Associate Lawyer
I was called to the Bar of Ontario in 2006. I aspire to give clients peace of mind by giving them sound advice, helping them understand their options and giving them the tools and information to navigate a separation with confidence. I strive to save clients money primarily by recommending dispute resolution processes, such as collaboration, mediation, and negotiation, as alternatives to court, whenever prudent, and formulating reasonable settlement positions.
I aim to empower my clients who have experienced family violence and/or identify as part of a vulnerable sector of society with knowledge about the law, their rights and entitlements, safety measures, careful process selection, helpful resources and, if appropriate, connect them with therapeutic support.
I have been a fully certified collaborative practitioner since 2011. I serve on the Board of Directors for Collaborative Divorce Toronto, and Chair the Membership Committee.
While I do my best to keep matters out of court, there are times when litigation is simply the best course of action. I will not hesitate to litigate where necessary but always with a view to ensuring the best and most cost-efficient outcome for the client. A power imbalance, a history of family violence, coercive control, self-represented opposition, unreasonable delay, failure to produce necessary financial disclosure and/or flagrant disregard for the law or the terms of an existing agreement, arbitral award or order may be among the factors present that lead one to start a court proceeding.
I have served on the Board of Directors for FDRIO (Family Dispute Resolution Institute of Ontario) for several years. I am a member of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) committee for FDRIO and I am also the Co-Chair of the Family Violence (FV) Section of FDRIO.
I elected to double major in Sociology and Law & Society for my undergraduate studies at York University. In 2002, I graduated cum laude, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree with Honours and earning a grade point average that ranked me within the top 5% of my peers.
During my first year of Law School, a close family member of mine went through an acrimonious divorce involving parenting, support, and property issues. This experience taught me that family law and issues arising from separation or divorce may impact individuals and their families on many levels. This, coupled with my childhood experience of having a foster sister, made Family Law a natural choice as to the focus of my career. I was determined to practice family law with a view to improving dispute resolution options for my clients and empowering them with knowledge to make good decisions to foster, insofar as possible, financial stability, long-term peace, and happiness.
