About Us

Teresa Donnelly was nominated as a member of the Federation Council by the Law Society of Ontario (LSO) in 2022.  She received her LL.B. from the University of Toronto, and was called to the Bar in 1991.

She was first elected as a Bencher with the LSO in 2015 and re-elected in 2019. Teresa then served as the law society Treasurer (President) for two years, becoming the fifth woman to hold the position in the 200-year history of the LSO. In that role, Teresa focused on the mental health of legal practitioners, reconciliation, the competence and ethical responsibilities of lawyers and paralegals, and the important role that paralegals play in access to justice in Ontario.

Teresa has been a lawyer with the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General since 1994. She has been Assistant Crown Attorney in the Region of Waterloo and the County of Huron, and the Crown Attorney for the County of Huron. As West Region Sexual Violence Crown she was one of 7 full-time prosecutors in Ontario dedicated to enhancing the quality of sexual violence prosecutions and the victim’s experience in the criminal justice system. As a Crown, Teresa has been dedicated to prosecutions involving domestic and sexual violence against women and children.

Louis-Martin Beaumont was nominated to Federation Council by Chambre des notaires du Québec in 2017. He is currently a member of the Executive Committee of the Chambre des notaires, and chairs the Continuing Education Committee. Mr. Beaumont is also as a member of the Investment Committee of the Chambre des notaires, and serves as a member of the strategic committee leading the ongoing digital initiative of the Chambre des notaires, which aims to implement paperless transactions in notarial work.

Me. Beaumont was first elected to the Board of Directors of the Chambre des notaires du Québec in 2011, having served for several years as a member of the Laval Advisory Committee and the Disciplinary Committee of the Chambre des notaires.

He received his licence in 1993, and is now the third generation to hold the reins of the family firm that was established in 1950 in what is now the city of Laval, Quebec.

Justin Robichaud, KC was nominated to serve as a member of the Federation Council by the Law Society of New Brunswick in 2022. He received a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree and his Bachelor of Law (LL.B.) from the Université de Moncton and was called to the bar in 2011. He was appointed King’s Counsel in 2021.

He is a founding partner of Fidelis Law Droit, a boutique litigation firm in Moncton, New Brunswick. His practice is focused mainly on personal injury and insurance law litigation. Justin is also a sessional lecturer at the Université de Moncton Law Faculty where he teaches Insurance Law.

Justin was elected President of the Law Society of New Brunswick (LSNB) for the 2022-2023 term, becoming the youngest member to hold this position in the history of the law society. Since first being elected as a Council member of LSNB, he has been active on many law society committees including the Admissions Committee, the Bar Admission Program Committee, the Continuing Professional Development Review Task Force, and the Bar Review Task Force. Justin also served as President of the New Brunswick Branch of the Canadian Bar Association in 2018-2019.

Active in his community, he is a soccer coach with the local youth league, a board member of the Beausejour Family Crisis Centre, and a public representative on the Complaints Committee of the College of Physiotherapists of New Brunswick.

Erin Kleisinger, KC was nominated to the Federation Council by the Law Society of Saskatchewan in 2018. She is currently a partner in private practice with McDougall Gauley LLP in Regina, where she has a varied commercial and litigation practice with a focus on university and privacy law, and acts as counsel to the University of Regina.  Erin has appeared before all levels of court, including the Supreme Court of Canada.

Erin received her Bachelor of Arts (Honours) and LLB from Queen’s University and was admitted to the Saskatchewan bar in 1993.  She was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2016.

Erin was appointed by the Benchers of the Law Society of Saskatchewan in February 2014 to fill a vacancy, and was re-elected in 2015. She was elected Vice-President of the Law Society that same year, and served as its President in 2017. While a Bencher, Erin served on the Executive, Conduct Investigation, Equity and Diversity, Access and Governance Committees, and chaired the Professional Standards Committee.

Erin is currently on the faculty of the Law Society’s Trial Advocacy Workshop, acting as its Chair since 2012.  She served two terms as a member of the Provincial Court of Saskatchewan Judicial Council, and is the former President of the Saskatchewan Legal Education Society Inc.  She has also been a sessional lecturer in the Faculty of Business Administration at the University of Regina.

Brook Greenberg, KC was nominated to serve on the Federation Council by the Law Society of British Columbia (LSBC) in 2022. He is currently a member of the Federation’s National Wellness Study Steering Committee. Brook received his LL.B. from the University of British Columbia, and was called to the bar in B.C. in 1998.

He has been a Bencher of the law society since 2016, and will be the LSBC’s Second Vice President in 2023.  Brook currently serves as the Chair of the LSBC’s Discipline Committee, the Mental Health Task Force and the Trust Review Task Force, and is Vice-chair of the Lawyer Development Task Force.

Brook is a partner in the Vancouver office of Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP. His practice focuses on complex commercial, construction and forestry litigation. He also teaches civil procedure as an adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia.

From 2005 to 2012, Brook served on the board of directors of MOSAIC, a not-for-profit provider of settlement and support services for immigrants and refugees.

