Darren Friesen
Darren is Mandell Pinder’s in-house senior historian with an expertise in the interplay between ethnographical materials and the historical documentary record. He started with the firm in 2006 to assist the legal team on an Aboriginal Rights and Title case in managing a large and constantly-changing document collection. He brings that experience to other Rights and Title files and to the historical narratives he creates for the Specific Claims team.
Darren taps into the human experiences of past generations to make sense of the messiness of the meeting of different cultures and traditions. His work with archival materials and historical documents lets him bring past injustices to light with the hope of fostering a just society today.
Profile
Darren joined the firm in 2006.
M.A., History, University of Saskatchewan (2006)
B.A. (Honours), History, Trinity Western University (2002)
Locates documents in libraries and archives across Canada, the US, and the UK and has reviewed expert reports, environmental impact studies, archaeological assessments, ethnographical reports, and government policies past and present.
Supports litigation teams on Aboriginal rights and title cases with historical research, assistance with expert witnesses, and management of document production.
Assists in the preparation for the cross-examination of Crown witnesses.
Maintains the firm’s growing collection of historical materials that traces the development of the Province’s Indian Reserve policies as well as the experiences of First Nations across British Columbia.
Works with the specific claims team in developing new claims, collecting and reviewing historical documents for the legal team, and managing the digital document collections in preparation for filing.
“Historical Research and Aboriginal Law” co-presented with Michael Bissonnette for the Continuing Legal Education Society of B.C.’s Legal Research 2016 Conference, November 17, 2016.