Karen Drake

Karen Drake, H.B.A., M.A., J.D.

Year of Call: 2008
Areas of Practice: Aboriginal Legal Issues, Labour and Employment, Human Rights
Virtual Business Card
Email: kdrake@erickson-law.com
Law Clerk: Carolyn Slater

Karen practises civil litigation with a focus on Aboriginal legal issues, labour and employment, and human rights. She has a record of success before various courts and tribunals, including the Ontario Labour Relations Board, the Superior Court of Justice, and the Divisional Court.

As a proud citizen of the Métis Nation of Ontario, Karen organized various initiatives during law school, serving not only as an active member of the University of Toronto’s Aboriginal Law Students’ Association, but also as Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Indigenous Law Journal. After graduation, Karen articled at Cassels Brock and Blackwell LLP, and subsequently completed a clerkship at the Ontario Court of Appeal.

Karen has written numerous articles for legal publications, including the Ontario Bar Association’s Aboriginal Law Section Newsletter and the Australian Indigenous Law Review. She has also been quoted in the Globe and Mail on the constitutional rights of Aboriginal peoples in Canada. Most recently, her article advocating on behalf of Lakehead University’s new law school appeared in Law Times.

Along with writing, Karen also enjoys giving presentations on legal issues. She co-taught “Indigenous Peoples and International Human Rights” at Confederation College during the winter term of 2011. In October 2010, she gave a talk on “New and Emerging Trends in Employment Law” to the Thunder Bay Business Women’s Network, and she participated in a panel discussion on evidence issues in civil litigation at the Thunder Bay Law Association’s 2010 fall continuing legal education program.

Memberships:
Law Society of Upper Canada
Thunder Bay Law Association

Community Involvement:
Thunder Bay Métis Community Council
Chancellor’s Task Force for Lakehead University’s Faculty of Law
Lakehead University’s Gichi Kendaasiwin Centre Steering Committee
City of Thunder Bay’s Anti-Racism Committee
Lakehead University’s Research Ethics Board
Thunder Bay Law Association’s New Courthouse Committee