- Principal areas of practice include refugee claims, temporary and permanent residence applications, immigration appeals, citizenship applications and passport entitlement investigations. - Conduct client intake and consultations on a wide range of immigration, citizenship and passport entitlement issues. - Keep clients appraised of and communicate promptly with them concerning the major developments in their matter. - Maintain carriage of files and complete the work necessary for each matter including legal and documentary research, drafting affidavits, legal submissions and providing legal advice. - Maintain proper file management practices and keep up to date with all Law Society of Ontario Rules of Professional Conduct and follow them on a day-to-day basis.

• Provide client intake and summary advice to clients in a community legal clinic setting.• Conduct client intake, identify the legal issue(s) and obtain a brief summary of the facts.• Under the supervision of review counsel, provide legal information and advise to clients both in person and over the phone.• Conduct legal research on tenant-related issues.

• Provided program support and client intake for an environmental non-profit working on business sustainability and energy efficiency in low-income communities.• Trained new staff on client intake processes and procedures.• Provided feedback on the functionality and data integrity of client relations management software.

• Conducted research and program development for a local rape crisis centre.• Researched legal (administrative law) opportunities to improve police response to sexual assault complaints.• Provided staff training on the Police Services Act Code of Conduct.

• Assisted senior staff lawyers with immigration case files in a community legal clinic setting.• Conducted interviews with clients to complete application forms and affidavits.• Conducted legal and documentary research on client files.• Drafted affidavits and application forms for submission to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

• Provided program support and client intake for an environmental non-profit working on business sustainability.AccomplishmentsEvent Planning: Planned and executed a program launch party for over 100 attendees. Created, tracked and reconciled the launch budget. Engaged, trained and managed a group of six volunteers. Managed relationships with all launch vendors including the venue, catering, graphic design and printing.

• Provided program support and client intake for an environmental non-profit working on energy efficiency in low-income communities.• Managed and processed all client inquiry calls over the phone and by email according to program criteria and standard operating procedures.• Secured the trust and confidence of all clients by responding to and addressing client inquiries in a cordial and prompt manner.• Wrote the narrative of a successful Ontario Trillium Foundation proposal that raised over $276,000 in new project funding for the organization.

• Processed study and work permit extension requests for Citizenship and Immigration Canada.• Managed and processed immigration applications in adherence to immigration legislation, regulations and according to standard operating procedure guidelines.• Exceeded performance expectations through demonstrated attention to detail and ability toPrioritize work load.

• Provided support to a non-governmental organization advocating for women’s rights internationally.• Drafted background, advocacy and communication materials in support of the organization’s activities.• Conducted online media searches of topics important to the organization such as gender and climate change, the current political situation in Liberia and the structure of the African Union.• Kept the organization up-to-date through media scans.• Wrote short posts for publication on the organization’s website and newsletters.• Drafted successful grant proposals and reports for international donors including raising $15,250 towards conference costs from the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust.

• Contributed to the overall planning and direction of a local artisans’ market in Hamilton.• Represented and promoted Makers’ Market to donor agencies and the local community.AccomplishmentsFundraising: Coordinated the submission of grant proposals and subsequent reports to the Ontario Trillium Foundation and the City of Hamilton, raising nearly $45,000 over three years for the Makers’ Market. Once the funding was granted, contributed to overseeing the administration of the funds to ensure that the program objectives were met.Market Vendor Development: Together with the Board, identified areas for vendors development, such as marketing, customer service, and starting a small business. Designed and implemented a series of seminars on vendor development in coordination with a local agency.

• Contributed to the overall planning and direction of an organic, community garden project based in Guatemala.AccomplishmentsIncorporation as a Charitable Not-For-Profit Organization: Coordinated the submission of ProjectHarvest’ s application for incorporation as a charitable not-for-profit. Researched the application process and submitted the application after seeking advice from a lawyer and input from the committee.

• Assisted with the management and administration of a Customer Service team of 20 to 30 in a call-centre environment.• Developed customer service-related policy and procedures in response to identified issues.• Maintained positive and supportive relationships with staff and management.• Liaised with business partner to ensure that their needs were met, including addressing any problems and staying abreast of all new developments.• Managed a heavy and varying workload while meeting deadlines through ability to prioritize.AccomplishmentsReformed Staff Performance Indicators: Identified new Customer Service Representative performance indicators which better reflected the evolution of the Customer Service Representative role. Developed the means of collecting numeric data on these indicators and integrated them into the Customer Service Representative Evaluation process.

• Provided Customer Service to subscribers of the Hamilton Spectator in a call centre environment.• Recalled customer accounts in the company’s database.• Accurately and efficiently addressed customers’ questions, comments and concerns.• Processed point of sale transactions while maintain a friendly and professional demeanor.• Adhered to the policies and procedures of the position.• Promoted to Assistant Supervisor after less than five months due to demonstrated enthusiasm, aptitude for the position.

• Provided support to the Operations staff of ICMC’s Secretariat and Regional offices.• Edited program proposals and reports for format, style as well as ensuring that the content met with the proposal/report requirements; drafted proposal/report covering letters; researched funding opportunities; prepared and submitted proposals/reports according to their deadlines.• Administrative duties included processing incoming mail, organizing and maintaining the filing system, developing and maintaining the department’s database of program contracts, coordinating meetings, note-taking.• Contributed to a variety of meetings with senior management, partners and donors concerning the management of ICMC’s programs.AccomplishmentsProgram Evaluation: Compiled a desk review on Iraqi asylum seekers in Jordan, Syria and Lebanon which led to a secondment to ICMC’s regional office in Amman, Jordan for 1 month to research and revise ICMC’s program reports in support of Iraqi asylum seekers. Conducted a review of ICMC’s humanitarian aid program in the region and wrote a report of findings and recommendations.

• Planned and conducted interactive, spoken English lessons for classes of 5 – 40 students in a secondary school setting.• Developed an immersion educational environment through English-language out-of-class activities.• Participated in after-school and weekend activities promoting English to other schools and organizations, including the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.