Exhibit 5.1

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc.

1203 – 4464 Markham Street

Victoria, BC V8Z 7X8

Dear Sirs/Mesdames:

RE: AURINIA PHARMACEUTICALS INC.

We are acting as counsel to Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc. (the “Corporation”) in connection with the filing on the date hereof of a Registration Statement on Form S-8 (the “Form S-8”) with respect to an aggregate of 6,813,129 Common Shares of the Corporation (the “Shares”) which represents 6,613,129 Shares issuable pursuant to the Corporation’s Stock Option Plan, as amended (the “Plan”) and 200,000 Shares issuable pursuant to an option commitment dated as of May 2, 2016, between the Corporation and Bradley J. Dickerson (the “Option Commitment”) granted outside of the Plan to induce employment with the Corporation (the “Inducement Grant”). We have made such investigations and examined originals or copies certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction of such documents, records and certificates of the Corporation as we have considered necessary or relevant for the purposes of this opinion including:

For purposes of this opinion, we have assumed with respect to all documents examined by us, the genuineness of all signatures, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity to authentic original documents of all documents submitted to us as certified, conformed, telecopied or photostatic copies and the legal capacity of all individuals who have executed any of such documents.

Based and relying upon and subject to the foregoing we are of the opinion that the Shares will be validly issued as fully paid and non-assessable shares (upon issuance and payment therefor in accordance with the Plan or the Option Commitment, as applicable).

The foregoing opinion is limited to the laws of Alberta and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein.

We consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Form S-8. In giving such consent, we do not admit that we come within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the United States Securities Act of 1933 or the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission thereunder.