Statement

I am seeking election as a Bencher because I believe the profession is strongest when its regulation reflects both the public interest and the realities of modern legal practice. I am the founder of Esquire Law in Calgary, where I practise primarily in family and criminal law, together with human rights and related litigation. My practice has taken me before the Alberta Court of Justice, the Court of King’s Bench, the Alberta Court of Appeal and administrative tribunals. I have also served as amicus curiae in Court of King’s Bench matters and currently serve as a Tribunal Member with the Alberta Human Rights Commission.

Those roles have given me experience in advocacy, adjudication, decision writing, professional responsibility and the practical administration of justice. Operating and growing a law firm has also given me a direct appreciation of the challenges faced by lawyers in practice: managing staff, technology, financial pressures, client expectations, professional obligations and access-to-justice concerns, while maintaining the standards the public is entitled to expect from the profession.

I have remained actively involved in the legal community through volunteer work, professional associations, legal education and mentorship. I have served as Vice President of the Southern Alberta Defence Lawyers Association, as a branch executive with the Canadian Bar Association, as a volunteer lawyer with Calgary Legal Guidance, and as a lecturer at Mount Royal University and the University of Calgary. I also regularly mentor students and junior lawyers, including providing opportunities for students to observe court proceedings and day-to-day legal practice.

I am particularly interested in the future of the profession: strong professional development, meaningful opportunities for new and junior lawyers to develop, a profession that draws on a broad range of backgrounds and experiences, and the effects of technology and changing practice models on competence, access to justice and regulation. I would bring to the Bencher table the perspective of a practising lawyer, firm owner, adjudicator, mentor and active member of the bar, together with a willingness to listen, ask difficult questions, work collaboratively and approach regulatory issues pragmatically and fairly.