Lisa is a leading legal advisor with extensive experience representing First Nations in protecting and asserting their rights through engagement with the government and, when necessary, in litigation. With a focus on Aboriginal rights and title, she has been legal counsel in many landmark cases and resulting significant developments advancing the rights of Indigenous peoples in British Columbia and beyond. In addition to Aboriginal rights and title litigation, Lisa has expertise in:
- Environmental and natural resources law
- First Nations consultation, negotiations and reconciliation agreements
- Regulatory and administrative law
- Constitutional law (Charter and jurisdiction)
- Social justice and human rights
- Indigenous self-governance initiatives
- Workplace investigations
- Implementation of the United Nations on the Declaration of Indigenous Peoples
- First Nations elections, including as a member of First Nations election appeal board and in review of elections
Recently, Lisa was legal counsel for one of two First Nations (Ehattesaht First Nation) who successfully challenged the mineral tenure regime in British Columbia on the basis that it did not uphold the duty to consult and was inconsistent with UNDRIP. On December 5, 2025, the BC Court of Appeal released their decision in the case affirming that UNDRIP applies to the laws of British Columbia, and, that First Nations may raise UNDRIP rights in consultation (Gitxaala First Nation v. British Columbia, 2025 BCCA 430). The decision sets a long-awaited and important precedent.
Lisa was one of a team of lawyers on the Blueberry River First Nations treaty rights litigation that proved that the cumulative effect of industrial development in their territory violated their s. 35 treaty rights (Yahey v. British Columbia, 2021 BCSC 1287). For decades, Blueberry had witnessed their territory taken up and harmed by LNG and forestry. The decision provides vital protections for their rights, as well as the land, wildlife and environment. It has led to a significant agreement between Blueberry and the provincial government that implements a new approach aimed at restoring balance between development and protection of their treaty rights.
Over her years of practice, Lisa has developed a particular knowledge of fisheries, including DFO management, conservation issues, and, most importantly, the significance of fisheries to many First Nations. Lisa was counsel for environmental organizations at the Cohen Commission of Inquiry into the Decline of Sockeye Salmon, and, has represented First Nations in numerous court actions and negotiations regarding fisheries (including the leading commercial Aboriginal fishing rights case of Ahousaht Indian Band et al. v. Canada, in which five First Nations received declarations of commercial fishing rights, and, in related litigation, a court injunction enjoining the Minister of Fisheries from opening a herring fishery in 2014 contrary to their Aboriginal rights and conservation concerns), and, a successful challenge to federal food, social and ceremonial allocation policy in Squamish Nation v. Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, 2019 FCA 216).
Other representative cases are listed under “Notable Experience”.
Lisa frequently appears at all levels of court in British Columbia, as well as the Specific Claims Tribunal, the Federal Court, Federal Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court of Canada.
Lisa has worked with numerous community organizations, including West Coast LEAF, Pivot, Deswuav and Amici Curiae. She is a past-chair and is currently on the executive of the CBABC Constitutional Section.
Before joining Ratcliff in 2004, Lisa spent three years in Chiapas, Mexico working for a human rights organization assisting indigenous communities with land claims, indigenous rights and international law.