Nitya Iyer joined Heenan Blaikie in 2001. Previously she was an associate professor at the University of British Columbia after starting her academic career on the Law Faculty of the University of Toronto. In 1986, she clerked for the Honourable Gerald E. Le Dain of the Supreme Court of Canada.

Ms. Iyer focuses her practice on the area of public law and more specifically constitutional law, human rights and pay equity. She has appeared before the British Columbia Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada. She has consulted on numerous equality cases and was a full-time member of the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal from 1997 to 2000. She advises governments, employers and others on human rights and pay equity policies and acts for them in complaints.

In the fall of 2001, Ms. Iyer was appointed by the B.C. provincial government to study the merits of pay equity legislation for the private sector and make recommendations to the Legislature. Her report was made public in March 2002. Ms. Iyer has been the Equal Pay Commissioner of the Northwest Territories since 2004.

Ms. Iyer has written extensively on human rights and equality over the course of her academic career. She was awarded the Marion Porter Prize for her article entitled Disappearing Women: Racial Minority Women in Human Rights Cases. She sits on the board of directors of the Canadian Human Rights Reporter and on the board of West Coast LEAF. As a member of the B.C. Council of Administrative Tribunals, she developed an intensive two-day workshop on advanced decision writing for administrative adjudicators. She delivers training to boards and agencies on hearing skills, reasoning, and decision-writing.

Formerly a co-editor of the Canadian Journal of Women and the Law, Ms. Iyer has also been president of the Elizabeth Bagshaw Women’s Clinic, as well as a member of the Canadian Disability Rights Council.

Represented the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) as defendant in a lawsuit by the Public Service Alliance of Canada. This case was one of alleged systemic discrimination in the pay of employees in largely female held jobs in the GNWT's public service. The cost implications and potential precedential value of the claim were both considerable. The case was settled on favourable terms for the GNWT. Post-settlement, Ms. Iyer advised the GNWT on policy resulting in the enactment of territorial human rights and pay equity laws.

Represented the Government of British Columbia as defendant in a series of constitutional challenges to legislative initiatives that implemented significant changes to terms and conditions of employment in the health, community services and education components of the public sector.