Our Mentorship Program
The NCA Mentor program aims to connect Mentees, who are usually law students or NCA Students, with Mentors, who have completed the NCA process. The program aims to foster a stronger community and share knowledge about the unique licensing process required for Internationally Trained Lawyers (ITL's).
Our mentors are legal professionals who work in a wide variety of fields and who have volunteered to participate in our program.
How Does it Work?
Find a Mentor!
Look through our mentors to see their area of practice, experience, and mentorship area.
Book a Meeting!
Once you find a mentor you would like to meet with, click the the "Book HERE" in their bio. Follow the link to sign up for a time slot available on Calendly.
If the mentor has their email listed, please send them an email directly for a mentoring session.
Can't find a slot? Check back regularly as our mentors update their calendars with time slots of availability regularly.
Meet with your Mentor!
Mark you calendar and enjoy your session with your mentor! Your mentor has indicated on their calendly link how to reach them for your session.
Our Rules
- This is a networking opportunity with the goal of sharing strategies, tips, and advice to NCA candidates, NOT a job interview. Thus, please do not meet with mentors with the intent of asking for job.
- We ask that signees remain respectful of the mentor's availability. Our mentors have generously offered the time they have available.
- In an effort for as many NCA candidates as possible to benefit from this opportunity, we ask that you kindly do not book many sessions with mentors all at once.
- Please make sure to read the mentor’s bio before your meeting. Considering the short timeframe of the sessions, it is best to reserve that time for substantive questions related to mentoring rather than the mentor’s resume.
- Please be punctual in attending your meeting. Mentors reserve the right to cancel your session if you are unreasonably late and without explanation.
- If you are meeting a mentor via video platform (e.g., Zoom, Skype, Teams,etc.), we ask that you have your camera on as a professional courtesy.
- The purpose of the mentoring session is focused on you as a mentee. While some mentors might be comfortable sharing personal details, the session is designed to revolve around you as a mentee.
- Mentors reserve the right to cancel or cut-short a session if the mentee’s questions are not regarding NCA-related matters. Please remain PROFESSIONAL in your sessions. Anything that would be inappropriate to ask in-person is likely not appropriate to ask in a mentoring session.
- This is not a job-scouting platform. Asides from the area of their practice and general experience, personal details of a mentor's employment is not appropriate to inquire about.
- Repeated violations and/or complaints regarding breach of our rules can lead to an individual being banned from participating in the mentoring program.
Our Mentors
Kim Gale, Founder of NCA Network and Gale Law
Area of Practice: Estate Litigation
Kim is an advocate for diversity and inclusion in the field of law. In 2007, she attended Western University and graduated in 2011 from the media program. After working in shipping and logistics and marketing, she worked as an assistant to an estate litigator in 2013. In 2015, Kim graduated from City University of London and worked as a paralegal at a Bay street firm equivalent in the UK. She returned to Toronto and completed her equivalency exams, barrister and solicitor exams and articled with the same estate litigator. In January 2018, Kim was called to the bar and launched Law For Millennials and NCA Network while working at a boutique estate litigation firm. In January 2019, Kim launched Gale Law.
Want to mentor with Kim?
To book a session with Kim, please email Jessica at: jcampolucci@galelaw.ca
Alicia Windsor, Director of Mentorship at NCA Network
Area of Practice: Litigation
Alicia has a knack for relationship-building and views the legal profession as a community. She enjoys collaborating with her colleagues whether it be case related, or on community and professional issues. Alicia is excited to be practicing in Hamilton, but also maintains her strong ties to Florida and the Florida legal community. Alicia volunteers as a mentor to internationally trained lawyers in Canada, and is a staunch advocate for equity and diversity in the profession.
Want to mentor with Alicia? Book HERE
Andrei Dobrogeanu
Area of Practice: Commercial Litigation
Andrei is an associate in the commercial litigation department at Ross & McBride, a leading regional firm in Hamilton, Ontario. He obtained his law degree as an undergraduate from The University of Birmingham in England in 2012, and moved to Ontario after graduating. Andrei obtained his Certificate of Qualification in 2015 having being required to sit 9 NCA exams. Following volunteer spells with several law firms in various areas of practice, he articled with a boutique litigation firm in Toronto. He was called to the bar in 2016 and continued with the firm he articled at for 5 years. At that time, he had a general litigation practice with a focus on property and housing disputes. Andrei joined Ross & McBride in 2022 where his practice became focused on commercial litigation. Andrei is looking forward to sharing his experiences regarding the qualification process, and the hurdles of obtaining employment with the next group of excellent internationally trained lawyers.
