Melissa’s practice focuses on labour and employment law and litigation.
As an advocate, Melissa has a knack for breaking down complex legal issues and distilling key facts into clear, persuasive arguments. She has appeared before the Nova Scotia and New Brunswick Labour Boards, the Nova Scotia Supreme Court, the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, as well as in arbitrations and before boards of inquiry.
Melissa primarily represents and advises public and private sector provincially- and federally-regulated unions. She also advises clients in non-unionized workplaces on a variety of employment law issues and represents clients in complex litigation disputes.
In her collective bargaining work, she has acted as chief negotiator, drafted collective agreement language, participated in conciliation and mediation, and prepared interest arbitration submissions.
Using a calm, solution-focused approach, she takes the time to understand each client’s unique needs and the challenges they face. Her experience representing unions, employees, and employers in workplace disputes makes her particularly adept at considering all issues in a case and effectively advocating her client’s position.
Melissa received her JD from Dalhousie University in 2018 and was called to the bar in 2019. While in law school, she completed a placement at the Dalhousie Legal Aid Service and advocated for clients in the areas of family, youth criminal, and administrative law. Melissa received a number of awards and scholarships in recognition of her academic achievements and community involvement during her studies, including the Schulich Scholarship, the Jenkins Marzban Logan LLP Award for the top grade in Construction Law, and the Muriel Duckworth Award, for raising consciousness of women’s issues and feminism in the legal community.
She is a member of the Nova Scotia Barrister’s Society, the Advocates’ Society, the Canadian Bar Association, and the Canadian Association of Labour Lawyers. She currently sits on the Advocates’ Society’s Atlantic Regional Advisory Committee and the national Young Advocates’ Standing Committee.
Outside of lawyering, Melissa enjoys travelling, outdoor adventures with her dog Elliot, and taking ceramics courses in her quest to craft the perfect mug.
