Saba Ahmad

Contact Details

Saba Ahmad

Assistant: Natausha Furlong

She/Her

Saba joined Woodward & Co. in 2025 as a Senior Counsel. With over 21 years of experience as a civil litigator in Ontario and New York, Saba has acted on a variety of complex commercial, administrative, and public interest litigation matters. Since joining Woodward & Company, her practice has focused on advancing the rights of Indigenous people and nations, particularly in areas related to governance, self-determination, and restoring their jurisdiction over the lands they have been responsible for stewarding since time immemorial.

Saba earned her Hon. B.Sc. from the University of Toronto, where she focused on philosophy and biology. She then pursued an interdisciplinary Master’s degree from NYU, exploring the Islamic response to Darwinism, before obtaining her J.D. from NYU Law School in 2003. Admitted to practice in New York in 2004 and Ontario in 2009, Saba is a member of the Law Society of Ontario, the New York Bar, the Ontario Bar Association, New York State Bar Association, and Canadian Bar Association.

Deeply committed to protecting the natural environment, Saba has volunteered for environmental groups and causes since high school. Her dedication to environmental protection is reflected in her professional work and personal life. For many years, she has served as an executive member of various sections of the Ontario Bar Association, frequently publishing for JUST Magazine and newsletters for the Civil Litigation section, the Aboriginal section, and the Constitutional, Civil Liberties, and Human Rights section.

Outside of her professional commitments, Saba is a passionate commuter cyclist and enjoys exploring the city on her bicycle. She has advised and served on the boards of various charities and non-profit organizations. Her dedication to continuous learning and her commitment to making a meaningful impact through service and support make her an invaluable member of the Woodward & Co. team.

Membership & Professional Affiliations

  • Member, Law Society of Ontario (2009)
  • Member, New York Bar Association (2004)
  • Member, Canadian Bar Association
  • Member, Ontario Bar Assoication
  • Member, New York State Bar Association

Practice Areas

  • Aboriginal and Treaty Rights
  • Aboriginal Title
  • Additions to Reserve
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Consultation and Accommodation
  • Employment and Human Rights
  • Specific Claims
  • Trusts

Selected Presentations & Publications

  • The Civil Litigators are Not Okay: Advancing the Psychological Safety of Trial Lawyers, Civil Litigation Newsletter, February 2025
  • Neutral Diversity in Ontario: Report of the OBA Working Group on Neutral Diversity, March 29, 2022 (as a member of the working group).
  • The Year in Review: Critical Updates on Significant Charter Litigation, Supreme Court “Round-Up”, presented at the Ontario Bar Association’s annual Charter Conference, October 5, 2021.
  • Interview with Vavilov lawyer, Hadayt Nazami, Ontario Bar Association, Constitutional Civil Liberties and Human Rights Newsletter, February 18, 2021.
  • OBA Program Summary: “Critical Issues in Race and Policing”, Part 2, Ontario Bar Association, Constitutional Civil Liberties and Human Rights Newsletter, October 02, 2020.
  • Michael Bryant on Challenging the Province on Charter Grounds, JUST Magazine, November 29, 2018
  • Frank: A Departure from Figueroa, Ontario Bar Association, Constitutional Civil Liberties and Human Rights Newsletter, May 23, 2018.
  • Do Sex Offenders Have a Right to Facebook? JUST Magazine. Ontario Bar Association August 18, 2017.
  • The Torture Cases: A Lawyer’s Experience. JUST Magazine. Ontario Bar Association, June 20, 2017.
  • Good news: You won and got costs! Bad news: That insurance money you got reduces your recovery, Post on Opinions and Current Issues Blog, sabaahmad.com, March 23, 2016.
  • Program Highlights: Aboriginal Property Issues for Real Estate Lawyers, Ontario Bar Association, Aboriginal Law Section Newsletter, July 2014 (co-author: Catherine Duncan).
  • We Need Government-to-Government Relations to Address Ontario-First Nations Dysfunction: Juries Inquiry Report, Ontario Bar Association, Aboriginal Law Section Newsletter, May, 2013.
  • Institute 2013 Highlights: Justice Harry LaForme Discusses Idle No More at the OBA, Aboriginal Law Program, Aboriginal Law Section Newsletter, Volume 16, No.2 (May 2013).
  • Civil Reforms: A Means to Promoting Civility in Litigation, Law Times (Thomson Reuters), April 16, 2012.
  • D & O Indemnity Arrangements: Why Your Clients Might Prefer Defending Against the OSC Instead of the SEC, CORPORATE LITIGATION JOURNAL (Federated Press), Fall 2009.
  • ABA Panel Debates Reporter’s Privilege, FIRST AMENDMENT & MEDIA LITIGATION (Section of Litigation/American Bar Association, Chicago, IL), Volume 11, Number 1, Fall 2005, at 10.
  • Program, We’ve Got a Leak: Are There Solutions Beyond the “Finger in the Dam”? ABA Section of Litigation Annual Conference, April 20-23, 2005 (co-author: Landis​ Best).