Want to mentor with Andrei? Book HERE!
Kavita V. Bhagat
Area of Practice: Family Law
Kavita has practiced law for over 20 years. She was designated as a Certified Specialist in Family Law by the Law Society of Ontario (LSO). Kavita serves as a committee member with the Judicial Appointments Advisory Council (Ontario). Kavita is an accredited Family Mediator, Arbitrator, Parenting Coordinator and a former Panel Lawyer for the Office of the Children's Lawyer. She offers evaluative Voice of the Child Reports and is trained to provide Collaborative Family Law services. She is an ADR instructor at York University . Kavita is a former board member of the Family Dispute Resolution Institute of Ontario and past-President of the Peel Chapter of the Ontario Association of Family Mediators. She currently serves as the treasurer for Peel Mediation Arbitration. She is a former board member of the Caledon Parent and Child Centre, Ontario Early Years and currently serves as the fund development coordinator and board member of Volunteer MBC, a not-for-profit that oversees 220 plus not-for-profits in the Region of Peel. She was recently elected as Director, Peel Law Association.
Want to mentor with Kavita?
Email Kavita at: staff@bramptonfamilylawyers.ca
Harry Dhaliwal
Area of Practice: Partner at Mann, Mangat and Dhaliwal LLP, Civil Litigation and Family Law
Harry was called to the Bar in 2008. Since then, he has practiced civil litigation and family law. Over the years his name has figured in several reported decisions at all levels of courts in Ontario. Harry regularly mentors new lawyers or lawyers looking to transition their solicitor practice to a litigation focussed practiced. He understands that foreign trained lawyers face an initial challenge in transferring and moulding their skills to apply them in Canadian courts. With some guidance, that challenge is easily surmountable.
Want to mentor with Harry? Book HERE
Sonal More
Area of Practice: Solicitor with the City of Toronto
Sonal More is currently working as a Solicitor with the City of Toronto and is an internationally trained lawyer with 17+ years as an in house counsel in diverse industries, such as chemical manufacturing, recruitment, cryptocurrency, telecommunications, fashion to name a few. Sonal would be happy to provide guidance on employment strategies, developing resumes and networking.
Want to mentor with Sonal? Book HERE
Timothy Hughes
Area of Practice: Independent Lawyer and Arbitrator
Timothy Hughes is an independent lawyer and arbitrator in Calgary, Alberta. Qualified to practice in New York, California, Alberta, and Ontario, Tim provides counsel services to clients and law firms in all aspects of arbitration. Before moving to Canada in 2020, he practiced commercial, investor-state, and inter-state arbitration in the New York, Hong Kong, and Washington D.C. offices of leading international firms. Tim has experience in matters concerning public international law, oil & gas, renewable energy, infrastructure, shareholder and joint venture disputes, and the hospitality sector. Before returning to practice in 2022, Tim was the full-time caregiver to his two young children. A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, Tim is an advocate for internationally trained lawyers in Canada. He mentors candidates in the requalification process, including NCA and qualification exams, articling exemptions, national mobility applications, and professional networking.
Want to Mentor with Timothy? Book HERE
Ayda Tabrizi
Area of Practice: Litigation
Ayda Tabrizi is an associate at Donovan Kochman LLP, and maintains a broad litigation practice. She has experience litigating estates and trusts disputes, real estate related matters, professional liability disputes and a range of corporate and commercial matters. Ayda obtained her law degree from the University of Kent, and is available to provide mentorship as it relates to the NCA process, the lawyer licensing process, marketing yourself, and changing areas of practice.
