Atty. Sara Mainville
Sara Mainville has been a member of the Ontario bar (2005) and she is a member of the BC bar (2022) with specific matter approvals to practice in Nunavut and Quebec. Sara has a Management/Public Administration degree (Lethbridge) and a Bachelor of Laws from Queen’s University.
Profile Summary
About Sara Mainville at a glance
Sara Mainville is an attorney based in Toronto, Ontario, practicing at JFK Law LLP. They have 21+ years of legal experience, licensed to practice since 2005. Admitted to practice in Ontario, Law Society of Ontario (2005) and British Columbia, Law Society of British Columbia (2022). Educated at University of Toronto (LLM, 2007) and Queen’s University (—, 2004). Recognitions include Best Lawyers in America — Aboriginal Law / Indigenous Practice (2026), Best Lawyers in America — Additional Areas of Practice: (2026), and Best Lawyers in America — Cannabis Law (2026). Serands clients in Toronto, ON and the surrounding metropolitan area.
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About
- Sara Mainville has been a member of the Ontario bar (2005) and she is a member of the BC bar (2022) with specific matter approvals to practice in Nunavut and Quebec
- Sara has a Management/Public Administration degree (Lethbridge) and a Bachelor of Laws from Queen’s University
- She has a LLM from the University of Toronto and an Advanced Negotiations certificate from Harvard University, and a Certificate in Entertainment Law (Osgoode PD)
- During her early practice years with a well-known Anishinaabe law firm, Sara completed her LL.M (University of Toronto) and a thesis titled: Manidoo Mazina’igan: An Anishinaabe perspective Treaty 3, which was one of the earliest examples of Indigenous (“Miinigoziwin”) constitutional research by a legal practitioner
- Sara continues to work with First Nations and Inuit clients and is one of the few practicing lawyers that works as much within Indigenous legal orders as within the Canadian constitutional order (“Aboriginal law”)
- In 2014, Sara was elected as Chief of Couchiching First Nation after the sudden death of her friend and mentor, Chief Chuck McPherson
- During that term she ensured that the First Nation has strong policy going forward, a good social media presence to engage the many off-reserve members in community affairs and she started the Wasaw group of companies
- Sara uses this experience as a former Chief to help leadership work past difficult issues, within Indigenous forms of dispute resolution, and walk the community through processes to encourage discourse and grassroots solutions to long-held problems
- Sara is a strong believer that self-determination requires the Indigenization of our policies, approaches, and legal frameworks
- Sara Mainville is very proud of her participation in the negotiations that led to the creation of the First Nation Sovereign Wealth LP (FNSWLP), a partnership of 129 First Nations in Ontario
- Directed by a Chiefs’ Committee on Energy, Sara was active in the negotiations that resulted in the commercial transaction between the Province of Ontario and the FNSWLP of 14 million Hydro One shares and $29 million in seed capital to facilitate long-term wealth creation for the partnering First Nations
- The lengthy discussions to transaction closing were completed between October, 2015 to the final days of December 2017
- Sara has completed Advanced Negotiations training at Harvard University and dispute resolution, legislative drafting, and mediation training at professional institutes in order to advance her clients’ long held goals for self-determination and truer treaty partnerships in Canada
- Recently, Sara has received a certificate in Entertainment Law, and she has helped clients with Indigenous intellectual property, copyright, and title issues to accommodate better approaches to recognize collective Indigenous knowledge system, community protocol, and cultural ways and values
- She is very committed to mentor JFK Lawyers and facilitate legal practices that are better suited to serve the self-determination and ambitions of our clients
- Sara is generally seen as a subject-matter expert about Crown-Indigenous relations, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Treaty 3, and Anishinaabe Inakonigewin
- However, Sara sees herself as a life-long learner willing to meet in community, read voraciously, and listen intently to better understand Indigenous knowledge systems across Canada
Jurisdictional Context
Why local counsel matters in Ontario
Practicing law in Ontario. Legal matters in Ontario are governed by state-specific rules of civil and criminal procedure, statutes of limitations, and substantive law. Cases originating in Toronto are typically filed in the local municipal court or the appropriate Ontario state district court, depending on subject matter and amount in controversy. An attorney licensed in Ontario brings working knowledge of local procedural deadlines, judicial practices in this andnue, and the substantive law that applies to cases brought here. Out-of-state attorneys generally cannot represent clients in Ontario courts without local counsel or pro hac vice admission.
Looking for additional Ontario attorneys? Browse all attorneys in Toronto or all attorneys in Ontario.
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