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- 333 Bay Street West, Bay Adelaide P.O. Box 20010 Toronto, ON, M5H 2R0, Canada
President
Jenelle is in house legal counsel with Grant Thornton LLP where she manages the delivery of legal services...
Vice President
Chinelo began her law practice in Nigeria, where she was called to the bar in 2007. She built ...
Treasurer
Kamika is part of KSS HoldCo Inc.’s Executive Team and Management Committee as General Counsel for the ...
Director-at-Large
Kadiata is a bilingual (English/French) Corporate Commercial Lawyer with...
Director-at-Large
Nicole Singh is a partner in Fasken’s Labour, Employment, and Human Rights practice ...
Director-at-Large
Rebecca is the principal lawyer of Scantlebury Law and practices in the areas of employment ...
Director-at-Large
After summering and articling on Bay Street with an interest in the areas of securities and ...
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The Black Female Lawyers Network (BFLN) is a not-for-profit organization that was established in 2006. The BFLN provides students and practitioners in the field a forum to convene, share and learn from each other.
Copyright © 2023. Black Female Lawyer’s Network
President
Jenelle is in house legal counsel with Grant Thornton LLP where she manages the delivery of legal services by external counsel and provides legal support on a wide range of issues including privacy, regulatory compliance,risk management, contracts and policy matters.
She obtained her J.D. from Dalhousie Schulich School of Law and was called to the Ontario Bar in 2012 and admitted to the New York bar in 2015. Before joining Grant Thornton, Jenelle practiced for five years in the financial services and risk management groups at a Bay Street law firm. Jenelle is a member of the Canadian Bar Association.
Outside of work, Jenelle dedicates her time to mentoring young people.
Chinelo began her law practice in Nigeria, where she was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2007. She built her practice in civil litigation, commercial transactions, and corporate governance while working in private practice and in-house roles for reputable institutions. She was a Senior Associate with the renowned Aluko & Oyebode LLP, known as the largest law firm in Nigeria and one of the most prestigious in the West African Region.
She completed her Masters’ Degree in Business Law at the Schulich Law School, Dalhousie University (Halifax) in 2012, and qualified for practice with the Ontario Bar in 2018.
Chinelo presently works as a Finance Transactions Counsel at the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, where she advises on deal structuring towards providing affordable housing solutions for Canadians.
Outside of work, she is an advocate for women empowerment in the society, volunteers with the Black Business Law Clinic, mentors younger colleagues within and outside the profession, and writes on her personal blog.
Treasurer
Kamika is part of KSS HoldCo Inc.’s Executive Team and Management Committee as General Counsel for the company and its varied subsidiaries including: Kingsdale Advisors, QM Environmental, Harbor Club Hotel, Neale’s Sweet n’ Nice Ice-cream, Titan Supply, Aisle 24, BIPOC Executive Recruitment, ESG Global Advisors, Celldration Water and the Black North Initiative.
Prior to joining the KSS HoldCo team, Kamika studied and worked in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the Caribbean, in various legal capacities including as an Associate specializing in the areas of corporate law, real estate, civil litigation, health law, employment law and wills and estates. She has also worked in academic research conducting award winning health studies and writing published research papers to improve health outcomes and reduce the stigma associated with STI/HIV in the black community in London and the Caribbean.
Kamika was called to the Ontario Bar in 2015 and holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from The University of London, City University; The Osgoode Certificate in Health Law from Osgoode Hall Law School; a Master’s degree in Health Promotion and Public Health from Brunel University in the United Kingdom; and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Law & Society from York University.
Kamika also serves as Board Member of the Council of the College of Homeopaths of Ontario where she sits on various committees to ensure public safety and promotion of the College.
Director-At-Large
Kadiata is a bilingual (English/French) Corporate Commercial Lawyer with Momentum Business Law PC. She was called to the Ontario Bar in 2020. Her solicitor practice focuses on assisting Professionals, Small Medium Businesses owners, Technology Start-ups and Not-for-Profits with their corporate commercial and employment law needs.
Kadiata is internationally trained and holds a maîtrise in International and European law from the University Paris X- Nanterre (France), an LL.M in Common Law from Saint-Louis University School of Law (USA) and an LL.M Business Law from De Montfort University (UK). Kadiata has been an active member of BFLN since February 2020 and currently serves as a BFLN Director-at-Large and Chairs the Events Committee.
Director-At-Large
Nicole Singh is a partner in Fasken’s Labour, Employment, and Human Rights practice group. Nicole regularly advises public and private sector employers on a wide range of issues, including labour disputes, grievance arbitrations, human rights and accommodation, employment standards, employment contracts and terminations, collective agreement interpretation, and wrongful dismissals. Nicole has represented clients before arbitrators, courts, the Ontario Labour Relations Board and the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal.
Nicole has specialized experience in the health care sector. She spent over a year at a large acute care hospital where she managed the hospital’s labour and employment litigation, and provided day-to-day legal advice to the hospital’s human resources department.
Nicole is passionate about diversity and inclusion in the workplace. She regularly advises clients on achieving a more diverse workforce and eliminating systemic barriers. Nicole is a member of Fasken’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee.
Nicole also co-leads the LAWS mentorship program at Fasken, which aims to support, guide and motivate high school students who face various barriers to educational advancement.
Director-At-Large
Rebecca is the principal lawyer of Scantlebury Law and practices in the areas of employment, human rights and real estate law with respect to her litigation practice, Rebecca represents both employers and employees and
has experience advising on a variety of matters including employment contracts, wrongful
dismissals, and various human rights matters. She is also experienced in investigating workplace
harassment allegations and related matters. In her real estate practice, Rebecca assists clients
with refinancing transactions and residential purchases and sales.
Prior to establishing Scantlebury Law, Rebecca gained experience at a reputable Bay Street law
firm where she provided legal services for Fortune 500 companies, and a boutique employment
and human rights law firm.
Rebecca holds a Bachelor of Arts with honours in Socio-Legal studies and French Linguistics at
the University of Toronto. She also holds a Bachelor of Law from the University of Sussex in
the United Kingdom. At the University of Sussex, Rebecca received first place in both the
internal and regional DMH Stallard LLP Client Interviewing skills competition.
Aside from practicing law, Rebecca’s community work continues to be an important aspect of
her life. Rebecca regularly advocates for the advancement of women, diversity and inclusion and
access to justice. Rebecca presently heads the communication committee on the Black Female
Lawyers Network (BFLN), and has a keen interest in assisting organizations that provide support
services to individuals with Dementia in the Greater Toronto Area.
Director-At-Large
After summering and articling on Bay Street with an interest in the areas of securities and corporate law,
upon being called to the Bar in 2008, Mrs. Mara Clarke returned to her social justice/public legal
education roots when she joined the outreach team of Ontario Justice Education Network. In her role as
Director of Outreach, Mara was responsible for managing the team that vulnerable youth about the law.
In this role, Mara designed family law public legal education programs for some of Ontario’s most
vulnerable mothers, as a result of this challenging work, Mara found her passion: family law. Mara is a
family law lawyer owner and operator of The Law Office of Mara Clarke. Her resolution focused,
culturally sensitive approach to family law practice prioritizes her client’;s interests and the parties’;
relationship, helping them establish the “new normal” that will allow guide their interactions moving forward. At times, the assistance of the court is required to settle matters, in those cases Mara offers
zealous advocacy, paired with a no-nonsense but reasonable, client focused approached.