Cynthia A. Westaway

First Year of Call
1994

Areas of Practice
Aboriginal Law, Civil Litigation, Constitutional Law, Human Rights

Description
Cynthia Westaway is the Director of Westaway Law Group. Westaway Law Group focuses on providing a wide range of services to First Nations, Inuit and Métis, as well as partners working with Indigenous interests in Canada. Cynthia is designated a Certified Specialist in Aboriginal Law by the Law Society of Ontario. Cynthia has also been recognized as a leading lawyer in the area of Aboriginal Law every year since 2015 in the Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory. She has been called to the bar in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Nunavut, as well as in Quebec.Her current practice is focused on representation of First Nation, Métis and Inuit clients in consultation, rights, Title and Treaty, governance and business development matters. Prior to opening Westaway Law Group, Cynthia was a leading member of the Aboriginal Law groups of two prominent national Canadian law firms. She has significant experience as Legal Counsel with various Canadian government ministries including as Director General of Legal Services at Global Affairs Canada and Senior Counsel at the Department of Justice. Cynthia was a member of the litigation teams tasked with preparation of the Supreme Court of Canada decisions in the Mikisew Cree, Haida and Taku River cases, as well as the Bernard, Marshall and Tsilhqot’in matters. She was a law clerk at the Federal Court of Canada for Justice Yvon Pinard and at the Supreme Court of Canada for Justice L’Heureux-Dubé.Cynthia holds an LLM in Comparative Aboriginal law from University of Ottawa with coursework at American University, Washington D.C.; LLB from University of Western Ontario; and Diplôme français-juridique from Laval University.