Carsten Jensen, K.C., FCIArb was nominated to the Federation Council by the Law Society of Alberta in 2019.

Carsten was President of the Law Society of Alberta from 2013 to 2014, and was first elected as Bencher in 2006. He also served as Chair of several major law society committees, including Credentials and Education and Finance.

Carsten is a partner of JSS Barristers of Calgary. His practice with the firm focuses exclusively on dispute resolution, with an emphasis on corporate and commercial litigation, including commercial class actions, oil and gas disputes, shareholder disputes, multi-party litigation and arbitrations. Carsten also acts for the Alberta Lawyers Indemnity Association in defence of professional negligence claims and on insurance coverage issues. Carsten is a Fellow of the London-based Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb). He is also a member of the Professional Conduct Committee of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

In 1998, during a two-year leave from JSS Barristers, Carsten acted as senior legal officer and team leader at the United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC) in Geneva, Switzerland. In that capacity, Carsten worked on the Kuwait Oil Company claim for losses caused by oil well fires that were the result of Iraq’s invasion and occupation of Kuwait.

Andrea Argue, K.C. was nominated to the Federation Council by the Law Society of Saskatchewan in 2023.

Andrea practices law in Swift Current, SK at Argue Law, working in the areas of corporate and commercial law, real estate, business organization and succession, estate planning and estate administration, particularly with an agricultural focus. That expertise comes first hand: her family operates a large grain farm. Andrea obtained her LLB from the University of Saskatchewan in 2001. She then served articles of clerkship at the Court of Appeal for Saskatchewan. She was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2021.

Andrea was first elected as a Bencher of the Law Society of Saskatchewan in 2018. Since then, her involvement with the law society has also included work on the Ethics, Discipline, Competency, Insurance, Firm Regulation and Trust Safety committees. She served as President of the Law Society for the 2023 term.

Andrea also volunteers as a presenter on legal topics to both professional and public audiences, and is chairperson of the Swift Current Comprehensive High School Community Council.

Lynda Troup was nominated to the Federation Council, effective November 2020 by the Law Society of Manitoba.

Lynda has served as a Bencher of the Law Society of Manitoba since 2014, and served as the 100th President of the law society for the  2020-2021 term..  She has also served on a number of law society committees.

Lynda is a partner at Thompson Dorfman Sweatman LLP in Winnipeg, where she has practiced since her call to the bar in 2004. Her practice focuses on civil and commercial litigation and administrative law. Lynda also provides procedural advice to various administrative bodies and has appeared before all levels of Court in Manitoba, the Federal Court of Canada and various administrative tribunals.

Atrisha Lewis was nominated as a member of the Federation Council by the Law Society of Ontario (LSO) in 2023.  She obtained her JD with honours from the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law in 2012, and was called to the Bar in 2013. She previously obtained a Bachelors of Commerce with Great Distinction at McGill University in 2009, where she concentrated in accounting.

In 2019, Atrisha was elected as Bencher of the Law Society of Ontario. She was re-elected in 2023, and is currently the Chair of the Professional Development & Competence Committee. Atrisha has consistently demonstrated her commitment to leadership in the legal profession. In 2021, she was recognized with the Globe and Mail’s “Changemakers” award. In 2020, she was awarded the University of Toronto’s Wilson Prichard award for outstanding contribution to the legal profession. In 2018 she was awarded an Arbour Award in recognition of her outstanding volunteer contribution to the University of Toronto.

Stephanie Lisa Roberts became a member of the Federation Council in August 2021, nominated by the Barreau du Québec. A litigator in the Montreal office of the Attorney General of Quebec, Stephanie has been practicing in the field of public law litigation since her admission to the Quebec Bar in 2003. She has pleaded before all judicial bodies in Quebec, including the Federal Court and several administrative tribunals.

Specializing in constitutional and aboriginal law, Stephanie has acted in major cases involving land claims and the aboriginal rights of various aboriginal communities in Quebec. Her practice in constitutional law has also involved successful representation for various provincial ministries in claims based on the rights and freedoms protected by the Charter.

Stephanie is very involved in the mentoring of young lawyers. She is a professor at the École du Barreau, where she teaches civil evidence and representation.

She is also involved in the legal community as a member of the board of directors of the Barreau du Québec, and sits on various committees of both the Barreau and the Federation of Law Societies of Canada.

François Lebreux, L.L.B., D.D.N., L.L.M., M.B.A., is a seasoned legal and financial expert with nearly 40 years of experience spanning organizational development, financial recovery, and international law. As a notary with Notaires Groupe Conseils La Prairie Inc., François has built a distinguished career specializing in real estate law, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate legal consulting. His expertise extends to managing complex financial recoveries, business diagnostics, and high-stakes negotiations. François has served in pivotal roles at prominent institutions like the National Bank of Canada and Ernst & Young, where he led teams in corporate finance and financial risk management.

