1. How did you get started as an immigration lawyer? What are your primary areas of immigration practice? 
I have always wanted to be a lawyer. I originally thought I was going to be a criminal prosecutor, but once I got into law school, I quickly realized that it just was not the right fit for me. I knew I wanted to do something similar in terms of having a personal impact on people, but I never really figured out what that should be. I also knew that clerkship was a better fit for my skill set and would give me the opportunity to move pretty much anywhere, as firms generally value having that “backstage pass” into what happens in the courthouse, so I focused on that.
I was fortunate enough to be able to clerk at the Federal Court for Justice James O’Reilly. I was also very honoured to be asked to stay on for a second year and clerk for Justice Paul Crampton, now Chief Justice Crampton. It was his first year on the bench, and they typically give new judges an experienced clerk, so I got the very unique opportunity to stay. Being in Federal Court, I was predominantly involved in immigration judicial reviews – that formed most of my work at the court. So, when my clerkship was completed, I had learned a significant amount about immigration and refugee law. I got a broad spectrum over two years of working in that field.
Once I finished clerking, the first job that I got was with Jacqueline Bart at BARTLAW LLP Canadian Immigration, and that is where I’ve been for almost 12 years. It’s the only place I’ve ever worked and it’s a great environment. I do mostly corporate immigration law and work permit applications. I have also done study permits, refugee cases, permanent residence applications, and many TRPs and criminal rehabilitation applications. Even in cases where I am working with an employer, it is still very personal to the individual that is trying to access the country. At the end of the day, there’s a person on the other end who needs that work permit for their job, who needs to be able to move and work freely in Canada, and I just love having that impact on people’s lives. It feels like I am actually making a difference, and a positive one at that.
2. What motivated you to join the OBA Citizenship & Immigration Law Section Executive?
Coming from clerking, the downside was that I had no idea how a law firm worked. Even though I had practiced immigration law and had seen bad cases and good cases, I had to learn the basic functionalities of being an immigration lawyer and working at a law firm. So, like any new lawyer, it took me a few years to find my feet. Once I gained that confidence, I felt that I had something to contribute back to the profession.
If immigration has proven anything, it is that it is constantly changing, which means there are also a lot of opportunities to impact what those changes are. The only way we can make that impact is by getting involved and joining with others who feel the same way. It's like anything else. The more people get together, the stronger our voice, and the greater the likelihood that there is going to be an impact. So, for me, it was time to start being part of the movement instead of being impacted by the movement. I started off as the Newsletter Editor and I did that for two years. I was midway in my practice at the time and I was working within my skill set. Then I became the Secretary and I worked my way up to chairing.
Being the Chair affords me the opportunity to not only move our section forward, but also to connect our section to what is happening nationally. That is especially important with something like immigration because there are only so many things that you can impact locally. I am happy to be voicing our concerns at the national level and keeping the CBA Immigration Law Section well apprised of what we are doing within the provincial realm. As Chair, I have also been given the opportunity to be part of the OBA as a whole and to see how the OBA works. My focus has been to ensure that our voices are represented and that the larger OBA realizes that our section and our colleagues in other areas have things to contribute to each other. Developing that interconnectedness with the other sections and with the OBA as a whole has been a great experience.
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