Biography
My legal career began in England in the mid-1980s. It has taken me to Germany and more recently to Canada. I completed my articles of clerkship with a top-tier, general practice law firm in Ottawa in 2004 and hold a master's degree in international law. I am fluent in both English and German, as well as more than competent in comprehending written and spoken French.
The need to keep my client's objectives always clear and at the front, while navigating the complexity of the law to help each client achieve their objectives, has always been the focus of my efforts throughout my legal career. Providing lasting solutions to challenging legal problems through clear analysis and research is my passion.
My professional objective is to quickly identify the legal issues and to provide the particular technical help that a client needs within the framework of an intricate and increasingly time-consuming legal system. My personal challenge is always to exceed client service expectations.
Major life decisions that clients make are based on the clarity and on the accuracy of the information that they receive. So, I always strive to present the legal issues to each client in a clear and straightforward manner and to be down-to-earth. Although I am not a trained counselor and while I am mindful that time costs money, I always listen attentively and sympathetically to all my clients’ problems.
After we have discussed the best options to help resolve your case, I apply adaptable yet robust advocacy together with excellence in legal practice because they are equally as crucial to the success of my clients’ cases as the financial cost is naturally of concern to them.
Wherever possible, I will encourage clients to pursue collaborative, dignified and lasting legal resolutions at every available opportunity. For all other situations, clients can be assured that their objectives will be pursued vigorously and professionally in the most cost-efficient way possible.
One high-point of my career is to have been invited to Chicago by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), America's largest trade body, to present a paper on the history and the provisions of Canada's anti-money-laundering regime. In turn, the NAR used my information to form a blueprint to assist its own members.
Outside of the office, exploration and music guide my activities. My enduring passion is snow-shoeing around the Ottawa River Valley (when there is snow) and enjoying a very wide spectrum of musical styles, which range from Midnight Oil to Respighi.
More information about my professional and educational history, as well as my private interests, is available here.