Hello to the Heron Law Offices community! I’m Jessye – one of the two new lawyers on the team, here on the blog to tell you a bit about myself. I come to Heron Law from the Federal Court, where I worked as a clerk on many immigration law judicial review cases under a judge who spent her career working in immigration legal clinics.
I grew up in the Okanagan, and after spending about a decade studying in Montreal and working in Ottawa, it’s great to be back on the west coast.
(Here I am bundled up on a cold, sunny Montreal winter day.)
As a kid, I never thought I wanted to be a lawyer. But as I got older and began to see all the ways that legal issues tangibly affect people’s lives, I started dreaming about studying this strange thing we call “the law”. Seeing my friends/roommates/loved ones dealing with immigration issues got me thinking about becoming an immigration lawyer, and in my first year of law school, I began the process of helping a young family do a Humanitarian & Compassionate application for permanent residence. It was a difficult process, and I knew I had so much to learn, but it was the best feeling when their application got approved.
That led me to working for a small immigration practice, where I saw all kinds of refugee, family sponsorship, and economic immigration cases. I also was also a legal clinic caseworker, a board member at a migrant workers’ organization, and a volunteer with the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers.
Working in immigration law made me want to learn more about administrative decision-makers and the way that government works, so I decided to work at an administrative tribunal in Ottawa after I graduated. I got to geek out about administrative law and be mentored by a bunch of excellent lawyers and tribunal members.
After working behind the scenes in a tribunal and a court, I’m excited to be back in the room with our wonderful clients (even if it’s a virtual room). I look forward to working with you to find strategies for navigating through the maze of immigration, tribunal and court systems, towards the best possible outcomes with the least possible stress.
Of course, I can’t end my first blog post without a huge shout out to Will, Xiaoyi, and Candy, for welcoming Katie and me into the firm with top-notch training sessions, inspiring brainstorming discussions, tons of practical advice, and warm camaraderie.
