[6] He was involved in negotiations concerning historic and contemporary treaties between First Nations and the Crown in right of Canada.

[19] He was a founding member and past-chair of the Canadian Bar Association National Aboriginal Law Section.

He has been a member of the Federal Court Statutory Rules Committee since 2006 and its Sub-Committee on Expert Evidence.

Hutchins authored or co-authored numerous peer reviewed articles: In 2012, Hutchins was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal by Senator Charlie Watt for his career dedicated to advancing the rights of aboriginal people.

Hutchins was repeatedly listed as a leading practitioner in Aboriginal Law by Best Lawyer and as "most frequently recommended" in The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory.