Stephen Wallington joined DGW Law in the fall of 2022, after fulfilling his articles and practicing at Dinning Hunter Jackson Law in Victoria, BC. He was called to the bar in 2022 and largely practiced as a litigator addressing disputes for corporate and individual clients.
Stephen was born in Terrace situated within the unceded territory the Tsimshian. He was raised initially in the northern part of the province and moved throughout his youth, graduating high school in Hay River, NWT within Treaty 11 territory. He spent fourteen years in Saskatoon within Treaty 6 territory before moving for law school in August 2019.
Stephen worked for a decade in Saskatoon’s inner city before going to the University of Saskatchewan for his undergrad studies. He noticed the exodus of many young Indigenous people from their families and communities for the economic opportunities that the city provided. Seeing the growing landscape of urban reserves and watching his family working at an economically developed First Nation close to the city encouraged him to want to help other communities develop their own economic opportunities based on their values.
Stephen chose to study law at the University of Victoria because of their great reputation for their Aboriginal Law program and their passion to integrate Indigenous Law into Canada’s legal system. He focused his major paper’s research on the need to draft First Nation community trusts to be tailored to the specific needs of communities, with the hope of working in that area. The desire to see increasingly strong economies in First Nations that mirror their values, and families having opportunities close to home motivates him in his work at DGW.
Outside of work Stephen loves to fish and hunt when he can and plays hockey or helps with his kids’ hockey. Otherwise, you can find him writing music around a fire with family and friends.
Representative Experience:
Negotiation and Consultation
- Negotiation and implementation of government-to-government agreements and the implementation of those agreements
Economic Development
- Conducting due diligence and drafting share purchase agreements
- Drafting trusts and advising on the implementation of trusts and per capita distributions
- Drafting contracts and other governance documents for Indigenous governments
- Strategic advice to Indigenous clients on leveraging Treaty rights to preserve the rights to their lands and practices, and to benefit from the development of those lands and future generations
Strategic Planning
- Implementing settlements agreements and advising on per capita distributions and various uses of trusts
- Implementing settlements agreements by conducting land transfers lands from the Province into the control of Indigenous clients
- Conducting the transfer of lands from fee simple to reserve lands through the federal addition to reserve application process
Litigation
- Advising on and conducting various litigation matters before administrative tribunals, the Provincial Court and the BC Supreme Court, including contractual, lien, and property right disputes, as well as tort and insurance claims;
Professional and Community Activities
- Member of the Victoria Bar Association
- Member of the Law Society of British Columbia
- Member of the Canadian Bar Association