Professional Experience
I am a practising lawyer and a certified executive coach.
I have legal experience in firm and in-house practice settings, leadership experience in a large organization, and training in professional coaching for individuals and teams.
I am committed to helping other lawyers and their teams create sustainable legal practices that are both stable and fulfilling.
I work with lawyers, teams, and organizations who want to find better ways to contribute valuable client service while staying engaged and balanced.
Education in Psychology and Law
While studying Psychology at Queen’s University, I focused on social and developmental psychology courses. I was also drawn to electives in logic, sustainable development, and business law.
These interests, plus a love of words and a drive for justice, led me to law school at the University of British Columbia.
Law Firm Experience
Working in law firms confirmed my interest in practising law.
Before law school, I trained people in technology tools at a large national Vancouver firm. After my first year of law school, I interned at a Victoria firm.
Both experiences offered me excellent early career mentoring and experience working in busy law offices.
I then summered, articled, and practiced law at a large national firm in Vancouver. There, I got a strong start as a commercial lawyer, working on infrastructure projects, financings, and other corporate and commercial matters.
In-House Experience
When I was ready for new learning, I joined a high-performing legal team in a global natural resource business that is a leader in its industry.
I started as an individual contributor, then joined the Senior Management Team and the North America Leadership Team.
I learned from talented colleagues across the business and developed my own ways of thinking strategically, collaborating cross-functionally, and providing legal service of value.
I currently practice as a fractional in-house / general counsel.
Coaching Experience
As in-house counsel, I was fortunate to attend a leadership development program at the Center for Creative Leadership. There, my interests, education, and professional experience clicked into place. Coaching was the right next step to explore in my professional development.
A couple of years later, I attended Royal Roads University for executive coaching.
After these transformative learning experiences (and some overthinking!), I decided to create my own coaching business.
My coaching practice focuses on helping lawyers create fulfilling and sustainable practices.
My legal practice and my coaching practice share key elements that I value:
- Respecting confidentiality.
- Crafting clear agreements.
- Collaborating with high-performing professionals.
- Delivering client service of value.
- Being a trusted business partner.
Coaching Perspective
I believe that our professional lives can be both practical and creative.
We can do work that contributes useful, customized service to our clients, customers, colleagues, communities, and other stakeholders. And we can create better results with innovative solutions and effective relationships.
We can have secure, successful careers that sustain us and our families. And we can have the unique balance that we each need in order to enjoy how we spend our time, at work and in the rest of our lives.
We can be our analytical, high-performing selves—the ones who helped get us where we are today. And we can be our creative, multi-faceted selves—the ones who will help get us where we want to be tomorrow.
I believe that everyone is capable of being creative.
This includes those of us in professions that are not typically considered “creative”.
Everyone is capable of being creative.
Yes, even those of us in law, where our work relies heavily on analytical skills and logical, linear thinking.
In addition to the arts, creativity includes:
- Applying new perspectives.
- Expressing ideas in different ways.
- Connecting seemingly unrelated concepts to create new meaning and understanding.
- Bringing cross-disciplinary ideas and strategically chosen strengths to work.
- Developing innovative solutions.
I partner with individuals and teams to:
- Identify their motives and strengths.
- Develop and leverage their experiences, interests, skills, and values.
- Identify their short-term and long-term goals for development.
- Assess their realistic constraints and capacity.
- Create sustainable action plans.
Everyone has experiences, skills, and interests that can help them do their best work.
These parts evolve over time as people grow personally and professionally and gain self-awareness and confidence.
When we are aware of our experiences, skills and interests, and we leverage them appropriately for each situation, we can create and sustain work lives that work well for us and those with whom we collaborate.
This means:
- Developing values-aligned habits and sustainable practices.
- Dealing with conflict constructively.
- Moving through changes with more intention, direction, and ease.
- Making satisfying career choices.
- Doing our best work.
When we do this work, we get to:
- Be curious and engaged.
- Collaborate productively with others.
- Challenge ourselves in new, fulfilling ways.
- Find our own realistic versions of balance.
- Make valuable contributions.
In our work and in the rest of our lives.
Outside of work, I spend the majority of my time with my partner and our two school-aged kids. My family is my inspiration to continuously learn and grow.
I also make a point of prioritizing my other loves — exercise, books, and music — and maintaining meaningful social connection.
My family, community, and interests help me find practical and creative solutions every day.
I live, work, and adventure on the unceded traditional territories of the
xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) nations.