Want to mentor with Ayda? Book HERE
Aditya Gaggar
Area of Practice: Litigation
Aditya is currently a lawyer at a busy personal injury law firm in Toronto with a focus on plaintiff side tort litigation. Before moving to Canada, Aditya practiced law in India for close to a decade. He has advanced qualifications in International Trade, Business and Technology Laws with significant experience in both litigation as well as corporate commercial practice. He is deeply interested in legal tech and innovation which has led him to enthusiastically contribute to several law and policy projects. During the lawyer licensing process, Aditya was initially enrolled in the Law Practice Program, before taking up articling, and ultimately, being granted an exemption. This has allowed him to gain unique insights into all the alternate experiential training routes to qualifying as a lawyer in Ontario. He sat through the bar exams in both virtual and physical settings and helped organise the Internationally Trained Lawyer's response to the sudden disruption surrounding the March 2022 bar exams. As such, he can offer guidance on LPP, articling, exemption from experiential training, learning a new practice area, NCAs, bar exams, obtaining employment/marketing yourself and just about any part of the gruelling journey of an Internationally Trained Lawyer. As a relatively new immigrant himself, he looks forward to meeting new people everyday and finds it fulfilling if he can help some of them tide over their overwhelming transitions. He encourages in-person interactions with any mentees who may wish to meet him thus.
Want to book with Aditya? Book HERE
Aditi Mallavarapu
Area of Practice: Corporate Law
Aditi is an internationally trained lawyer with three years’ experience as a business lawyer advising private equity investors in India. She obtained a business law LL.M at the University of Toronto in 2022 while independently fulfilling the requirements to obtain the NCA certificate of qualification. She also successfully completed the licensing exams in March 2023 and is slated to begin articling at Cassels’ Toronto office in August 2023. Aditi looks forwarding to helping internationally trained lawyers with questions on the LL.M application process, the OCI recruitment process in Ontario and her experience writing the NCAs and licensing exams.
Want to mentor with Aditi? Email Aditi at: aditi.mallavarapu@mail.utoronto.ca
Asad Hashim
Area of Practice: Real Estate Law
Asad completed his J.D. from the Roger Williams University School of Law in Rhode Island, USA in 2019 and has been called to the bar in New York and Massachusetts. After moving back to Canada, he obtained his NCA Certificate in January 2021 and was called to the bar in Ontario in June of 2022 after completing the LSO requirements, including articling through the Law Practice Program (LPP). Asad is currently working as an Associate at SimpsonWigle LAW LLP focusing in the areas of residential and commercial real estate, land development, and condominium law.
He understands how difficult and intimidating the NCA and LSO process can be and wants to assist international law grads and internationally trained lawyers navigate these requirements. Asad is happy to provide guidance on the NCAs, Bar exam, and the LPP.
Want to mentor with Asad? Book HERE
Tara Seosankar
Area of Practice: Employment Law
After years of working in various sectors, Tara Seosankar took a leap of faith, moved to the UK, and paved her way through law school. She obtained her law degree at the University of Leicester. Upon returning to Toronto, Tara completed her NCAs while working full-time, and focused on developing her roots as an advocate, starting with the Ryerson Law Practice Program (LPP). She then articled in a family law firm before starting her practice in employment law. Tara now enjoys working as a freelance lawyer and is passionate about empowering people. Her clients appreciate that she is approachable, effective, and a keen listener.
Tara is prepared to offer mentorship to anyone going through the NCAs, and Bar Exams, or interested in learning more about the Ryerson LPP.
Want to mentor with Tara? Book HERE
Sairam Sanathkumar
Area of Practice: Technology and Corporate Commercial Law
Sairam is a Corporate Commercial lawyer at Aird & Berlis LLP. He has more than 12 years of multi-jurisdictional experience in the technology and corporate commercial space. He has acted as corporate counsel for Fortune 500 companies, helping them solve traditional and emerging technology-related legal issues. Sairam’s technology expertise includes large-scale outsourcing, software licensing, managed services and non-linear delivery models involving the SMAC stack (social, mobility, analytics and cloud). His practice focuses on general corporate, technology and privacy in both transactional and advisory capacities. He is also responsible for drafting and negotiating a variety of non-technology-based agreements. Sairam has written for Canadian and foreign legal publications such as The Lawyer’s Daily, CBA National magazine and Bar & Bench on topics such as privacy, technology regulations, cyber security and blockchain. Sairam provides mentorship in navigating the licensing process including preparing for and writing the NCA exams, finding articling opportunities, tips to prepare for the Ontario bar exams, and post-licensure navigation of the job market.
