Laura E. Duke graduated with the LLB class of 2008 from the law school at UBC. During law school she was the recipient of the Blake, Cassels and Graydon LLP Prize in Constitutional Law. Upon being called to the British Columbia Bar in 2009, she began working at the Vancouver office of Lawson Lundell LLP (“Lawson Lundell”) where she is now a Partner. Prior to attending law school she received a Bachelor of Arts from UBC in 1999 and a Masters of Arts from the University of Toronto in 2000. She also clerked at the British Columbia Court of Appeal prior to being called to the British Columbia Bar. In 2019, Duke was admitted to the Nunavut Bar.
Duke’s legal practice covers a wide range of legal areas including environmental, Indigenous, administrative, and constitutional law as well as civil litigation. Her work regularly includes environmental assessments, regulatory appeals, project development, and Indigenous consultation. Duke has appeared before the Supreme Court of British Columbia, the British Columbia Court of Appeal, the Federal Court of Canada, and a variety of administrative and regulatory bodies. Through her legal work, Duke navigates a diverse selection of industries and sectors including mining, energy, real estate, forestry, and infrastructure. Her written work has appeared both in the Canadian Mining Journal as well as on Lawson Lundell’s firm blog.
An active member of her local community, Duke served as the Director and Chair of the Kitsilano Area Child Care Society from 2016 to 2018. Since 2017, she has sat as a Member of the Planning and Development Committee of the Arbutus Club. Alongside colleague Mark Fancourt-Smith, Duke provided valuable support and guidance to the 2013 Wilson Moot team from UBC.