Shannon Paine is Associate Counsel for the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario. Shannon’s previous work includes articling with the City of Calgary, practicing as a corporate regulatory lawyer with a boutique firm specializing in food law, and working as in-house counsel with the Electrical Safety Authority.

Shannon graduated from the University of New Brunswick with a bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Leadership Studies and received her combined JD and Masters of Public Administration from Dalhousie University. She was called to the Bars of Alberta and Ontario in 2014. Shannon is also a Director with the Mississauga Children’s Choir, Governance Committee member with the Adoption Council of Ontario, and Vice-President of the Dalhousie Law Alumni Association for Southeastern Ontario.

Shannon Paine JD. MPA
Associate Counsel
spaine@cpaontario.ca
Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario

Jennifer Gold, a partner of the law firm, Wood Gold LLP, and practices family law and wills. By entering into partnership, Jennifer Gold and her partner, Frances Wood, sought to create an alternative to the traditional law firm and thereby achieve work-life balance and a diverse workplace. These efforts were noted by Carol Goar in her article for the Toronto Star entitled, “Women Create Family-Friendly Law Practice”.

Jennifer graduated from York University with a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) in English and Psychology and holds an LL.B. from Osgoode Hall Law School. She was called to the Bar in 2002. She is a former member of the Board of Directors for North York Women’s Shelter and has been on the Board of the Women’s Law Association of Ontario since October 2016.  She has a keen interest in feminism, equity and diversity issues as well as grassroots advocacy relating to these issues.

Jennifer is a 2017 recipient of the Lexpert Zenith Awards celebrating the advancement of women in the legal profession.  When Jennifer is not practicing law and managing a law firm, she enjoys spending time with her family (including two kids, a dog and two cats) and singing with a highly competitive barbershop quartet.

 

Jennifer Gold
Partner
Wood Gold LLP | www.woodgold.ca

Shelley C. Quinn is a lawyer with her own family law practice—Quinn Family Law. She obtained her LL.B. from Osgoode Hall Law School and recently completed her LL.M. in family law at Osgoode. Shelley articled with the Department of Justice Canada and was Crown Counsel with the federal Justice Department for 17 years. She received the Department of Justice’s national Humanitarian Excellence Award in 2013, for her community volunteer work in Toronto.

Shelley is the Past Chair of the Ontario Bar Association’s Women Lawyers Forum and on the executive of the Family Lawyer’s Association. She is a Board Member of Woodgreen Community Services and a former Board Member of the Toronto Children’s Aid Society and Houselink Community Homes.

Shelley C. Quinn LL.B.
t. (416) 551-1025
f. (416) 921-3848
www.QuinnFamilyLaw.ca

Emily is an associate at Quinn Family Law. She represents clients on issues including divorce, custody and access of children, child and spousal support, and division of property. Emily regularly appears before the Ontario Court of Justice and the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. Before joining Quinn Family Law, Emily summered and articled at a large boutique litigation firm in downtown Toronto.

She obtained her Juris Doctor and her Honours Bachelor of Arts with a double major in Music and French Studies from the University of Ottawa. While attending the University of Ottawa, Emily competed in several oral advocacy competitions. She won first place in the Canadian National Negotiation Competition in Winnipeg. Her performance led her to the International Negotiation Competition in Oslo, Norway, where she competed against more than 30 teams from around the world and was awarded second place.

Emily has been a member of the Women’s Law Association of Ontario since her articles when she was an active member of the Articling Chapter. She has since sat on several committees including Communications and Programming. Emily joined the Board of Directors in 2020.

Emily Kostandoff
Quinn Family Law
416-551-1025
emily@quinnfamilylaw.ca

Jacquelyn is a partner at Willms & Shier Environmental Lawyers LLP. Jacquelyn is designated as a Certified Specialist in Environmental Law by the Law Society of Ontario. Jacquelyn has significant expertise representing a wide range of clients in environmental civil litigation, defence of prosecutions by environmental regulators, and at administrative appeals and hearings.

Jacquelyn also provides effective advice and solutions for environmental due diligence and compliance, brownfields/contaminated site remediation, and environmental approvals for air, odour, noise and waste. Jacquelyn has a separate practice advising both First Nations and private sector clients on Aboriginal environmental law issues. In addition to her law degree, Jacquelyn has a B.Sc. in Earth Sciences from Dalhousie University, a M.Sc. in Geology from St. Francis Xavier University, and a Master of Environmental Law & Policy from Vermont Law School. Jacquelyn is called to the bar in Ontario and Alberta.