Want to mentor with Sairam? Book HERE
Khalid Arshad
Area of Practice: Commercial/Civil Litigation
Practicing since 2009 before courts, Khalid's forte is commercial/civil litigation. His extensive knowledge of the workings of the financial and commercial world allows him to craft commercially oriented solutions to complex legal problems. He also acts as a trusted legal advisor to entrepreneurs, businesses, and C-suite executives in corporations who rely on his legal acumen and knowledge to make informed business decisions. Prior to moving to Canada in 2019, Khalid practiced for a decade in India before the Supreme Court of India and provincial Superior Courts representing the Government of India, public sector giants & multinational corporations in commercial disputes across diverse sectors.
Get in touch with Khalid if you're a NCA aspirant, licensing candidate or a new call and want help in navigating and finding your feet in the legal ecosystem of Ontario.
Want to mentor with Khalid? Book HERE
Or email Khalid at: khalid@kadlawoffices.com
Jaanam Mahboobani
Area of Practice: Corporate Law
Jaanam is a corporate law associate at Gowling WLG. Jaanam is born, raised, and initially trained in Nigeria and obtained her law degree from the UK with first class honours. Upon moving to Canada, she pursued an LLM in International Business Law at Osgoode Hall Law School and completed her NCA exams. She summered and articled at Gowling WLG before joining as an associate. Jaanam is passionate about mentorship and community involvement.
Want to mentor with Jaanam?
Email Jaanam at: jaanam.mahboobani@gowlingwlg.com
Nicole Biros-Bolton
Area of Practice: Human Rights Law
Nicole Biros-Bolton was called to the Ontario bar in 2020. She has a LLB from King’s College London, UK and a LLM from University College London, UK. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Nicole worked as a counsellor, advocate and then manager in the gender-based violence sector and most recently managed an anti-human trafficking program in Toronto. Nicole has successfully navigated the NCA process, having completed 7 exams prior to starting her Articles. She is thrilled to be able to offer insights and guidance to other internationally trained lawyers who are looking to become licensed in Canada.
Want to mentor with Nicole? Book HERE
Amy Blandford
Area of Practice: Articling Student at Borden Ladner Gervais (BLG)
Amy is an articling student at Borden Ladner Gervais (BLG) LLP in their Vancouver office. After completing her LLB (Honours) at the University of Edinburgh in 2021, she decided to return to Canada with the goal of practicing in Vancouver. Amy recently completed her NCA requirements through the LLM (Common Law) program at the Peter A. Allard School of Law at UBC, and is currently enrolled in the Law Society of BC’s Professional Legal Training Course (PLTC). Amy understands the challenges faced by internationally trained lawyers pursuing practice in Canada, and is eager to share her experience in the hopes it will help those entering practice in Canada. Amy is happy to offer advice regarding the NCA qualification process, the articling application process, and articling in general.
Want to mentor with Amy? Email Amy at: ablandford@blg.com
Nassira El Hadri
Area of Practice: Corporate & Commercial Law
Nassira is a Corporate & Commercial lawyer at Scarfone Hawkins LLP, where she provides advice to corporate clients, works on M&A and financing transactions, and drafts and reviews contracts and agreements. She is qualified to provide legal services in English, French, Spanish, and Catalan. In terms of education, Nassira holds an LLB in Law from Spain and a Master’s in Business Law from France. In order to obtain her NCA Certificate of Qualification, she completed an LLM at Osgoode Hall Law School. After passing her Barrister and Solicitor licensing exams, she joined Scarfone Hawkins LLP as an articling student. Nassira was called to the Ontario Bar in June 2021.
Before qualifying as a lawyer in Ontario, Nassira worked in the heavy equipment finance industry for 4.5 years performing legal work in the areas of secured and unsecured debt recovery, bankruptcy, CCAA, and receiverships. In the litigation field, she worked with and directed lawyers across Canada, including Quebec.
