Maya Ollek

Senior Associate

She/Her/Hers
  • mollek@jfklaw.ca
  • P 778-819-3853 (Main Line Extension 132)
  • 260 - 200 Granville Street Vancouver, BC V6C 1S4

Maya is a Senior Associate at JFK Law’s Vancouver office, practicing in the Nation Building Group and the Dispute Resolution Group. Working closely with clients, she helps them navigate complex negotiations and related processes to achieve their objectives, and acts for them in developing and negotiating specific claims. Maya also advises on consultation, accommodation, and regulatory processes to protect clients’ interests, and provides strategic advice to advance and strengthen their self-governance.

Maya brings sharp analytical depth to her work — an ability to read situations for risk, identify leverage points, and develop clear strategies alongside her clients to advance their interests. She spent several years at a leading Vancouver litigation boutique, developing a broad civil, public, and administrative law practice. She appeared before the British Columbia Supreme Court and Court of Appeal, administrative and disciplinary tribunals, and the Commission of Inquiry into Money Laundering in British Columbia. That foundation sharpens the risk-assessment and strategic skills she now brings to advisory and negotiation work. Maya clerked for the Hon. Justice Rosalie Abella at the Supreme Court of Canada and at the Supreme Court of British Columbia.

Maya’s experiences before law school inform her current practice, where understanding Crown decision-making is a strategic advantage. She attended United World College of the Atlantic and went on to serve as Canada’s lead policy advisor on human rights and governance in Afghanistan at Global Affairs Canada, coordinating a whole-of-government approach across multiple federal departments. Maya also summered in the Ontario public service, rounding out her perspective on how governments operate.

Maya takes pride in building close, trusted relationships with her clients and in listening carefully to understand their priorities, values, and long-term goals. She believes the best outcomes come from working shoulder-to-shoulder with communities and their leadership.

Outside her work, Maya can be found deeply engrossed in cooking adventures, out in the woods, on her bike, and volunteering in her community. Maya maintains an active pro bono practice. She was called to the bar in 2016 and is a member of the Law Society of British Columbia.

Practice Focus

  • Negotiations
  • Specific Claims
  • Consultation, Accommodation, and Regulatory Processes
  • Governance and Self-Governance
  • Supporting Complex Dispute Resolution

Education

  • Juris Doctor, University of Toronto Faculty of Law (2014)
  • Master of Arts (Political Science), McGill University (2008)
  • Bachelor of Arts (Political Science & International Development Studies), McGill University (2005)

 

Highlights

  • Representing clients in complex negotiations with the Crown and private parties

  • Advancing specific claims through research and drafting claims and negotiations with Canada

  • Supporting clients in consultation, accommodation, and regulatory processes

  • Advising clients on governance and self-governance, including recognition of inherent rights

  • Acted for the Xeni Gwet’in First Nation Government and Tsilhqot’in National Government in Woodward & Company Lawyers LLP v The Tsilhqot’in National Government, 2021 BCSC 16, successfully striking duplicative actions as an abuse of process

  • Broad prior litigation experience in courts, administrative tribunals, and public inquiry work

Publications

BC Court of Appeal Confirms Aboriginal Title to Entire Claim Area in The Nuchatlaht v. British Columbia, 2026 BCCA 137

On April 2, 2026, the province’s highest court released a landmark decision in The […]

Musqueam’s Rights Recognition Agreement: Separating Fact from Fiction

On February 20, 2026, Musqueam and Canada signed three agreements that set out how […]

Federal Budget 2025: Service Cuts, Capital Investments, and “Build, Baby, Build”

Introduction On November 4, 2025, the federal Finance Minister delivered Budget 2025: Canada Strong […]

Cowichan Tribes and Private Property: Separating Fact from Fiction

Since the BC Supreme Court released Cowichan Tribes v. Canada (Attorney General), 2025 BCSC […]

Courts Continue to Favour Negotiation Over Litigation to Resolve Major Aboriginal Rights Issues

The British Columbia Supreme Court recently released Cowichan Tribes v Canada (Attorney General), 2025 […]

In Landmark Cowichan Tribes Decision, BC Supreme Court Addresses Coexistence of Aboriginal Title and Private Property

On August 7, 2025, the Supreme Court of British Columbia released a significant decision […]

Cowichan Tribes: A Significant Development on Aboriginal Title and Submerged Lands

On August 7, 2025, the British Columbia Supreme Court released a significant decision on […]

Cowichan Tribes: Court Affirms Flexible Approach to Aboriginal Right to Fish

On August 7, 2025, the British Columbia Supreme Court delivered a significant ruling in […]

Cowichan Tribes: Insights on Establishing Aboriginal Title

The British Columbia Supreme Court recently released Cowichan Tribes v Canada (Attorney General), 2025 […]

Landmark Decision in Cowichan Tribes Case

Landmark Decision in Cowichan Tribes Case On August 7, 2025, the British Columbia Supreme […]

Release of Canada’s Budget 2024

On April 16, 2024, Canada released the 2024 federal budget. The theme of Budget […]