Andrea Sobko Email & Phone Number

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

- Represented clients on a range of employment law matters, including human rights accommodation; discipline and termination of employment; severance package negotiations; violence, harassment, and discrimination complaints, including matters before the Canadian Human Rights Commission and the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal; and drafting and reviewing of employment contracts.- Assisted with workplace investigations, including related to anti-Black racism, sexual harassment, and workplace harassment and bullying. Conducted witness interviews, completed legal research, and assisted with drafting investigation reports. - Conducted legal research and drafting related to workplace policies, practices, and implementation. - Conducted legal research and drafted legal memoranda on employment law and human rights law.

Toronto

- Provided legal advice, opinions, and assistance to ONA members and staff on all pay equity matters arising in the organization, including the obligations of unions and employers under the Pay Equity Act. - Acted as counsel for ONA in mediations, arbitrations, matters before the Pay Equity Commission and the Pay Equity Hearings Tribunal (PEHT), and judicial reviews at the Divisional Court. - Drafted legal submissions, including pleadings and facta; prepared direct and cross examinations and opening and closing statements; prepared witnesses; conducted legal research and drafted memoranda.- Negotiated pay equity plans and settlements for ONA bargaining units in hospitals, nursing homes, homes for the aged, public health units, local health integration networks, and family health teams.- Drafted submissions and position statements to government, and made oral submissions as needed, on proposed pay equity legislation, policies, processes, and law reform measures. - Monitored and provided education to senior management, staff, and members on legislative changes, current trends, and developments in pay equity.- Drafted legal opinions and memoranda for ONA senior management.

Toronto, Canada

- Completed a 10-month articling position in the areas of union-side labour law, human rights, pay equity, employment law, administrative law, civil litigation, class actions, and constitutional law.- Conducted legal research; drafted legal memoranda; assisted with the preparation of legal documents, including pleadings, demand letters, legal submissions, and correspondence; conducted client interviews; attended arbitrations, mediations, and tribunal and court matters.- Gained extensive experience working under the supervision of Mary Cornish, O.C. on Association of Ontario Midwives v. Ontario (Health and Long-Term Care), 2018 HRTO 1335, a human rights complaint brought by Ontario’s 800 midwives on the basis of gender discrimination in pay. Attended over 30 days of hearing at the HRTO; prepared witnesses, including expert witnesses, for direct and cross examinations; conducted legal research; compiled over 3000 pieces of documentary evidence; drafted sections of final submissions; developed strong relationships with client; liaised with counsel.- Coordinated advocacy initiatives related to closing the gender wage gap for the Equal Pay Coalition.

Toronto, Canada

- Maintained strategic oversight of Educator Support Department, including departmental planning; staff supervision; budgeting; developing new programs and resources; and building strategic partnerships. - Supervisory duties for department staff, contract staff, interns and ~40 volunteers. - Oversight of professional development for educators, including OJEN’s Law Institutes, online training webinars and participation at conferences and PD Days throughout the province. - Managed design and development of OJEN’s plain language legal resources (http://ojen.ca/resources), including needs assessment, writing, editing, and coordinating the translation and graphic design. - Built strong relationships with stakeholders, including the Osgoode Public Interest Requirement, having developed volunteer projects for 50+ law students; OISE/UT, establishing an internship placement at OJEN for OISE students each May; UNICEF Canada, collaborating on "Children’s Rights Count"; AIDWYC (now Innocence Canada), co-developing a resource on the prevention of wrongful convictions; Justice For Children and Youth, collaborating on Policing & Society; and LawPro, collaborating on a "A Foot in the Door", a resource on real estate and housing law. - Contributed to OJEN’s communications materials, developed web content, and updated the OJEN website.

