Jaclyn McNamara

Partner

416-598-1214
jmcnamara@oktlaw.com

  • Contents

    • Jaclyn McNamara is a Partner at OKT. Her practice focuses on the protection of Aboriginal rights and title and Treaty rights through litigation and negotiation. Jaclyn has appeared in different levels of court across the country, including various appellate courts, representing Indigenous clients fighting for their rights. Jaclyn also has experience preparing claims for First Nations to go before the Specific Claims Commission.

    Prior to joining OKT, Jaclyn was legal counsel to The Honourable Justice Michael Tulloch, Justice of the Court of Appeal for Ontario, on his independent review of police street checks, also known as carding.

    Jaclyn clerked for the Justices of the Court of Appeal for Ontario where she assisted on leading cases across a broad spectrum of subject matters. Jaclyn also practiced at a boutique civil litigation firm in Toronto.

    Jaclyn earned her J.D. from the University of Ottawa. Jaclyn also holds a Bachelor of Arts and Science from McMaster University.

    Jaclyn is a member of the bar in Ontario.


    2025 LEXPERT-ranked Lawyer

    Representative Work

    • Counsel for the Saugeen Ojibway Nation in its Aboriginal title claim to water and claim about the Crown’s fiduciary breach and failure to protect their land (2021 ONSC 4181), currently before the Ontario Court of Appeal.
    • Represented Saugeen Ojibway Nation in an intervention before the British Columbia Court of Appeal on the issue of Aboriginal title to water territory.
    • Class Counsel on class action litigation on drinking water advisories on First Nations reserves, which reached a settlement in 2021.
    • Represented the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation before the Court of Appeal of Alberta in defence of their right to be consulted about energy projects that affect their harvesting rights.

    Publications and Media

    • Justice Harry LaForme and Jaclyn McNamara, “Section 25 of the Charter; Section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982: Aboriginal and Treaty Rights – 42 Years of Recognition and Affirmation,” chapter in Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, 6th Edition / Charte canadienne des droits et libertés, 6e edition (Lexis Nexis Canada, 2025)

    Recent Articles