Nicole Schabus
Born: Neunkirchen, Austria, Europe
Education: LLM 1999 and MBA 2001, University of Vienna, Austria
Areas of Practice
- Aboriginal Law
- Constitutional Law
- Criminal Defence
- Civil Litigation
Nicole Schabus has experienced more in the past fifteen years than most do in a lifetime! She has earned her LLM and Master’s of Business degrees at the University of Vienna, Austria; spent time as an intern at the Austrian Chamber of Commerce in Mexico City and the United Nations Organization in Vienna and Geneva; worked as researcher for the LATAUTONOMY project sponsored by the European Union of Indigenous Autonomy Ensuring Sustainable Development; taught courses in partner countries including Ecuador, Bolivia, and Mexico; and is currently working on her Doctorate in Law focusing on international trade law and indigenous rights. And that’s barely scratching the surface!
Nicole speaks four languages fluently (German, English, French and Spanish) and writes for the Earth Negotiations Bulletin attending international environmental negotiations around the globe. She serves as the legal and international advisor for the Indigenous Network on Economies and Trade (INET) on a voluntary basis and has also extensively worked with indigenous peoples in the Interior of British Columbia (including Secwepemc, Okanagan, Nlakapa’mux and St’at’imc), across Canada and in Latin America.
She believes in the protection of Aboriginal Title and Rights and opposes the criminalization of Aboriginal Peoples who exercise their rights having successfully defended Aboriginal fishing and hunting charges.
Nicole joined Tessmer Law in 2004 and has been an extremely valuable part of our team ever since! She lives in Coldstream, BC with her spouse, cat and dog; and enjoys spending time in the beautiful Okanagan when not traveling all over the world, finding new adventures each and every day.