Toronto, Canada

- Developed plain language educational resources on a variety of legal topics and social justice issues in line with the Ontario Ministry of Education's curriculum documents. - Established connections between educators and members of the justice sector through the coordination of courtroom and classroom visits, judge shadowing, and OJEN's Adopt-a-School program. - Oversight of OJEN's Charter Challenge program. - Coordinated professional development conferences for teachers to enhance their capacity to teach law in high schools.- Delivered workshops on a variety of legal topics to teachers at PD days, subject council conferences, and faculties of education throughout the province.- Initiated OJEN’s first program for young women in partnership with LEAF called 'Trailblazers: Promoting Equality in Law'.- Responsible for volunteer and intern management, including assigning volunteers and interns to an OJEN project; maintaining regular communication and oversight; evaluating ongoing work; providing feedback and recognition.

Toronto, Canada

- Coordinated justice education programs for Indigenous youth in Northern Ontario, including a Sentencing Symposium at Wikwemikong High School on Manitoulin Island and OJEN's circuit court justice education program, which connected justice professionals attending court in remote fly-in communities with those living on reserve for community-based justice education programming. - Maintained relationships with partner organizations and schools to develop programming for Indigenous youth.

- The African Court Research Initiative (ACRI) is a collaboration between Professors Kamari Clarke and Charles Jalloh, with funding from the Open Society Justice Initiative and support from the Pan African Lawyers Union. Their research focusses on the African Union’s July 2014 treaty which would establish a criminal chamber within the African Court of Justice and Human and Peoples’ Rights to prosecute serious international and transnational crimes committed on the African continent.- Conducted literature reviews and legal research, and prepared legal memoranda on procedural and substantive legal questions related to the criminal and human rights jurisdiction of the African Court of Justice and Human and People’s Rights. Research areas included the relationship between the African Union and the International Criminal Court (ICC), human rights in Africa, transitional justice, peace and justice sequencing, complementarity, immunity for heads of state, and cases before the ICC.

Toronto, Canada Area

- Completed a four-month clinical placement as part of the Feminist Advocacy Clinic at Osgoode Hall Law School that focussed on women charged with domestic violence offences.- Completed 10 clinical hours weekly, including regular intake shifts where I conducted client interviews, drafted legal memos, and undertook legal research related to domestic violence and women’s human rights. - Completed a legal research paper on Ontario's action plan to stop sexual violence and harassment.

Toronto, Canada Area

- Completed a clinical placement with the Refugee Sponsorship Support Program (RSSP) to provide public information and direct support to Canadians undertaking private sponsorships of Syrian refugees.- Attended monthly legal clinics to provide direct support to refugee claimants and sponsors, prepared refugee applications, interviewed clients, liaised with pro-bono counsel, and conducted legal research on country conditions.

- Provided research assistance on due diligence for the UN Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and in practice. (http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Women/WGWomen/Pages/WGWomenIndex.aspx)

- Completing a remote placement with the Office of the Prosecutor for the International Criminal Court through the International Justice and Human Rights Clinic at Osgoode Hall Law School.

Toronto, Canada Area

- Conducted legal research and draft memorandums on legal issues and case law related to criminal law.- Reviewed draft articles, including footnote checking, editing, and providing input on legal arguments.

Toronto, Canada Area

- Maintained carriage of 15 files and 35 brief services related to social assistance, gender-based violence and mental health law. - Represented clients at the Social Benefits Tribunal (SBT) in OW and ODSP appeals; prepared written submissions to the SBT and the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board; conducted hearing preparation and negotiated settlements with opposing counsel. - Conducted weekly client intakes and advocated on behalf of clients with OW, ODSP, landlords and community agencies; provided legal and community referrals when necessary. - Conducted legal research and drafted memorandums on case files, case law and legislation.- Designed and presented public legal education (PLE) materials on social assistance, mental health and violence against women.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

- Conducted legal research on the Convention of the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), including the CEDAW Committee’s record in addressing Economic, Social, and Cultural (ESC) rights, and how CEDAW can be used as a means of advocating for women’s ESC rights. - Prepared country and regional dossiers on implementation of CEDAW and Women’s Human Rights.

Juris Doctor (J.D.)

Activities and Societies: Feminist Advocacy Clinic, Refugee Sponsorship Support Program, International Justice and Human Rights Clinic.

Bachelor Of Education (B.Ed.), Intermediate/Senior Qualification (History And Social Sciences)

Hons. Bachelor Of Arts (High Distinction)