Beyond his professional practice, François is a dedicated educator at the Université de Montréal’s Faculty of Law, where he has been a lecturer since 1999. His academic contributions include co-authoring legal publications and supervising notarial internships. His extensive legal background is complemented by advanced degrees in business and commercial law, making him a well-rounded advisor in both legal and financial spheres. François is actively involved in professional associations, holding memberships with the Chambre des notaires du Québec, reflecting his ongoing commitment to professional excellence and lifelong learning.

Frank E. DeMont, KC was nominated to the Federation Council by the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society in September 2021.

Frank was a member of Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society Council (NSBS) from 2015 to June 2019, and served as President in 2018-2019. He has chaired a number of the Society’s committees, and continues to chair the NSBS Code of Professional Conduct Committee (since 2016) and the Professional Responsibilities Policy and Procedures Committee (since 2018).

Frank has been a leader in the Multi-disciplinary Practices initiative and Trust Account reforms in Nova Scotia. Since 2012 his work has been increasingly as an Arbitrator and Mediator but he continues to represent a small group of Corporate and Municipal enterprises. Prior to 2012 Frank’s work was centered around Corporate and Commercial law.

For the first 15 years of his practice, Frank worked mostly in Criminal law including a period as a staff lawyer with Nova Scotia Legal Aid. During that time Frank made five appearances in the Supreme Court of Canada, most notably for the R. v. Borden case relating to DNA and search and seizure, and the Curragh Resources case, in which Frank was seconded to act for one of the managers of the Westray Mine in matters arising from the May 1992 mine disaster.

Frank is particularly proud of his small role in obtaining the posthumous pardon of Viola Desmond.

Cynthia is a lawyer with Key Murray Law in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.  Cynthia completed her education at University of Prince Edward Island (B.A., 2003) and University of New Brunswick Law School (LL.B. 2007) and was called to the bar of Prince Edward Island in 2008.
 
Cynthia represents clients who have been injured as a result of motor vehicle accidents, slips and falls, and pedestrian accidents, as well as representing clients whose family members were involved in a fatal accident.
 
She is an active volunteer with the Law Society of Prince Edward Island, and she is a past President of both the Atlantic Provinces Trial Lawyers Association and the PEI Branch of the Canadian Bar Association. She is also the current Vice President Elect of the Atlantic Provinces Trial Lawyers Association.

Ian Patey was nominated to the Federation Council by the Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador in 2020.

He was first elected as a Bencher of the Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador in 2015, and served as President for the 2019-2020 term. He has also chaired the law society’s Accounts and Finance, Complaints Authorization, and Mandate Review committees.

Ian was appointed public nominee to the Discipline Panel of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Newfoundland and Labrador in 2009 and served in that capacity with the Institute and its successor organizations until 2018. He served on the Board and Executive Committee of The Rooms Corporation from 2012 to 2018. The corporation is responsible for the provincial museum, archives and art gallery. Ian also served on the host committee of the 2016 Newfoundland and Labrador Summer Games.

As a partner in the St. John’s firm O’Dea Earle, Ian maintains an active practice in union side labour and employment law, civil litigation, real estate, wills and estates, and criminal law. He has appeared at boards of arbitration, numerous administrative tribunals, and all levels of court in the province as well as the Federal Court (Trial Division).

Ian received his Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in 1997 from Memorial University and his law degree in 2000 from the University of New Brunswick. He was called to the Newfoundland and Labrador Bar in 2001.

In practice since 1984, Mr. McWhinnie currently leads a small team of regulatory prosecutors, and acts as Chief Prosecutor for Yukon Justice.

He previously served as a federal prosecutor for nearly 30 years, retiring from the Public Prosecution Service in 2017 as General Counsel. His duties took him across all three northern Territories, along with periods of service in the federal Crimes against Humanity/War Crimes unit in Ottawa, and later the Proceeds of Crime section in Edmonton.

Primarily a criminal trial lawyer, he also has substantial criminal appellate experience.

First called to the Alberta bar in 1984, and currently active in Yukon, Mr. McWhinnie was previously active in the bars of the NWT and Nunavut.

Formerly a member of the Discipline Committee of the Yukon Law Society, Mr. McWhinnie also served as an outside mentor/practice advisor to the Yukon Legal Aid program.

Tracy Bock became a member of the Federation Council in November 2022, nominated by the Law Society of the Northwest Territories. He received his LL.B. from Western University, and was called to the Bar in New Brunswick in 2006. He was subsequently called to the bar in the Northwest Territories in 2009, and Nunavut in 2020.

Since moving to Yellowknife, Tracy has been active in volunteer positions with the law society, and served as President in 2018 and 2019. He continues to be active on a number of committees.

Tracy currently works as Executive Director of the Legal Aid Commission of the Northwest Territories.  He previously served as Legal Counsel with the Government of the Northwest Territories’ Department of Justice representing the government in a variety of civil proceedings, inquests, and arbitrations.  Tracy also practiced criminal defence law for over a decade in the Northwest Territories.  His years of travel throughout the north in the course of this work sparked his ongoing interest in the promotion and implementation of access to justice initiatives in Canada’s remote northern communities.