Eamon Murphy

Lawyer

Email: eamon@woodwardandcompany.com

Assistant: Jamie Zyla | jamie@woodwardandcompany.com

Profile

Eamon has been a partner at Woodward and Company since 2009. He has spent his career working with First Nations to assist in the recognition of their aboriginal rights, and to resolve their outstanding claims for loss of lands, rights, culture and livelihood.

Eamon Murphy advises and represents First Nations on a variety of matters, including the Crown’s duty of consultation and accommodation. His practice also includes aboriginal governance – both hereditary and Indian Act. Eamon advises his clients regarding economic development and corporate structures, employment matters, and reserve land issues, which include housing and development on reserve, and remediation of reserve lands.

Eamon graduated from the University of Victoria Faculty of Law in 1997, joined Woodward and Company in 1998, and was called to the British Columbia bar in 1999. Eamon lived on Salt Spring Island from 2005 through 2010, where he managed a busy rural law office, practicing in real estate law, wills and estates, and corporate law, while maintaining his practice in aboriginal law.

Eamon Murphy has a Bachelor of Arts degree with a minor in Music, and was a professional musician prior to becoming a lawyer.

Professional Standing:

• Member, Law Society of B.C. (1999)
• Past Member, Law Society of Manitoba (2000)
• Member, Aboriginal Law Subsection, Vancouver Island, CBABC
• Past Executive Member, Computer Law Section, CBABC

Selected Cases, Publications, Papers & Presentations:

• Brenner v. Brenner, 2010 BCCA 553 [precedent setting case on the applicability of section 3(4)(j) of the Limitation Act of British Columbia]
• Hannah v. Savage, 2010 BCSC 375
• R. v. Tommy, 2008 BCSC 1095 (aboriginal right to fish)
• R. v. Lindstrom, Watts, Wilson & Price 2005 BCSC 1565 (aboriginal right to fish)
• Pierce v. Métis Provincial Council of B.C. et al April 8, 2004, Action No. L040732, Vancouver Registry (unreported)

• “Employment Law in the First Nations Context: First Nations Governments as Employers,” Canadian Legal Education Society of British Columbia, Employment Law Conference, May 2010. Co-written with Berry Hykin and Leah Mack.
• “Employment Policies for First Nations Employers”, INFONEX Conference, Effective Human Resource Management in Aboriginal Communities, September 2005.
• Contributor and In-house Managing Editor, Native Law (Carswell) 1999-2005.

Other Activities:

Eamon writes, records, and plays music in his spare time, and enjoys a game of soccer whenever the opportunity arises.