Staff

Our staff includes:

Catherine McKenna, Executive Director (info@cla-ace.ca)

Catherine McKenna is a social entrepreneur who has spent her career playing a variety of roles in the space between the private sector and public policy. Catherine started her legal career in Asia working with a leading law firm in Jakarta. She then worked as legal advisor with the United Nations peacekeeping mission in East Timor on treaty negotiations with Australia governing offshore petroleum development and maritime boundaries. Returning to Canada, she co-founded Canadian Lawyers Abroad. Catherine worked for a national law firm where she specialized in competition, international trade and constitutional matters and was senior counsel to the former Chief Justice Antonio Lamer on his review of Canada’s military justice system. Catherine later worked as Competition Counsel to one of Canada’s largest single-industry trade associations. Currently, Catherine is teaching a course about global civil society in the Masters of Global Affairs Program at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs. She is also Co-President of the Banff Forum and a board member of the Trudeau Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Toronto. Catherine is a graduate of the University of Toronto, the London School of Economics and the McGill Faculty of Law and is called to the Bars of New York and Ontario. Catherine is married to Scott Gilmore, Founder and CEO of Building Markets, and they have three young children.

Laura Morrison, Director of Student Programs (lmorrison@cla-ace.ca)

Laura Morrison is in her second year of the English Common Law Program at the University of Ottawa. She obtained a Bachelors of Social Sciences in Political Science and History also from the University of Ottawa. In 2010-2011 as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar Laura completed a Masters of Law in International Security at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Laura is Co-President of the International Law Students Association(ILSA) and writes for the online journal ILSA Quarterly. In her spare time Laura enjoys reading, running and baking.

Sarah French, Director of Programs (sfrench@cla-ace.ca)

Sarah started her career in human rights with a B.A (Honours) in Human Rights and Political Science at Carleton University. She has been actively involved with the Women’s Rights and Indigenous Rights campaigns at Amnesty International Canada since 2006. Over the years she has worked and volunteered with human rights organizations in Canada, the United Kingdom, Hungary, India and Guyana. She is passionate about indigenous rights and the rights of people with disabilities. In 2011, Sarah completed a LLM in International Human Rights Law at the University of Essex in the United Kingdom. Sarah is an avid traveler and enjoys trail running.

Nicole Walton, Communications Officer (nwalton@cla-ace.ca)

Nicole obtained her Master’s of Public Administration and Juris Doctor from Queen’s joint program following completion of her B.A. (Honours) in Psychology and Political Science at McMaster University. She is articling at the Department of Justice in Toronto for the 2012-13 year. During law school Nicole was Co-Chair of the Queen’s Chapter of CLAIHR, a student volunteer with Queen’s Legal Aid, and a member of the Women’s Varsity Lacrosse team. Between her studies Nicole enjoyed travelling and has worked as an intern on various projects abroad including a global issues course in Finland and a computer skills course in rural Guyana. Nicole lives in Toronto and enjoys cycling around the city, walking her dog, and going to Blue Jays games.

Tamara Moore, Special Projects Coordinator, (tmoore@cla-ace.ca)

Tamara is from the James Bay area and is a member of the Cree Nation. She recently completed her second year of law school at the University of Ottawa. Prior to attending law school, Tamara worked with Aboriginal children and families in the social work field. This experience sparked an interest in Family and Aboriginal Law. Previously, Tamara obtained a Bachelor of Social Work degree from Laurentian University in 2002 and a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Toronto in 2006. She enjoys travelling and spending time with friends and family.

Tiffany Butler, Dare to Dream Coordinator (Calgary), (tbutler@cla-ace.ca)

Tiffany has been involved with Canadian Lawyers Abroad since 2009.  While on exchange, Tiffany studied international law at the National University of Singapore. She speaks French, Spanish and English. Tiffany has been active in public interest law initiatives since she started law school and in her second year of law school she was the Pro Bono Students Canada Program Coordinator at the University of Calgary. Currently, Tiffany is a Student–at–Law at Calgary Legal Guidance working extensively in the Clinical and Domestic Violence Legal Intervention Programs.

Karen Restoule, Dare to Dream Coordinator (Toronto), (krestoule@cla-ace.ca)

Karen is of the Ojibway Nation and is a member of Dokis First Nation. She is a recent graduate of the French Common Law Program at the University of Ottawa. Currently, Karen is completing her articles in the area of social justice. Prior to attending law school, she worked in provincial corrections and legal fields. She graduated from the University of Toronto in 2005, in Aboriginal Studies and Linguistics. In her free time, Karen enjoys visiting with family and friends, cooking, film, and working towards the advancement of the rights of First Nations communities.

Matthew Ramsden, IT Manager (mramsden@cla-ace.ca)

Matthew has worked in a variety of communications and IT roles in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors for the past 15 years. He currently lives in Ottawa with his wife and three children.