By Sonal Gupta, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer Legal fee agreements between a First Nation and its former law firm were unfair and, in some cases, unenforceable, a Saskatchewan judge concluded. Some legal experts say the issue is more common and causes more harm among First Nations than with the general population. The decision, released Tuesday, settles a 2021 dispute over millions of dollars in legal fees and penalties tied to historic claims against the federal government. “This was obviously a big win for Beardy’s and Okemasis Cree Nation, but this is also a big win for First Nations generally,” said Edwin Ananas, chief of the nation, in a recent press release. In 1999, Calgary-based Maurice Law, which describes itself as “the first and largest Indigenous-owned national law…
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