Heather Mahony

Lawyer

Email: heather@woodwardandcompany.com

Assistant: Jamie Zyla | jamie@woodwardandcompany.com

Profile

Heather’s practice is devoted to assisting her First Nations clients to achieve justice and maximize opportunities. She is inspired to help First Nations realize their goals and to improve the lives of their members by protecting and promoting her clients’ vision for their communities, lands and resources. Heather was called to the BC Bar in January 2004; she has been with Woodward and Co. since 2002 when she joined the firm as a co-op student.

Heather’s areas of practice include environmental assessment, resource use consultation and accommodation, economic development, band governance, reserve land management, and aboriginal rights and title litigation. She considers being a member of the litigation team in the landmark Tsilhqot’in Nation v. BC case one of her career highlights.

Heather currently serves on several boards:

• Canadian Bar Association (BC) Aboriginal Law Section – Former Chair (2006-2007) and Executive Member (since 2004))
• Victoria Cool Aid Society (2005 – 2009), Officer and Director (term ends July 2009)
• Environmental Mining Education Foundation, Director (since 2008)

She grew up in Vancouver and is the proud mother of two boys.

Professional Standing:

Member, Law Society of B.C. (2004)

Awards:

Recipient of the High Commissioner for Australia’s Prize for Australian Constitutional Law (Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand, 2003).
Recipient of the J.G. Ruttan Memorial Entrance Scholarship (University of Victoria Faculty of Law, 1999).

Selected Cases, Publications, Papers & Presentations:

Tsilhqot'in Nation v. British Columbia, [2007] B.C.J. No. 2465, 2007 BCSC 1700 (leave to appeal granted, 2009 BCCA 83) (the Xeni Gwet’in aboriginal title and aboriginal rights case – Nemiah Valley)
Contributing editor, Native Law (Toronto: Carswell, 1989)
Developed and Authored course materials on Band Governance for a course offered by the Aboriginal Financial Officers Association, 2006. With Jeanie Lanine.
Implications of Tsilhqot’in Nation v. BC for Resource Use in British Columbia. Conference, Continuing Legal Education Society of BC Conference on Environmental Law – In the Public Interest, September 19, 2008
Tsilhqot’in Nation v. British Columbia: Cultural Security and the Promise of Site-Specific Rights, Continuing Legal Education Society Conference on Aboriginal Title, Vancouver, BC, January 18, 2008.
Basic Principles of Drafting Off-Reserve Agreements, Continuing Legal Education Society Conference on Aboriginal Law: Solicitors' Issues, Vancouver, BC, October 16, 2007.

Other Activities:

In her spare time, Heather enjoys exploring the west coast’s natural environment with her two boys.