Monique Pongracic-Speier, KC
Monique has been recognized by Best Lawyers in Canada® 2024, 2025 and 2026 for her work in the areas of Aboriginal Law/Indigenous Practice, and Administrative and Public Law.
Monique’s constitutional law practice includes counselling and representing clients in Charter claims, claims under s. 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982 and with respect to federalism issues.
Monique’s work for Indigenous clients includes acting for First Nations in treaty rights and Aboriginal rights and title litigation. She also advises and represents Indigenous clients in cases involving historic wrongs and environmental damage to First Nations’ land.
Monique has argued cases at the Supreme Court of Canada, the Federal Courts, all levels of Court in British Columbia, and the Saskatchewan Court of King’s Bench and Court of Appeal. She also appears before administrative tribunals and is an Adjudicator with the LSBC Tribunal.
A believer in the statement that “Justice is the aspirational application of law to life”, Monique is actively involved in the legal community as a volunteer. For more than a decade, Monique has contributed to professional development sessions and written on topics in international, constitutional, administrative and workers’ compensation law, as well as the law of evidence. Monique is a member of the Canadian Bar Association and was honoured to receive the British Columbia Branch of the Association’s 2024 Harry Rankin, QC Pro Bono Award.
Away from the office, Monique is a member of the Board of Governors of Simon Fraser University and as a director of Your Local Farmers Market Society, which hosts farmers’ markets at nine locations in Vancouver.
Gita Keshava
She has represented clients at the Supreme Court of Canada, the British Columbia Supreme Court and Court of Appeal, the Saskatchewan Court of King’s Bench and Court of Appeal, and the Alberta Court of King’s Bench, as well as various administrative tribunals. Gita has also acted as counsel in domestic and international commercial arbitrations, and in investor–state disputes under North American Free Trade Agreement Chapter 11.
Best Lawyers in Canada® has recognized Gita as “One to Watch” in 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026.
Community involvement is critical for Gita. She currently sits on the Litigation Committee of West Coast Legal Education and Action Fund and was a member of the Canadian Bar Association Law Reform Committee from 2020 to 2022. Gita has contributed to professional development sessions and has written on topics of caste discrimination and the law of evidence, and has been a guest lecturer at Rise Women’s Legal Centre and the University of Calgary Faculty of Law. She mentors young law students though the Canadian Bar Association, South Asian Bar Association, and Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers.
Gita received her law degree from the University of Durham in 2015 and her Master of Laws (BCL) from the University of Oxford in 2016 specializing in comparative discrimination and human rights law, public international law and dispute resolution. She was called to the Bar in Alberta and British Columbia in 2019 and 2020, respectively.
Prior to joining Ethos, Gita worked at a national law firm in their dispute resolution group. She previously worked at the International Court of Justice, the World Food Programme, and the Supreme Court of Namibia, and was a legal researcher for the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Arbitrary Detention.
Alanna Crouse
Alanna’s experience includes plaintiff’s and defendant’s civil litigation, judicial reviews, applications to intervene, injunctions, and appeals. Alanna has acted for and advised public bodies, individuals, associations, and non-profit organizations. She has represented clients at the British Columbia Supreme Court and Court of Appeal, the Federal Court, the Saskatchewan Court of King’s Bench and Court of Appeal, as well as various administrative tribunals, including the Human Rights Tribunal and the Environmental Appeal Board. Alanna has also represented BC’s Provincial Court judges before the Judicial Compensation Commission.
Alanna earned a Bachelor of Civil Law and Juris Doctor from McGill University in 2021 and was called to the Bar in British Columbia in January of 2023. She articled and was an associate with Alison Latimer, KC.
Prior to law school Alanna earned a Bachelor of Science from Queen’s University, and a Master of Science in Human Genetics from McGill University. She was a research assistant at the Centre for Genomics and Policy where she contributed to national and international projects concerning law, policy, and healthcare.
Alanna is passionate about civil liberties and equity. She has written policies against gendered and sexual violence, has facilitated anti-oppression workshops, and was a crisis support volunteer for survivors of gendered and sexual violence. Alanna currently sits on the Board of Directors of the West Coast Legal Education and Action Fund (“LEAF”) and is a member of the West Coast LEAF Litigation Committee.
Marisa Ditata
Marisa enjoys the opportunity to interact with clients, assist with document preparation, conduct legal research, organize case materials, and work through unique challenges that each case may present with a view to providing the best legal services to each client.