Keith Brown
- he / him / his
Admitted to the British Columbia Bar: 2019
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Vancouver
- Bio
- Professional Involvement
- Representative Matters
- Selected Publications
- Insights
- Education
Keith is a trusted negotiator and litigator who helps clients navigate complex legal frameworks at the intersection of Aboriginal, environmental and natural resources law. As an Indigenous lawyer, he is passionate about working with Indigenous communities, governments and organizations to reach innovative solutions that protect their rights and advance their self-determination, environmental and economic development goals.
Keith is a member of the firm’s Indigenous Practice, Energy, Environmental Law, Infrastructure and Litigation Groups. He assists clients in advancing their rights, interests and jurisdiction in areas such as project environmental assessments, permitting and other regulatory processes. Keith has been recognized as “one to watch” (2025) by Best Lawyers in the area of Aboriginal law.
Keith regularly provides advice on Aboriginal and Treaty rights matters, including the duty to consult and accommodate, as well as on the development, advancement and implementation of negotiation and litigation strategies for recognition of Indigenous rights. Additionally, Keith advises on modern-day treaties, equity and impact-benefit agreements and government-to-government negotiations.
Keith is an experienced administrative law litigator. He has argued judicial reviews, interventions and appeals in trial and appellate courts across the country, including the Federal Court, Federal Court of Appeal and Supreme Court of Canada. Keith has also appeared before various regulatory bodies and tribunals.
Prior to joining Aird & Berlis, Keith practised at a large international law firm where he specialized in Aboriginal law. Before that, Keith clerked with the Court of Appeal for British Columbia in 2017-2018 and was a legal intern at an international transportation and logistics company, working on environmental assessment and Aboriginal law matters.
Keith is a member of the Heiltsuk Nation from Bella Bella, British Columbia.
Professional Involvement
Memberships
- Law Society of British Columbia
- Law Society of Yukon
- Indigenous Bar Association
Representative Matters
Regularly acts for Indigenous groups in environmental assessment and regulatory matters for major projects in B.C. and the Yukon, including: Casino Mine Project (YESAB), Trans Mountain Expansion Project (CER), Roberts Bank Terminal 2 (Impact Assessment Agency), various B.C. Environmental Assessment Office-run matters and other provincial/territorial natural resources regulatory matters.
Represented a First Nation in a judicial review regarding the implementation into the mandates of federal decision-makers of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Represented a self-governing First Nation intervener in a judicial review appeal regarding the interpretation of the First Nation’s own laws.
Represented the Vancouver Aboriginal Child and Family Services Society as an intervener before the Supreme Court of Canada on a complex division of powers appeal regarding the constitutionality of federal rights-recognition/implementation legislation for Indigenous child and family services.
Represented Métis Nation of Alberta and Métis Nation of Ontario as an intervener before the Supreme Court of Canada, in a case which clarified the rules for how courts should determine the appropriateness of multiple legal proceedings brought by the same Indigenous group related to Aboriginal rights and the duty to consult.
Represented the College of Naturopathic Physicians of British Columbia in defeating an “anti-vax” claim brought by one of its members.
Represented the Attorney General of the Yukon Territory as an intervener before the Supreme Court of Canada in a matter regarding the extent of decision-makers’ obligations to take into account the Charter when making decisions.
Selected Publications
Co-Author, "Overburdening Horizontal Stare Decisis: Unresolved Constitutional Issues Post-Sullivan" The Criminal Law Quarterly, Vol.73, No.1, 2025.
Author, "B.C.’s Proposed Tariff Response Risks Delaying, Not Streamlining, Natural Resource Project Approvals," Aird & Berlis LLP, March 17, 2025.
Co-Author, "‘Facilitating, Not Impeding, the Just Resolution of Aboriginal Claims’: The Doctrine of Abuse of Process in Aboriginal Rights Litigation," Aird & Berlis LLP, March 4, 2025.
Author, “‘Entering the Fray’ with SRLs and Represented Parties,” National Judicial Institute, 2018.
Co-Author, “Post-Horrocks Judicial Review Appeals: Deference on Questions of Evidence?” 36 Can. J. Admin. L. & Prac. 115, 2023.
Insights
Education
- JD, Allard School of Law, University of British Columbia, 2017
- BA, University of British Columbia, 2014