginal Law on the Aboriginal Side

Donovan & Company is a law firm in Vancouver, British Columbia that practices exclusively in the area of aboriginal law. Our work consists primarily of aboriginal law litigation, including aboriginal rights litigation, aboriginal title litigation, residential schools litigation, preparation and negotiation of Specific Claims, assistance in the Treaty negotiations process, aboriginal business ventures, natural resource ventures, tax matters, Indian Act matters, and assisting First Nations in their other negotiations with government and industry.

The lawyers and staff at Donovan & Company are committed to excellence in the service we provide to our clients. We aim to provide the highest quality of advice and legal work possible in the most cost effective and timely manner. We have a large network of archival researchers and experts in many disciplines across Canada. This allows us to maximize effective research while keeping costs down.

All the lawyers and staff at Donovan & Company look forward to hearing from you and hope that we can work with you to best advance the interests and rights of your First Nations.

Macdonald J. in Pasco et al. v. Canadian National Railway Company (1985), 69 B.C.L.R. 76 at 79 (S.C.):

WE CANNOT RECOUNT WITH MUCH PRIDE THE TREATMENT ACCORDED TO THE NATIVE PEOPLE OF THIS COUNTRY. FORTUNATELY, IN RECENT YEARS, STEPS HAVE BEEN TAKEN TO AVOID FURTHER EROSION OF THEIR RIGHTS.

Lamer C.J. in Delgamuukw v. British Columbia, [1998] 1 C.N.L.R. 14 at 86 (S.C.C.):

ULTIMATELY, IT IS THROUGH NEGOTIATED SETTLEMENT, WITH GOOD FAITH AND GIVE AND TAKE ON ALL SIDES, REINFORCED BY JUDGMENTS OF THIS COURT, THAT WE WILL ACHIEVE ... A BASIC PURPOSE OF S.35(1) [OF THE CONSTITUTION] - "THE RECONCILIATION OF THE PRE-EXISTENCE OF ABORIGINAL SOCIETIES WITH THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE CROWN". LET US FACE IT, WE ARE ALL HERE TO STAY.

Disclaimer

This website, and the information contained in it, is not intended to provide or contain legal advice. The website is only intended to supply information of a general nature. We attempt to provide and maintain current and accurate information on this website. However, we do not guarantee its currency or accuracy. You should not, in any circumstances, rely on any of the legal information obtained from or through our website without first consulting us or your own legal counsel.

If you would like to discuss a specific legal matter, please contact one of our lawyers, who can be of assistance to you.

Thank you.