Cochrane Saxberg began in 2017 as a 10-lawyer firm, initially sharing office space with two other law firms with its roots firmly embedded in Indigenous Child Protection matters, as well as general civil litigation and labour and employment law practices.
Over the past 7 years, we have tripled in size, opening two offices in Manitoba, one in Winnipeg and the other in Swan Lake First Nation, and recently opening two more offices in British Columbia, one in Vancouver and the other in Musqueam First Nation.
Along the way, we have had the great pleasure of bringing the Honourable Murray Sinclair into our fold as the firm’s general counsel. Concurrently, the heart and soul of our firm, Harold (Sonny) Cochrane, has pushed our team of lawyers to branch out, taking on risky but important litigation work, addressing both historic but also current harms being perpetuated on Indigenous people and communities, mostly by Canadian governments, both provincial and federal.
Anishinaabe and a member of the Peguis First Nation, Murray Sinclair has had a transformative impact on law in Canada. As a judge, activist, senator, and co-chair of the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry, he has tirelessly fought for Indigenous rights and systemic reform. His legacy is also shaped by his work as Chief Commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which helped illuminate the painful and lasting impacts of residential schools. Through his advocacy for justice and sovereignty, Murray Sinclair has ensured Indigenous communities have a voice in shaping their futures. He is a legal legend and a national treasure.
As a member of the Fisher River Cree Nation, Sonny Cochrane knew from a young age that law needed transformation. He saw that the legal system, rooted in Western frameworks, often failed to understand the complexities of Indigenous experiences. He saw a legal industry with almost zero Indigenous representation, except as the accused and as respondents in the justice and child welfare systems. Indigenous people needed Indigenous lawyers and Indigenous law firms. And their work needed to reflect the needs of the Indigenous community. Sonny has carried this out through his whole career.
So much of the work we now do addresses the lived experiences of these two firm members.
Whether it is the Indigenous child protection work, class action litigation on behalf of our most vulnerable members of society, being indigenous children in foster care, against the most powerful member of our society, being the Canadian governments, breach of treaty claims, or legal services supporting Indigenous business development, we have developed a passion and reputation for excellence. And we have carved out an identity as a firm over these years.
It is no coincidence that our work and identity has come to directly reflect many of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action. Murray Sinclair was the co-author of the Report and those are his Calls to Action. They are literally embedded in the fabric of our firm through our people.
Our work in Child Welfare and Class Action litigation representing Indigenous foster children reflects an absolute commitment to reducing the number of Indigenous children in foster care, which was the first Call to Action.
We have launched Class Action litigation to address the ongoing destruction of First Nation Language and Culture, demanding the Federal Government of Canada respond to the Calls to Action for the preservation, revitalization and strengthening of First Nation languages and culture.
Our lawyers work with and educate the courts, law schools and students and represent Indigenous individuals in reply to the Calls to Action related to the Criminal Justice System, including the need to end the overrepresentation of Indigenous peoples in that system, and the education of the people who are the system in Aboriginal People and the Law.
We have answered the Calls to Action on the Covenant of Reconciliation, specifically the need to renew and re-establish the Treaty relationships based on principles of mutual recognition, mutual respect and shared responsibility for maintaining those relationships into the future, instead of Canada’s pre-existing and continued system of exploitation of its First Nation Treaty partners. We are, of course, all Treaty People.
This is all to say, we know who we are now. We are legal advocates answering the Calls to Action that Murray Sinclair laid out for all of us. We are a law firm responding to the challenges that Sonny Cochrane set out, to take on those cases on behalf of Indigenous peoples and governments that everyone else ignored for too long, because those cases need to be taken on or the Calls to Action will fail.
We are embracing who we are as a law firm — one that answers the Calls to Action made by our general counsel, Murray Sinclair, while advancing the visionary work of founding partner Harold (Sonny) Cochrane. Our new brand reflects more than a name change; it marks the evolution of Indigenous law in Canada on behalf of those practicing it. We believe it represents who we truly are as a law firm.
Indigenous people were once denied access to justice — it was illegal for them to hire lawyers or raise funds for legal action. Leaders like Sinclair and Cochrane have spent their careers facing and dismantling these types of barriers. Murray Sinclair’s leadership on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission brought the country face-to-face with its colonial legacy, while Sonny’s career has focused on reshaping law and policy to reflect Indigenous communities, and he has built the largest Indigenous owned law firm in Canada along the way. Together, they embody the idea that meaningful progress is achieved by looking forward while honouring the past.
Our brand now symbolizes this dual mission. In a process that took many months, we collaborated with Cree designer Sébastien Aubin to develop our new identity, with the distinct shape of the ‘A’ drawing on the shapes of a tipi, syllabics, and traditional legal regalia.
Central to the design is a seven-arrow motif, representing the Seven Fires Prophecy and Seven Sacred Teachings: Love, Respect, Courage, Honesty, Wisdom, Humility, and Truth. These principles, along with the TRC’s 94 Calls to Action, are embedded in every part of our firm, from the work we do to the spaces we inhabit, including our new office in Vancouver. The arrows also reference beadwork, basket weaving, and the idea of looking back seven generations while building for the next seven.
Our brand also acknowledges the firm’s role in some of the most important legal battles affecting Indigenous peoples today. From class actions on Child Special Allowance payments to treaty annuity disputes and the Millennium Scoop, our work is at the forefront of fighting for transformative justice — justice that not only addresses past wrongs but also sets a foundation for future generations.
As Murray Sinclair has said, “Innovation isn’t always about creating something new… Sometimes, it involves looking back at our old ways and bringing them forward.” This philosophy guides our new identity: a spark of optimism and a symbol of both tradition and leadership.
This moment is about more than honouring past achievements — it’s about understanding our current responsibilities as a firm that is shaping Canadian law and fostering the next generation of legal minds who will carry forward our mission of justice and reconciliation. Cochrane Sinclair LLP will continue to lead in Indigenous, Public and Constitutional Law, ensuring Indigenous voices remain at the heart of Canada’s legal evolution.
As we step forward with a renewed vision, we invite you to join us on this journey. Our work has always been about more than legal cases; it’s about building relationships, affirming rights, and creating a future where tradition and innovation thrive together. With this rebrand, we reaffirm our role as a leader in Indigenous-led law — as a firm that will guide, inspire, and advocate for the generations to come.