Nassira offers mentoring on: Navigating the NCA process coming from a civil law jurisdiction, completing an LLM at a Canadian university, preparing for the bar exams, finding and completing an articling placement, and building your personal brand as a Canadian lawyer.
Want to mentor with Nassira? Book HERE
Priscila Jales P. Atkinson
Area of Practice: Constitutional Law
Priscila Jales P. Atkinson is a first-year counsel at the Constitutional Law Branch of the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General (MAG). She holds an LL.B from the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (Brazil) and an LL.M from Osgoode Hall Law School. Prior to immigrating to Canada in 2018, Priscila was a lawyer in Brazil where she clerked at the Federal Court of Appeal and Electoral Court of Appeal of Pernambuco.
Priscila is a member-at-large of the Constitutional, Civil Liberties and Human Rights Section at the Ontario Bar association and a co-founder of two not-for-profit organizations: the Brazil Canada Bar Association and the ITLNCA Networks. During her free time, Priscila enjoys baking Brazilian desserts, watching Brazilian soap operas, going on road trips with her pug "Boots", and chatting with her grandmother.
Priscila offers mentoring in the following areas: (i) NCA process for civil law students, (ii) study and organization techniques for the LL.M program and bar exams, (iii) government summer (2L) and articling recruitment processes, (iv) articling at MAG, and (v) hire-back process at MAG.
Want to mentor with Priscila? Book HERE
Sobiga Kamalkaran
Area of Practice: Corporate/Commerical Litigation
Sobiga maintains a corporate/commercial litigation practice at Walker Law Professional Corporation. Sobiga was called to the bar in 2022 after completing the Law Practice Program (LPP). Sobiga fulfilled the work placement component of the LPP at a reputable law firm in Vaughan, Ontario, where, after being called to the bar, she continued to practice civil litigation as an Associate Lawyer.
Want to mentor with Sobiga? Book HERE
Evgeniya Shagarina
Area of Practice: Corporate, Transactions, and Healthcare Regulatory matters
Evgeniya is an associate at a full-service law firm. Evgeniya focuses on corporate law, general transactional matters, and healthcare regulatory matters. She graduated from the Canadian Common Law LLM program at Osgoode Hall Law School a few years ago. Before moving to Canada, she practiced for over 10 years in Moscow, Russia. She looks forward to meeting and providing support to internationally trained lawyers.
Want to mentor with Evgeniya? Book HERE
Aarohi Kumar
Area of Practice: Real Estate, Corporate, and Commercial Law
Nicole Salama
Area of Practice: Director of Legal Talent at Minden Gross LLP
Nicole is the Director of Legal Talent at Minden Gross LLP, a full service mid-size firm in downtown Toronto. Prior to joining Minden Gross, Nicole managed the associate and law clerk programs for the Toronto office of a large international firm, worked in the career development office at a prominent Canadian law school and practiced commercial litigation on Bay Street. Nicole was called to the Ontario bar in 2005 and graduated from Queen’s Law. Nicole is happy to volunteer as mentor in her personal capacity as a lawyer with experience in commercial litigation.
Want to mentor with Nicole? Book HERE
Reyhanah Sarbaziha
Area of Practice: Family, Criminal, and Non-profit law
Reyhaneh grew up in York Region, Ontario. She attended the University of Toronto – St. George for Sociology and Equity studies, completed a post secondary diploma in Public Relations at Humber, and attended Adelaide University in South Australia for her LL.B. Reyhaneh returned to Toronto and completed her core NCA subjects through the Osgoode LL.M. program. She then articled at a boutique family and criminal law firm in Richmond Hill where she continued as an associate for a year. She recently returned to Australia to live with her partner and their daughter. Reyhaneh is dually licensed and is currently working as a Solicitor at a non-profit community legal centre which services women across South Australia. Reyhaneh notes that none of her accomplishments or successes were achieved without mentorship and the invaluable guidance she received throughout her life.
Want to mentor with Reyhaneh? Book HERE
Eric Kleine
Area of Practice: Corporate Law
Mr. Kleine’s practice is primarily focused on the representation of private equity firms and private companies. He advises clients on corporate matters and strategic transactions, including mergers, LBOs, acquisitions, dispositions, and controlling and minority investments.