Jacquelyn Stevens, B.Sc., M.Sc., M.S.E.L., LL.B.
Partner Willms & Shier Environmental Lawyers LLP
1 Toronto Street, Suite 900
Toronto, ON M5HC 2V6
Tel: 416-862-4828 | Fax: 416-863-1938
jstevens@willmsshier.com

Sylvia has been working for the City of Toronto's Legal Services - Prosecution Division since 2018. Prior to this she worked for the Niagara Region's Prosecution team. Current work focuses on appellant work at the Ontario Court of Justice and is a volunteer mentor for newly arrived lawyers through TRIEC. She graduated from Osgoode Hall with a joint JD and Masters in Environmental Policy in 2015. Before attending Law School she spent two years teaching English in rural Japan and has kept up her interest for work abroad by completing two law focused internships in East Africa.

She can be reached at sylvia.kym@gmail.com

Vagmi practices Civil Litigation with an emphasis on subrogated claims involving construction-related litigation and contractor’s negligence, environmental disputes, product liability, and property damage.

Prior to joining Mason Caplan Roti LLP, Vagmi articled and practiced at a prominent insurance defence firm in Toronto, assisting counsel in defence of personal injury, occupier’s liability, and contractor negligence. She has appeared in front of the Superior Court of Justice, the Ontario Court of Justice, the Small Claims Court, the Social Benefits Tribunal, and the Landlord Tenant Board.

Vagmi obtained her law degree from the University of Windsor. While at Windsor, she worked as a litigator at the community legal clinic in Windsor representing underprivileged clients in civil, criminal, and residential tenancy matters. Vagmi completed a semester at the University of Mannheim in Germany through an exchange program. Prior to attending law school, Vagmi completed her undergraduate degree in Life Sciences and worked as a research assistant in Molecular Biology and Pathology.

During articling, Vagmi was Co-Chair of the Articling Chapter of the Women’s Law Association of Ontario. She now sits on the Mentoring and Social Committee.

Education:

Honours Bachelor of Science, McMaster University, 2012
Juris Doctor, University of Windsor, 2016

Professional Affiliations:

Law Society of Ontario
Women’s Law Association of Ontario
Ontario Bar Association

Passionate about Canadian law and history, Najma has accumulated over 20 years of court expertise. With a deep belief in individual rights, she will apply herself to your case with professionalism and dedication. She engages in open communication with the client to ensure that you are kept updated throughout the process. She has experience dealing with complex matters before all levels of court and regularly appears in the appellate courts. Najma has frequently participated as a panelist for several legal education conferences held by Ontario Bar Association, Osgoode Hall Professional Development Program and the Criminal Lawyers Association. She serves on committees for the Advocates’ Society and Women’s Law Association of Ontario. Najma works with a network of lawyers in shared chambers to ensure you are served from all angles. Najma Jamaldin Barrister & Solicitor 1702 - 180 Dundas Street West Toronto, Ontario M5G 1Z8 team@njlaw.ca

Noeline has worked in a variety of administrative law areas, both in public service and as a lawyer in Ontario and British Columbia. She is currently a member of the Law Society of Ontario and works as a member with the Condominium Authority Tribunal (Condominium Authority of Ontario). Noeline has also served as Vice-Chair and Member on several tribunals within the Tribunals Ontario cluster and she was an Assistant Deputy Chairperson and Member of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, where she was involved in the recruitment and training of adjudicators and mediation officers. Noeline holds Bachelor of Arts degrees from the University of Toronto and York University, a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Toronto and a Juris Doctor from Osgoode Hall Law School. She is currently pursuing doctoral studies related to the use of technology in the legal sector. Noeline is an active community volunteer and has served on the Board of Directors for a number of non-profit organizations.

Fariya Walji is currently the Assistant Director of Professional Development and Work Experience at the Law Practice Program. She leads a team in supporting hundreds of licensing candidates each year in their career development and liaises with legal professionals and stakeholders across the province. Fariya's home position is as a Crown Counsel within the Ministry of the Attorney General. She engages in civil and criminal litigation and works on special projects including legislative amendments, student hiring, and training police officers. In addition to Chairing the WLAO Membership Committee and engaging in mentorship activities, Fariya is a frequent public speaker on topics covering career development, litigation, EDI, and more. A proud alumna of the University of Windsor Faculty of Law, Fariya was called to the bar in Ontario in 2015.