Kaelan Unrau

Associate

He/Him/His
  • kunrau@jfklaw.ca
  • P 604-687-0549 ext 203
  • 260 - 200 Granville Street Vancouver, BC V6C 1S4

Kaelan holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Toronto, where he graduated with honours in 2018.

Prior to joining JFK Law in 2021, Kaelan clerked for three justices of the Court of Appeal for British Columbia and Yukon. He then spent two years practicing at a Toronto Indigenous rights litigation boutique, where he routinely represented First Nations and Indigenous clients in several provinces and before all levels of court.

Kaelan was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta – within the traditional territories of the Niitsitapi (Blackfoot Confederacy), Tsuut’ina and Stoney Nakoda – but has variously called Victoria, Vancouver and Toronto his home. He is grateful to be back on the coast, living in beautiful Vancouver.

When he isn’t lawyering, Kaelan enjoys going on nature walks, reading plotless novels and improvising tunes on the piano.

Education and Professional Affiliations

Member of the Law Society of British Columbia, 2021

Member of the Law Society of Ontario, 2019

University of Toronto, Juris Doctor (Honours), 2018

University of Victoria, Bachelor of Arts, English and Philosophy (Honours), 2014

Highlights

Publications

Quebec Superior Court relies on UNDRIP to prescribe new section 35(1) test in R v White and Montour

On November 1, 2023 the Quebec Superior Court released its R v Montour decision (2023 QCSC 4145) in which

The Challenges with Indigenous Class Actions and Contingency Fees in the Era of Indigenous Self-Determination

Introduction In recent years, there have been an increasing number of class action lawsuits alleging systemic discrimination against Indigenous