Prior to joining Latham, Mr. Kleine practiced at another leading international law firm in San Francisco and was a M&A partner in the Toronto office of a Canadian national law firm.
Want to mentor with Eric?
Email Eric at:Eric.Kleine@lw.com
Luciana Andrade
Area of Practice: Articling Student
Luciana is originally from Brazil, where she has acquired over 7 years' experience as a litigator in a civil law system. While in Brazil, she acted in private practice representing major financial institutions and as a legal counsel for a mining company during one of the largest dam collapse cases in South America. Luciana immigrated to Canada in 2018. She has completed her NCA qualifications through the GPLLM with the University of Toronto, and joined Fogler, Rubinoff, LLP as a summer student in 2021 where she is currently completing her articles. Luciana is passionate about mentoring internationally trained lawyers to help them achieve their goals – Over the past year, she has helped her peers to successfully secure summer and articling positions in Bay Street and elsewhere, and she looks forward to sharing her tips and experience with NCA Network members. Luciana is happy to answer questions about LLM studies, the NCA accreditation, the LSO lawyer licensing process (including bar exams), the LSO formal articling and summer recruitments, and life hacks to survive all of this. Luciana is a mom to two beautiful children and would also be happy to speak with other parents about balancing the licensing process with family responsibilities.
Want to mentor with Luciana?
Email Luciana at: landrade@foglers.com
Altamish Khaki
Area of Practice: Family Law
Altamish practices family law in Vancouver, BC. He obtained his law degree from the University of Leicester in England. He completed his NCA exams while working full-time for a boutique family law firm in Vancouver, and later completed his articles at the same firm. He is passionate about giving back and helping others. He is happy to help with questions related to the NCAs, Ontario bar exams, articling, family law, litigation, etc.
Want to mentor with Altamish? Book HERE!
Shazia Umer
Area of Practice: Personal Injury, Employment, and Family Law
Admitted to the Alberta Bar in 2021, Shazia has practiced in personal injury, employment, and general commercial and civil litigation. She provides a disciplined approach to problem-solving by determining client motives and interests.Shazia enjoys engaging in discussions with her peers and learning more about civil litigation areas, including: serious personal injury, employment law and human rights, insurance, corporate/commercial disputes, and immigration. She also loves assisting folks in informal conflict resolution.
Her passion for making a difference and raising awareness about the challenges faced by internationally trained lawyers brought her to join like-minded people. In 2018, this group successfully launched the Global Lawyers of Canada (GLC) Edmonton Chapter. Despite no longer being a director in this non-profit organization, Shazia regularly answers the questions of internationally trained lawyers pursuing their legal profession in Canada. In addition, she has been assisting NCA students with their assigned courses for nearly four years.Shazia is a Pro Bono Law Alberta volunteer and a fluent Urdu speaker. She spends her free time mingling with friends, cooking, keeping up with current events, and hiking with her small family via city trails.
Want to mentor with Shazia? Email Shazia at: sumer@umerlaw.com
Paral Mehta
Area of Practice: NCA and Paralegal Candidate
Paral completed her LL.B. (Bachelor of Law) at Punjabi University, where she was actively engaged in extracurricular activities, including participation in moot courts, national and international conferences, and volunteering in non-profit legal organizations. Furthermore, she gained professional experience by working as an Associate Legal Advisor at a corporate firm in India. She moved to Canada in 2022 and is currently enrolled in a Paralegal Program at Georgian College, Barrie. Alongside her academic pursuits, she is actively working towards obtaining her Canadian Lawyer's Licensing and preparing for the NCA exams. She looks forward to guiding internationally trained lawyers through the NCA process and assisting paralegal candidates through the licensing process. She is open to answering any questions related to both fields and is committed to providing the best assistance possible.
Want to mentor with Paral?
