Sara-Marie Scott
Lawyer
Sara has developed broad litigation experience before the Supreme Court of British Columbia, the British Columbia Court of Appeal, the Federal Courts, and the Supreme Court of Canada. She has experience navigating complex procedural and evidentiary issues in appellate and constitutional litigation, including drafting legal submissions for trial and appellate factums. Sara has experience drafting successful leave applications to the Supreme Court of Canada.
Sara joined the firm as an associate after completing her articles in the Vancouver office. During her articles at Power Law, she worked on one of the most significant education rights trials since the adoption of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. She is counsel on the follow-up case currently making its way through the courts. She regularly advises school boards on Charter issues and questions related to institutional management.
Sara has also been invited on several occasions to guest lecture in law school classes on litigation procedures as well as on French language rights issues.
Originally from Grande Prairie, Alberta, Sara now lives and practises in Vancouver.
Sara practices in both English and French, and is also learning Portuguese.
Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique v British Columbia, 2026 BCCA 4 (appellate procedure, request for additional factum pages)
Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique v British Columbia, 2025 BCSC 2023 (civil procedure, costs at trial, substantial success)
Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique v British Columbia, 2025 BCSC 962 (constitutional remedies, Charter right to official language education, appropriate timeframe for remedies to court declared Charter breaches)
Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique v British Columbia and the Vancouver Board of Education, 2025 BCSC 422 (civil procedure, updates to expert evidence at trial)
Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique v British Columbia and the Vancouver Board of Education, 2024 BCSC 1577 (civil procedure, demand for particulars, constitutional litigation)
R v Tayo Tompouba, 2024 SCC 16 (right to be informed of the right to a criminal trial in French)
Commission scolaire francophone des Territoires du Nord-Ouest, A.B., et al. v Ministre de l’Éducation, de la Culture et de la Formation des Territoires du Nord-Ouest, et al., 2023 SCC 31 (judicial review, discretionary administrative decisions engaging Charter protections, Charter values)
Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique v British Columbia and the Vancouver Board of Education, 2022 BCSC 540 (civil procedure, contents of notice of civil claim in constitutional litigation)
Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique, Fédération des parents francophones de Colombie-Britannique, et al v Her Majesty the Queen in Right of the Province of British Columbia, et al, 2020 SCC 13 (Charter right to official language education – existence, nature and quality of schools across the province, scope of permissible s. 1 justifications, Charter damages)
Bessette v British Columbia (Attorney General), 2019 SCC 31 (language of trial, judicial review in criminal matters, statutory interpretation)
Malii v British Columbia (Attorney General), 2019 BCSC 2060 (overlapping aboriginal title claims, conflict of interest)
Mazraani v Industrial Alliance Insurance and Financial Services Inc., 2018 SCC 50 (constitutional law, use of official languages in federal court, remedy for language rights violations)
Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique, Fédération des parents francophones de Colombie-Britannique et al v British Columbia(Education), 2018 BCCA 305 (equivalency challenge to ministerial decisions as they relate to school funding)
Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique, Fédération des parents francophones de Colombie-Britannique et al v British Columbia (Education), 2018 BCSC 105 (costs)
Bessette v British Columbia (Attorney General), 2018 BCCA 59 (application for stay of proceedings)
Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique, Fédération des parents francophones de Colombie-Britannique et al v British Columbia (Education), 2018 BCCA 42 (costs of proceedings)
Bessette v British Columbia (Attorney General), 2017 BCCA 264 (Judicial review in criminal matters, statutory interpretation, language of trial)
Sliwinski v Sliwinski, 2017 BCCA 146 (Appeal from an order dismissing the action on a determination that the Notice of Civil Claim was without merit, frivolous, vexatious, and an abuse of process)
Garcia v Tahoe Resources Inc., 2017 BCCA 39 (private international law, international human rights law)
Reference re the Final Report of the Electoral Boundaries Commission, 2017 NSCA 10 (protected electoral constituencies for minorities)
Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique, Fédération des parents francophones de Colombie-Britannique et al v British Columbia (Education), 2016 BCSC 1764 (equivalency challenge to ministerial decisions as they relate to school funding)
Garcia v Tahoe Resources Inc., 2016 BCCA 320 (private international law, international human rights law)
Morin v Allison, 2016 BCSC (Vancouver Registry Docket: S165484) (statutory interpretation, by-elections)
Sliwinski v Sliwinski, 2016 BCCA (Vancouver Registry, File No CA43769) (procedure)
Estate of Janet Wisser v Jadwiga Makarewicz coba JM Import Company et al, 2016 BCPC (Vancouver Registry, File No 14-48236) (estate litigation, constructive trusts, contracts)
Presentation: Teaching Culture and Religion, How Education Can Foster, Understanding of Diversity Without Imposing Ideology, Canadian Association for the Practical Study of Law in Education (CAPSLE), May 5, 2019 (with Jennifer Klinck)
“Étude sur les obstacles à l’utilisation de l’article 530 du Code criminel en Colombie-Britannique”, AJEFCB (January 2019) (with J. Klinck, G. Decat-Beltrami, M. Power, A. Mayrand, C. Faucher and R. Léger)
Association des juristes d’expression française de la Colombie-Britannique
Vancouver Bar Association
Canadian Bar Association
Study buddy – Big sisters of BC Lower Mainland (2021-present)
Past member of the Board of Directors, Société de développement économique de la Colombie-Britannique (2019-2025)
Factum Judge, Michel Bastarache Moot Competition on Language Rights (2020, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2026)
Mentor, Pro Bono Students Canada (2017-2018)
Member of the executive of the Aboriginal law section, Vancouver, Canadian Bar Association (2016-2018)
During Law school, Sara completed two internships: one with EcoJustice Canada, and another with a law firm in Victoria specialising in Aboriginal and international law. During the latter, she helped to prepare materials for a course on Canadian evidence law, to be taught at The Hague University in the Netherlands.
Sara rowed with the University of Ottawa varsity rowing team throughout law school, and with the University of Victoria novice rowing team during the 2010-2011 season. In both 2012 and 2013 she represented the University of Ottawa at the Head of the Charles in Boston, the largest two-day regatta in North America, and was a recipient of the Ottawa Rowing Club’s “Female Sweep Crew of the Year” award.
While attending Grande Prairie Regional College, Sara was on the soccer and the cross-country running teams. In 2007 and 2008 she represented the College at the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association National Open Cross Country Running Championships.
Put a combination of knowledge, experience, and creativity to work for you.
