Gabriella Jamieson
she/her
Originally from Cape Town, South Africa, I grew up on Vancouver’s North Shore. Prior to my legal career, I trained in dance and completed my Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance in New York City, at Fordham University and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. A few years later, I returned to school and attended the University of Victoria’s Faculty of Law, where I developed particular expertise in Aboriginal law, environmental law, and criminal law. I won prizes in Administrative Law and Business Law, received two awards for academic excellence and community involvement, and was the recipient of the McIntyre Gold Medal for the 2016 graduating class for academic excellence, community service, and student leadership.
Working two summers as a law student and articling with the Federal Government, I gained extensive experience in civil litigation, criminal law and administrative law – both in provincial and federal courts. I then clerked at the Supreme Court of British Columbia, where I assisted judges working on all kinds of applications and trials before the court. It was an opportunity to see firsthand what makes an advocate effective.
In 2020, I started a Masters in Law at McGill University’s Faculty of Law, funded through the Law Society of B.C.’s Graduate Student Scholarship, McGill University, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Council. My research reflects on my own experience as a non-Indigenous law student and lawyer learning Indigenous law, and how law faculties in Canada might change the way they teach constitutional law.
To my practice I bring an academic, research-intensive perspective, as well as sensitivity to social realities and the need for affordable solutions. Always ready to listen with openness and jump on my feet to find a creative solution to legal problems, I ground my legal practice in a commitment to building respectful client relationships and learning from other people’s stories. My experience and knowledge is varied and I am always up for the challenge of learning something new.
When I am not working I can be found exploring the Island in my camper van, discovering new mountain biking trails, and growing relationships with the beautiful Coast Salish territory.