Email Paral at: paralmehta@outlook.com
Marie Lampropoulos
Area of Practice: In-House Counsel; Media, Entertainment, and Commercial Law
Marie Lampropoulos is Director, Associate Corporate Counsel with the legal team at Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts. Prior to joining the world of hospitality, she gained experience in litigation, tech, television, and the music industry. After earning her J.D. from the University at Buffalo School of Law, where she completed concentrations in Civil Litigation and Intellectual Property, she was admitted to the bar in Ontario, New York, and Massachusetts. She started her professional career as a litigation lawyer at a Toronto law firm. From there she transitioned to an in-house role at a tech company before moving on to the entertainment industry. At Wildbrain Ltd, a global television production and distribution company, she gained valuable experience in entertainment law. She was able marry her love of music and experience to land a rare role at the global record label, Warner Music Canada, before transitioning to her current role at Four Seasons which combines her love of travel and media experience. In addition to her work as a lawyer, Marie is an active member in the local legal and arts communities; she is currently a board member of the TD Toronto Jazz Festival and has previously held board roles with Make Music Matter, SuiteLife Arts, and the OBA Entertainment, Media, and Communications Law Section.
As someone who has made a career of combining her legal training with her passions, she is available for mentoring on the topics of volunteering, networking, career transitions, what it is like working in any of the above noted industries, and private practice vs. in-house practice.
Want to mentor with Marie? Book HERE!
Priya Gill
Area of Practice: Articling Student at Cassels, Brock, & Brockwell LLP
Priya Gill (she/her/hers) is a member of the 2022-2023 Articling Student class at Cassels, Vancouver. Priya graduated from the LLM CL program at the Peter A. Allard School of Law at UBC in May 2021. Prior to this, she graduated with an LLB from the University of Glasgow in Scotland, where she was born. Between her LLB and LLM, Priya passed the February 2021 New York State Bar Exam. Throughout her studies Priya has worked as a legal assistant at a diverse range of law firms in Scotland, California and Vancouver.
If you have any questions regarding how to secure articles and navigating the articling process as an NCA candidate, please feel free to reach out to Priya.
Want to mentor with Priya? Email Priya at: pgill@cassels.com
Martine Boucher
Area of Practice: Founding Partner at Simplex
Martine Boucher is an innovator, a creator, an advocate and a lawyer. She is the Chairwoman, and one of the founding partners of Simplex, an alternative and tech-focussed law firm headquartered in Calgary, serving client across the country, in English and French. She is called to the Bar in Montreal, Alberta and Ontario, and has extensive experience in Natural Resources, Financing, Aircraft, Construction and Transportation industries, both with a national law firm and in-house with large organizations such as General Electric and CBC.
It was during her time in-house that Martine realized that she wanted to provide legal services to business across Canada in a cost-effective, practical manner. In 2012, Simplex was launched to offer provide interim support and tech-enabled legal services for business and legal departments across Canada.
Want to mentor with Martine? Book HERE!
Gabriel Latner
Area of Practice: Partner at Advocan Law LLP
Gabriel had a bachelor of laws from Cambridge University, an LLM from Georgetown , 2+ years of working experience, and was called to the New York Bar when he moved back to Canada and discovered that very little of this experience or education mattered to Canadian regulators or employers. He found the NCA process demeaning, the Ontario Bar Exams depressing, and the only silver lining of the dark cloud that was the requalification process was that he was finally able to convince the Law Society he didn't need to article (but only by threatening to sue). Gabriel practices commercial litigation, and advises SMEs, investors, and UHNWIs.
Want to mentor with Gabriel? Email Gabriel at: gabriel@advocan.ca
Andrey Markov
Area of Practice: Legal Counsel at Nokia
Andrey is a Legal Counsel at Nokia, based in Toronto. He focuses on corporate commercial law, contracts, telecommunications, IP and licensing, as well as general transactional matters. Andrey graduated from the Canadian Common Law LLM program at Osgoode Hall Law School in 2020 and was called to bar in Ontario in 2021. His experience also includes practicing law back in Russia and Europe for over 10 years prior to moving to Canada - for the most part, working in-house in IT, IP and Tech.
Andrey is looking forward to connecting with mentees on the topics of practicing as in-house counsel in Canadian and international environment, completing NCA requirements via LLM, articling, and bar exams.
