Karen brings over 25 years of experience practicing public interest law in BC – most of which has involved law reform, litigation and advocacy for strengthened legal tools. Most recently, Karen was the Executive Director of the British Columbia Law Institute, where she established the Reconciling Crown Legal Frameworks Program to support the alignment of BC’s Crown legal framework with Indigenous laws. Her work has consistently been designed to address access to justice issues, using both Indigenous and Crown laws. She has forged effective relationships with a broad range of stakeholders, developed creative approaches to legal challenges and contributed to both federal and provincial law reform initiatives. She has appeared before the BC Supreme Court, Federal Courts, the National Energy Board and the Cohen Commission of Inquiry into the Decline of Sockeye Salmon on the Fraser River. She holds a BA from Western University, a Bachelor of Laws degree from Dalhousie University and a Masters in Law, with Distinction, from the University of London.
