Ian was born and raised in a settler family in amiskwaciy-wâskahikan (Edmonton, AB), on Treaty 6 territory. He now lives and works in Vancouver, on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.Ian is a law reform-oriented lawyer with a passion for helping redesign and decolonize legal and governance structures to be more aligned with the needs of both communities and nature. Ian was called to the bar in BC in 2017 and Alberta in 2019, and has since provided a wide range of governance- and advocacy-related legal services to Indigenous governments and organizations, local governments, non-profits, and businesses across Canada. While experienced at navigating a broad range of legal matters, Ian’s practice focuses on supporting self-governance, nation-building, and the revitalization and use of Indigenous legal orders. Ian also works with several environmental organizations on strategic law reform. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Ian contributed to numerous dimensions of the sustainability sector, including community organizing, community garden management, climate policymaking, and deliberative public engagement. Ian holds a Juris Doctor, a Master of Public Administration, and a Certificate in Public International Law from Queen’s University, and has worked in Kenya supporting and learning from Indigenous communities pushing for greater protection for and recognition of their environmental rights. He currently sits on the board of CityHive and is a member of the IUCN’s World Commission on Environmental Law.