Joelle Karras

About Joelle

Joelle Karras practices Aboriginal and treaty rights, Aboriginal title, and Indigenous legal orders and law, and has worked at Woodward & Company since 2019, notably on the Quw'utsun Nation's legal victory recognizing title at Tl'uqtinus village lands and an Aboriginal right to fish. She previously served as a student researcher with the Indigenous Law Research Unit, a legal advocate at the Wachiay Friendship Centre (2017), and a policy analyst with the Ministry of Agriculture (2015). She holds a sociology degree from the University of British Columbia and a law degree, with an environmental law and sustainability specialization, from the University of Victoria, and was called to the BC Bar in 2019. She grew up between Lasqueti Island (Coast Salish territory) and Lee Creek (Secwepemc territory), and received several academic awards including the Lawson Lundell LLP Prize for Business Associations (2017) and the JFK Law Corporation Prize for Indigenous Lands, Rights, and Governance (2016).

Education & credentials

Undergraduate

University of British Columbia, Sociology