Want to mentor with Andrey? Email Andrey at: andrey.markov@nokia.com
Kevin Luciano Fernandes
Area of Practice: Civil litigation, Wills & Estates and Construction law
Kevin Luciano Fernandes is currently working as a student-at-law with Julian Heller and Associates. Before moving to Canada, Kevin worked in litigation and as in house counsel in financial technology in India. Kevin would be happy to provide guidance on the NCA process, the lawyer licensing process, the law practice program, resume development and navigation of the job market in Ontario
Want to mentor with Kevin? Email Kevin at: Kevin.lucianofernandes@gmail.com
Jenny Guest
Area of Practice: Financial Services Regulatory Solicitor
Jenny is a dual qualified financial services regulatory solicitor (Ontario 2013; England & Wales 2010) with experience of consumer/retail financial services, payments, residential mortgages and prudential regulation. She is offering mentoring in NCA, articling and obtaining employment in Canada.
Want to mentor with Jenny? Book HERE!
Anzhela Said
Area of Practice: Immigration Law and Corporate Law
A Canadian-Ukrainian qualified lawyer, member of the Law Society of Alberta, and registered Legal Consultant at Dubai, UAE, Anzhela Said works at Fisher Law, an immigration law firm in Calgary, Alberta and as a Corporate Lawyer at a law firm located in Dubai. She speaks fluent Ukrainian, Russian and Pashto.
Anzhela has a fascinating background in several sectors. Prior to starting her legal career, she completed nursing school in Ukraine and worked as a hospital nurse. She then graduated with an LLB from the Institute of Economics and Law, Ukraine in 1998 and has more than fourteen years of experience as in-house corporate counsel in the oil and gas industry in Ukraine and Kazakhstan. Her spirit of inquiry about indigenous history and background led her to complete certificates in Indigenous Canada from the University of Alberta and University of Toronto. Outside of the office, Anzhela maintains a strong level of community involvement. She is passionate about working in the newcomer community and has assisted various volunteer organizations. She was an interpreter at Immigrant Services of Calgary for more than 10 years and was awarded “Volunteer of the Month”, in April 2019. Anzhela has been volunteering with Pro Bono Law and Calgary Legal Guidance for many years. She was recognized in 2021 for her volunteering with a Distinguished Service Award for her 5 years of service with Calgary Legal Guidance. In addition to her legal work and community activities, Anzhela enjoys socializing with friends, spending time with her family, skating, sledding, swimming, and traveling all over the world!
Want to mentor with Anzhela? Email Anzhela at: said_angela@yahoo.com
Kateryna Kozachuk
Area of Practice: Tax Law
Kateryna is a tax lawyer at Milot Law and was called to the Ontario Bar in 2019. Before joining Milot Law, Kateryna articled and practiced in the areas of civil litigation and class actions. Kateryna is also a member of the executive committee and a newsletter editor of the Taxation Section of the Ontario Bar Association.
Kateryna completed her B.A., M.A., and B.C.L at Ostroh University in Ukraine. Furthermore, she completed her Master of Laws at the University of Toronto and is a Master of Laws in Taxation candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School.
Want to mentor with Kateryna? Book HERE!
COMING SOON MENTORS
Martyna Majewska
Area of Practice: Foreign Consulting
Martyna is a Polish Attorney at Law and a Foreign Consultant accredited by the Law Society of Ontario living in Toronto, Ontario. Martyna is also a paralegal candidate, and soon a family mediator and an Osgoode law School LLM student. Martyna is familiar with the NCA procedure, paralegal studies in Toronto and preparation for the P1 exam. Martyna is able to mentor you in the process of becoming a Foreign Consultant accredited by the LSO and speaks both Polish and English.
Harleen Bains
Area of Practice: Barrister, Solicitor and Notary Public
Harleen Bains is recent call to the bar (November 2022) in Ontario. Harleen practiced in the High Court of Delhi and Supreme Court of India for over 5 years before she started her journey to become licensed in Ontario, Canada. Harleen's areas of practice were corporate and commercial law. Harleen worked for a couple of months as a legal assistant (immigration) here in Toronto, and at present is looking for new opportunities.
Harleen has cleared all her NCA’s and bar exams without any tutoring / or help. Harleen self studied and thus, is willing to help anyone who needs guidance on how to go about the material, study strategy etc. In addition to that, Harleen is also willing to help them understand the Canadian job market better, help them with their resumes, get them insights on what all roles they can apply for while they are in the process of their licensing.