Navigating Legal Frontiers

Victoria | British Columbia | Canada

We acknowledge with respect the Lekwungen peoples on whose traditional territory we live and work, and the Songhees, Esquimalt and WSÁNEĆ peoples whose historical relationships with the land continue to this day.

About
Us

We are a B.C.-based boutique firm. Our practice focuses on environmental, climate, resource governance, and public interest law.

Tollefson Law is committed to promoting access to justice and empowering our clients to pursue and achieve solutions that are meaningful, durable and sustainable.

A key pillar of our practice is providing invaluable, hands-on learning opportunities for aspiring junior lawyers and law students.

Who
We Serve

Our clients often face complex challenges and are looking for new and innovative solutions. Frequently, the status quo is neither a viable nor desirable option. We have been there before, and will work with you to find pathways forward that align with your mission and values.

  • Community and Conservation Groups
  • Indigenous Governments and Businesses
  • Resource and Environmental
    Co-management Bodies
  • Public Interest Advocates

Our
Team

Tollefson Law combines deep litigation and negotiation experience with fresh perspectives and best available science.

Our clients count on us to chart and navigate paths forward that align with their values and will lead to a just and fair result – whether through the regulatory process, in the courtroom or at the negotiating table.

Our team of seasoned lawyers work alongside highly-motivated students and leading scientific experts.

Values &
Principles

Justice & Equity
We are driven by a deep commitment to access to justice, to ensuring our clients’ rights and interests are recognized and respected, and to holding private and public decision-makers to account under the rule of law.

Creativity & Innovation
We embrace innovation and creativity, which often reveals new pathways to meaningful, durable, and sustainable client solutions.

Embedding Science
We work closely with internationally-recognized experts to ensure that our clients benefit from representation informed by the best available science.

Educational Commitment
Teaching and mentoring is a cornerstone of our practice, allowing us to develop top calibre legal talent while giving back to the community and the profession.

Community
We are proud to be entrusted with advocating for our clients and the communities they represent, and ensure that we are responsive, accountable, and transparent in all that we do.

Our
Vision

We will continue to chart new pathways and offer leadership and innovation in the courtroom, the boardroom, and beyond.

Providing meaningful and sustainable solutions securely tethered to the best available science and infused with the energy and enthusiasm of the brightest public interest lawyers of tomorrow.

Katrina Darychuk

Law Student

Katrina (she/her) is a J.D. candidate at the University of Victoria, Faculty of Law with interests in criminal law, disability justice, and environmental litigation. Most recently, Katrina worked in Whitehorse, YK with the Public Prosecution Service and will clerk with the Supreme Court of British Columbia in 2025.  

She holds a BA from University of Toronto in Critical Equity Studies and Ethics and a diploma in Theatre Arts from Langara College. Prior to law, Katrina worked as theatre director and creator across Canada. Her passions include gardening, thrifting, and walking her beloved dog Joe.

Patrick McDermott

Law Student

  • Santa Cruz Superior Court
  • California Attorney General’s Office, Land Use and Conservation Section

Patrick is a J.D. candidate at the University of Victoria, Faculty of Law. He is passionate about public interest environmental law as well as criminal justice reform. Patrick has a B.A. from University of California, Davis, and has legal experience in both Canada and the United States. Upon graduation, he will be clerking at the BC Supreme Court in Vancouver. In his spare time, he can be found backpacking, woodworking, baking, or running with his dog.

Lydia Young

Articled Student

  • 2022 Student mentor in the Pacific Centre for Environmental Law and Litigation | educational program
  • Associate Fellow, Centre for International Sustainable Development Law
 
Lydia received her J.D. from the University of Victoria in 2023 with a concentration in environmental law and sustainability and will be called to the British Columbia Bar in 2024. Lydia is pursuing an 2024-25 LL.M. in Global Environment and Climate Change Law at the University of Edinburgh.
 
As an articling student at Tollefson Law, Lydia has gained experience working on environmental, constitutional and natural resource litigation and has sat at counsel table before the BC Supreme Court and BC Court of Appeal. Lydia is pursuing a career that focuses on biodiversity conservation, natural resource law, green economies and sustainable development.

Anthony Ho

Associate

  • Program Coordinator at the Pacific Centre for Environmental Law and Litigation 
 
Anthony received his J.D. from the University of Victoria in 2014, and was called to the British Columbia bar in May 2015. His areas of practice in public interest environmental law have included environmental assessments, regulatory hearings, judicial reviews, and trials. 
 
He has appeared before the Federal Court and Federal Court of Appeal, the BC Supreme Court, and various tribunals including the National Energy Board and BC Environmental Appeal Board. 
 
In his capacity as Program Coordinator at the Pacific Centre for Environmental Law and Litigation (CELL), he helps deliver CELL’s educational program, which trains law students in litigation practice skills through exposure to real-life pieces of public interest environmental litigation.
 
He also holds a Master of Public Administration (UVic ’14), a B.Sc. in environmental sciences (UBC ’10), and a B.A. in political science (UBC ’10). He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Law and Society at UVic.

Chris Tollefson

Principal

  • Professor of Law, Faculty of Law, University of Victoria
  • Founding Executive Director of CELL – Pacific Centre for Environmental Law and Litigation
  • Past President of Ecojustice
 
Chris is the founding principal of Tollefson Law and a Professor of Law at the University of Victoria. He has degrees from Queen’s, University of Victoria and Osgoode Hall Law School, and clerked at the BC Court of Appeal.
 
Chris has appeared at all levels of trial and appeal court, and before various environmental regulatory boards and tribunals. He was counsel to BC Nature and Nature Canada during the Northern Gateway and Trans Mountain pipeline hearing processes.


 
He has published on a diverse range of environmental and natural resource topics including forestry, contaminated sites, environmental governance and assessment, eco-certification, and access to justice. The fourth edition of his national environmental textbook (co-authored with Prof. Meinhard Doelle) was published by Thomson Reuters in 2023.
 
He loves the outdoors, late night pool games, early morning reno projects, and dog sitting.