Vancouver boutique Miller Titerle was founded in 2009 by alumni from the city’s office of McCarthy Tétrault. “They wanted to act for First Nations,” observes a aboriginal law-focused peer, “and you can imagine at a firm like McCarthy’s, who has a lot of government clients and a lot of business clients, that would cause immediate conflict.” The firm has a dual-pillar structure, with a business law group as well as a First Nations group, which incorporated general commercial litigation but with a lot of work on the Indigenous law side. The firm is also uniquely structure in that all of its lawyers are shareholders. “It’s not dependent on you grinding it out for a certain number of years,” states a peer. “It was the original founders’ idea that everyone would be an independent owner.” Clients are equally appreciative of the firm’s structure and dedication to service, addressing the team as “great lawyers, [who are] experienced and reliable. They bring good judgment and responsiveness. They provide relationship building, timely response, [and are] always able to go above and beyond and deliver results for the client based on their needs.”
As of January 2025, Miller Titerle also established an office in BC's capital city of Victoria, as well as Toronto, both for the purposes of servicing local clients in each city efficiently and personally. The firm's growth mode is not just geographic. Erin Reimer, who moved to Victoria in 2022 and is largely responsible for building out that office, was welcomed to the partnership this past year. “Erin has supported the Tahltan Nation on various projects over the course the past multiple years,” testifies this specific client. “She is specifically assisting in working with the negotiations team on a recent precedent setting IBA in Canada for the Eskay creek project. In addition, Erin has work extensively on a modernized land-use plan project in BC advancing mineral sector regulatory condition, objective and standards development, working to advance legislative and regulatory tools setting new industry standards.”
Myles Brown, a relatively recent addition, having joined in 2021, attends to commercial litigation, working closely with the firm’s business law group, and is particularly fostering a new growth area for the firm at the intersection of indigenous law and the corporate commercial space. A client addresses Brown as “excellent, a good communicator and good at strategy,” adding, “Myles has been our main point of contact regarding our product quality legal case in the US. He is a strong communicator and has been able to understand our business quickly which has been key in developing our stance.”
Joelle Walker has also made a name for herself, largely in the aboriginal law community. “She is our co-counsel in a child-welfare class-action case,” testifies a peer. "The firm got a number of class actions through a national consortium and are trying to move these cases forward, getting them pushed toward their certification. Joelle is also external counsel for the RCMP’s systemic investigation into a unit that was responding to major protests in BC." Walker is part of the national team representing Indigenous youth and family members (including First Nations, Metis, and Inuit persons) in a series of related class actions across Canada against the federal government and various provincial governments. The claims relate to the discriminatory treatment of Indigenous children and families in the provision of child and family services and essential services off reserve.
