Esquega Law Office

About Esquega Law Office

Esquega Law Office is a solo Indigenous law practice on Fort William First Nation, just outside Thunder Bay. It's led by Etienne Esquega, a member of Biinjitiwaabik Zaaging Anishinaabek (Rocky Bay First Nation) who graduated from Port Arthur Collegiate Institute. Esquega went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Windsor and a law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School, then was called to the Bar of Ontario in 2005. Since then the practice has focused on Indigenous law, corporate and commercial law, and civil litigation, with governance and consultation work for First Nations governments, organizations, and businesses forming a significant part of the caseload.

Alongside the practice, Esquega has taken on a long list of public legal roles: an elected Bencher of the Law Society of Ontario and Co-Chair of its Indigenous Advisory Group, an Adjudicator with the Law Society Tribunal since 2019, an Inquest Hearing Officer with Ontario's Chief Coroner's Office since 2020, a trustee of The Law Foundation of Ontario since September 2020, a member of Ontario's Civil Rules Committee since 2021, and a Director of the Canadian Bar Association since 2025. Esquega also holds trustee roles for First Nations settlement trusts, including those of Red Rock Indian Band since 2009 and Gull Bay First Nation since 2014.