Leah Mack (she/her)

Partner

Leah has almost exclusively worked for Indigenous clients since being called to the bar in 2007. She is committed to listening and learning from each person and Nation and to serving her clients in a practical and supportive manner.  She strongly believes in working closely with each community, which means she is often travelling to meet with clients in their home communities. This enables her to practice law in a way that reflects and honours a Nation’s unique customs, laws, and traditions. As your lawyer, she will be honest, approachable and practical in her practice. Leah is open to learning from you, your Nation and its members.

She has advised clients on jurisdiction, membership, elections, human resources, and on governance structures and policies that meet clients’ goals of self-determination and Nation building that reflect each Nation’s unique culture and laws. To provide these services, she has worked extensively with legislation affecting Indigenous peoples including the Indian Act, the Canada Labour Code and Federal First Nations Land Management Act.

Born and raised in Victoria, B.C., Leah is a Member of the Toquaht Nation, located on the west coast of Vancouver Island. She received her LLB from Osgoode Hall in 2006 and was called to the B.C. Bar in 2007. She has lived in the Yukon, Nova Scotia and Ontario and currently resides in Victoria with her husband and their two sons.

Leah’s services are provided though a Professional Corporation.

Professional Associations and Memberships
Member at Large of the Aboriginal Law-Vancouver Island Section
Member, Law Society of British Columbia (2007)
Member, Law Society of Manitoba
Member, Canadian Bar Association
Practising law in Saskatchewan and Ontario on a temporary basis

Community Involvement
Director, Royal BC Museum
Governor, Law Foundation of BC

Papers and Publications
“Employment Law in the First Nations Context: Another Look at First Nations Governments as Employer”, J. Berry Hykin and Leah L.J. Mack, April 2012

Meagan Berlin (they/them)

Lawyer

Meagan has worked for First Nations governments, organizations, and for Indigenous clients since being called to the bar in 2017. Meagan has worked on litigation files, specifically in support of fishing rights and in opposition to permitting of hydroelectric projects via judicial review and injunction applications. They have worked alongside Indigenous witnesses giving evidence in court proceedings or providing evidence by affidavit, including evidence related to land use, exercise of rights, and oral history.

Meagan is interested in intellectual property law relating to visual arts and cultural works, and assisting Nations, Indigenous artists, or arts organizations with the legal needs surrounding their work. They have practical background as a working artist and have provided services to the Department of Legal Affairs of the UN Relief and Works Agency in Jerusalem, primarily contributing to a large-scale project relating to protection of cultural property and adherence to international and domestic copyright requirements for contemporary photographic works.

Meagan has also supported and enjoyed work relating to the creation and upkeep of First Nations Trusts and welcomes more work in this area, including general trustee education.

Meagan’s education background includes a focus on international human rights law; Meagan seeks to apply this wider background in rights-forward legal work in a way that prioritizes the long-term protection of rights for Indigenous people and communities. Meagan is detail-oriented and seeks to work carefully to support the specific needs and desires of each community choosing to undertake legal approaches or strategies to forward their goals.

Meagan was raised in Treaty 6 territory; after receiving their JD from Queen’s University in 2016, they were called to the B.C. Bar in 2017.

Professional Associations and Memberships
Member, Law Society of British Columbia (2017)
Member, Canadian Bar Association
Practising law in Manitoba and Saskatchewan on a temporary basis

Laura Mars (she/her)

Lawyer

Laura was called to the bar in 2022 and has focused on serving Indigenous clients ever since. Laura is determined to empower Nations to incorporate their traditional laws and values into a self-governance system that best serves the specific needs of their unique communities. She frequently travels to communities to work in person with her clients on their traditional territories and believes that meaningful community engagement, including consultation with Elders and Knowledge Keepers, is what builds strong laws. 

Laura’s passion is assisting Indigenous governments in their journey to assert their rightful jurisdiction over child and family services. Laura is excited about the possibilities Indigenous governments have as a result of An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Metis children, youth and families, S.C. 2019, c. 24 (“Bill C-92”) and assists clients at all stages of Bill C-92 work. 

