She/Her
As a partner at Woodward and Company, Ava’s practice spans the fields of Aboriginal rights and title, the duty to consult and accommodate, the Crown’s fiduciary obligations to First Nations, treaty land entitlement, and other litigation, negotiation and advocacy work aimed at reconciliation.
Ava is one of the lead counsel in the longest trial in Canadian history: the Cowichan Nation’s pursuit of title to their historic village at Tl’uqtinus, and associated fishing rights. She has represented myriad First Nations communities, fiercely negotiating and pursuing justice on their behalf.
A member of the Law Societies of British Columbia and Ontario, Ava is backed by a Juris Doctor Degree from the University of British Columbia as well as two Bachelor of Science degrees, in wildlife ecology & rural sociology, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Ava has been recognized and awarded multiple times for her achievements, including the Marlee G. Kline Prize for best paper and the Superior Court Judges’ Scholarship for high academic standing.
Ava is gratefully from Ojibwe and Lakota territory in Minnesota.