“Fifteen years ago I was practicing employment and general litigation law in Calgary. A personal friend was looking for a lawyer to help her draft a surrogacy agreement. I searched for a lawyer to refer her to, and I quickly discovered that there were no lawyers in Alberta with this expertise.

I realized that I had an opportunity to help people by learning about surrogacy and fertility law, and creating expertise in in the Province of Alberta.

It is particularly fulfilling to me to help gay men and infertile people create families. I frequently hear from surrogates that their children are the best part of their lives. I feel the same way about my own two children–helping others achieve the goal of parenthood is very fulfilling.

In the last 10 years, my law practice has focused on helping real people and businesses solve problems – primarily in employment law and general litigation.

I had worked with Rachel in the employment context many times over the years and I knew that she had a keen interest in human rights issues and contractual relationships. In 2016, I convinced her to leave her large corporate law firm and join me in practicing employment, surrogacy, and fertility law. The rest, as they say, is history.


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“Prior to law school, I completed an honours degree in Psychology. I had planned to become a clinical psychologist, but was drawn to the law because it presented another way to help people navigate problems.

I spent the first 10 years of my legal practice at a large corporate law firm, in the area of employment and human rights law. I had worked with Ellen on many files, and we developed a friendship over the years.

In 2016, I joined Ellen practising in employment, human rights, surrogacy, and fertility law. My practice allows me to solve problems and help people every day, which I love. Ellen and I take a collaborative approach to our practice, and it is a pleasure to work with her every day.

We have a similar approach to business, to the practice of law and our goal is to work together, enjoy the practice and provide exceptional service to our clients.

The nature of a surrogacy practice is a little bit like obstetrics—babies come at all hours of the day and all days of the week. We work as a team to make sure that one of us is always available to assist our clients—any time—night or day. We both feel that it is important to approach surrogacy files with a highly personalized approach. This includes having our staff come to the hospital at birth to assist with paperwork, so that our clients can focus on their new family.”


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