Laura also takes any opportunity to flex her litigation skills and maintains a small litigation practice in the areas of child protection, administrative law, employment law, and human rights. She has appeared at all levels of court in British Columbia, the Court of King’s Bench (Family Division) in Manitoba, and Federal Court.  

As a law student, Laura competed in the Kawaskimhon Aboriginal Law Moot (2021) and was a research assistant in the area of Indigenous jurisdiction over child and family services. She was also a student clinician at the Indigenous Community Legal Clinic in Vancouver’s Downtown East Side. Before joining Mack Law, she articled with a boutique litigation firm in Vancouver.  

Laura was born in former Yugoslavia and immigrated to Canada with her family as a child. She lives on the unceded territories of the Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations with her husband Angus. 

Professional Associations and Memberships
Member, Law Society of British Columbia (2022)
Member, Law Society of Manitoba
Member, Canadian Bar Association
Practising law in Saskatchewan on a temporary basis

Community Involvement
Canada Bar Association of BC Law School Mentorship Program

Janna Kucharsky (she/her)

Legal Assistant / Paralegal

Janna is a legal assistant / paralegal with over 10 years of experience in the legal field. Having previously worked in the field of immigration and business law in Vancouver and Victoria, she is thankful to have landed at Mack Law Corp, where she enjoys working with a very close-knit team on important issues in Indigenous law.

In addition to a BA in anthropology, Janna holds an LAA certificate from Capilano University, a paralegal certificate in litigation from VCC, and UBC Certificate in Immigration: Laws, Policies and Procedures. She prides herself on being a life-long learner and enjoys regaling others with random facts about nature.

Janna was born and raised in Hul’qumi’num Treaty Group territory. Outside of work, she raises chickens and geese, plays beekeeper on the weekends, and spends time with her partner and their daughter at their home, located on the unceded traditional territory of the Quw’utsun Mustimuhw.

Olivia Bridge (she/her)

Legal Assistant / Paralegal

Olivia joins Mack Law Corporation with over five years of legal experience.  She brings a well-informed approach to her role at the firm providing paralegal support to partners and associates on matters ranging from initial phase to final conclusion.

Olivia began her career in 2017 as a legal assistant in family law at a leading Vancouver law firm.  Upon receiving her Paralegal Diploma in 2020, she began working in Aboriginal law with a focus on Indigenous business law and specific claims.

Olivia holds a Legal Administrative Assistant Certificate and a Paralegal Diploma from VCC.  During her student days, she successfully ran and was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Education Council at VCC, representing the student body.

Born and raised in the Lower Mainland, she currently resides in Vancouver with her husband.  Outside of the office, Olivia enjoys tennis, golf and planning her next vacation.

Professional Associations and Memberships
Registered Member of the BC Paralegal Association

Phaedra Kemp (she/her)

Firm Director

Phaedra joined Mack Law Corp in 2024 with 9 years of experience in finance and administration from a large Aboriginal law firm in Victoria. Her positivity and solution-based mindset contribute greatly to the workings of MLC, its staff, and its clients. As well as being a careful listener, Phaedra approaches every aspect of her work with rigorous attention to detail and is committed to making sure the operations of the firm run as smoothly as possible. In doing so, she’s always there to assist clients however needed and support the work of the firm with minimal direction and maximum efficiency.

Before beginning her career in administration, Phaedra was a professional folk musician. Her time as a touring and performing artist afforded her the chance to learn from the world in many unexpected ways, allowing her to adopt a mindset of curiosity, compassion, and perseverance – all of which show up in her work today.

Phaedra was born in Treaty 7 territory and was raised in the traditional and unceded territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin people and on the traditional and unceded lands of the Songhees, Esquimalt, and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples where she lives today. Outside of the office she loves hiking, board games, and indoor gardening.