James is a dedicated legal advisor in Rana Law’s Vancouver office, providing comprehensive legal services to First Nations, including advice on the duty to consult, Aboriginal and treaty rights, Specific Claims and treaty implementation initiatives. James supports First Nations in strengthening their governance and law-making capabilities, including the revitalization of customary Indigenous laws and navigating the interaction of these laws with the common law system.
A key area of his expertise lies in cumulative effects management, where he advises clients on navigating the complex interplay of industrial development and environmental impacts on traditional lands and resources. He also has extensive experience assisting First Nations with all matters pertaining to their reserve lands, including the federal Additions to Reserve (ATR) processes. James works collaboratively with his clients to enhance their jurisdiction over their territories through government-to-government agreements, consultation and consent protocols, and expanding their private land holdings and reserve land base.
James also negotiates and implements commercial agreements with industry proponents on behalf of his clients and assists them with economic development organizational structures.
James is deeply committed to advancing the principles of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and works diligently to learn about the culture and history of his clients, building longstanding relationships based on trust.
Prior to joining Rana Law, James articled with Ontario’s Ministry of the Attorney General and Ministry of Northern Development and Mines. In his final year of law school James interned with the Specific Claims Tribunal in Ottawa. Before law, James’s academic and professional work centered on studying Indigenous history. He completed a master’s degree in history analyzing the parallels between Canadian policies applied to Indigenous peoples and Apartheid in South Africa.
